April 10th will mark the 100th anniversary of the day the “unsinkable” Titanic set sail on its ill-fated maiden voyage. The first time I can recall this tragedy making an impact on my consciousness was when I saw a drawing (at a young age) that demonstrated visually just how deep the Titanic sank. I remember a feeling of awe that this ship would be laying at that kind of depth. It was, and still is, hard to imagine. Years later when they finally visited Titanic, bringing to us images of its final resting state, the awe rose up all over again.
15 years ago my wife and I sat in a theater in Tulsa, OK on opening weekend to see the film that became bigger than even James Cameron probably would have ever dreamed. I remember tears rolling down my cheeks during the scenes of the bodies floating in the water. It was gut-wrenching despite my knowing that it was but a pale imagining of how truly horrific those last few hours of life must have been for those unfortunate people.
Tonight we attended a sneak preview of the re-release of James Cameron’s massive hit which opens Wednesday night. The film’s release is timed to commemorate the sailing and sinking of the Titanic a century ago. Though we have seen the film several times, there was no question that we would leap at the chance to see it once more on the big screen.
And it was well worth another viewing.
