History ArtisticLicenseHistory / Titanic1997

* The final deleted scene with wireless operators Phillips and Bride omits the fight they had with a stoker who tried to steal their life jackets.[[note]]In fairness, the scene cuts away after Bride throws a life jacket over Phillips while he continues working. Bride went into an adjoining room to collect their money and then saw the stoker trying to remove Phillips' life jacket without him noticing.[[/note]]

Creator/JamesCameron sought out to make his depiction of the sinking of the [[UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic RMS]] ''[[UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic Titanic]]'' as accurate as possible, conducting an exhaustive amount of research into not only the ship but Edwardian Era society. Given the scientific understanding of the disaster at the time, he certainly succeeded beyond what any filmmaker could hope to achieve, and this film is rivalled only by ''Film/ANightToRemember'' as the most accurate depiction of the sinking.

* Due to concerns about lice and such, Third-Class passengers were also not allowed in the First-Class section and vice-versa, so Jack dining in First Class and Rose partying in Third Class would both have been impossible. This is the ''real'' reason for the infamous "locked gates" that prevented Third Class passengers from accessing the boats: the strict separation of classes meant that only Third Class had to go through the health inspection in New York. Third Class had their own deck space fore and aft, including both well decks. However, the Boat Deck was only for First and Second Class outside of an emergency, and since ''Titanic'' had never had a proper lifeboat drill most of Third Class had no idea how to get there - coupled with the fact that a lot of them couldn't speak or read English very well (if at all) and so wouldn't understand the panicked directions they would have been given by the stewards - hence the crushing mortality rate.

* Tickets for the ''Titanic'' were not transferable. Indeed, the prop tickets used for filming, being faithful reproductions, even state this (see [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/jamescameronstitanic/images/c/c4/Sven_Gunderson%27s_Ticket.jpg this image]]). Jack and Fabrizio shouldn't have been able to board with Sven and Olaf's tickets. But then, when James Moody allows them to board, he does only glance at the tickets anyway.

* Cal boasts to Ruth that there are several thousand tons of Hockley steel in ''Titanic'', located in "all the right parts." The steel was actually manufactured by the Scottish firm D. Colville & Company, Motherwell Works.

* The film treats the ''Titanic'' with more fanfare and applause than it enjoyed in real life, as most portrayals of the ship do. It was ''Olympic'', the twin, that received uproarious acclaim when it first set sail. ''Titanic'' was indeed called things like the "ship of dreams", and though it had the same dimensions as ''Olympic'', Ismay's description of it as the largest manmade mobile object ever is technically true due to its greater gross tonnage. Nonetheless ''Titanic'' was seen as little more than a glorified clone. In fact, there is so little photography of ''Titanic''[='s=] interior (even the famous Grand Staircase never had any photos taken of it) as the promoters simply used existing photographs from ''Olympic'' to represent ''Titanic'', which was so similar that it would have been pointless to do another photography session. The film acts like ''Titanic'' is the only child of White Star Line, with no mention of her twin at all. The filmmakers had in fact intended to recycle the ''Titanic'' set for a scene of ''Olympic'' answering ''Titanic''[='s=] distress call (as happened in real life) but they would have had to refit it to account for ''Olympic''[='s=] exposed promenade deck, and the scene was deemed too unimportant to merit that much work.

* As is common in many depictions of the sinking, J. Bruce Ismay is portrayed as encouraging Captain Smith to push the ship to full speed so that they get to New York a day early. In reality, Ismay and the rest of the White Star executives knew they could never compete with Cunard's faster ships, and they wanted to focus on luxury and comfort. Ismay ''was'' apparently interested in beating the record set by ''Olympic'' on her maiden voyage in 1911, and ''was'' apparently pushing for more speed to test ''Titanic'''s performance, but the Blue Riband -- the speed record for an Atlantic crossing -- was never a consideration. That said, ''Titanic'' was performing very well and there was talk on board of a potential early arrival.

** In addition, he is depicted as taking offense to the rude reply, while the real Evans would testify at the British Enquiry that he took no offense to the statement and that it was common language amongst wireless operators at the time. It's probably not helped by they fact that Phillips's reply is wrong, as in real life he tapped "DDD" (a shorthand for "stop transmitting") rather than saying "keep out, shut up, I'm working Cape Race!", which would have been needlessly rude and unnecessarily long winded and tedious.

* Pretty much Rose's survival considering the RL events. The few people who managed to survive long enough in the water to be rescued by the lifeboats were pretty much all muscular/stocky men with a high body mass that kept the warm and prevented them from freezing to death, most of them crewmembers. All things that don't apply to ''Creator/KateWinslet'', especially as Rose mentions having been the very last person picked up (Not to mention she was already soaking wet before the ship had fully sunk). Also many of the survivors who were in the water struggled with health problems for the rest of their lives and many died early (i.e. Archibald Gracie dying only eight months after the sinking) making it even more unbelievable that Rose went on to reach one hundred years of age.

* Rose mentions only one lifeboat came back, whereas in reality, two lifeboats returned. The first was lifeboat 4, who rescued 7 crew members from the water, 2 of them died inside the lifeboat. Much later, lifeboat 14 returned, having wasted a lot of time transferring passengers into other lifeboats in order to make room. They rescued 3 or 4 passengers, one of whom died in the lifeboat.

* Pretty much Rose's survival considering the RL events. The few people who managed to survive long enough in the water to be rescued by the lifeboats were pretty much all muscular/stocky men with a high body mass that kept the warm and prevented them from freezing to death, most of them crew members. All things that don't apply to ''Creator/KateWinslet'', especially as Rose mentions having been the very last person picked up (Not to mention she was already soaking wet before the ship had fully sunk). Also many of the survivors who were in the water struggled with health problems for the rest of their lives and many died early (i.e. Archibald Gracie dying only eight months after the sinking) making it even more unbelievable that Rose went on to reach one hundred years of age.

* The Atlantic water flooding the ship is depicted like it was swimming pool water, icy blue like it was mixed with chlorine, when in reality, the water was murkier and harsher.

* Pretty much Rose's survival considering the RL events. The few people who managed to survive long enough in the water to be rescued by the lifeboats where pretty much all muscular/stocky men with a high body mass that kept the warm and prevented them from freezing to death, most of them crewmembers. All things that don't apply to ''Creator/KateWinslet'', especially as Rose mentions having been the very last person picked up (Not to mention she was already soaking wet before the ship had fully sunk). Also many of the survivors who where in the water struggled with health problems for the rest of their lives and many died early (i.e. Archibald Gracie dying only eight months after the sinking) making it even more unbelievable that Rose went on to reach one hundred years of age.

* Due to concerns about lice and such, Third-Class passengers were also not allowed in the First-Class section and vice-versa, so Jack dining in First Class and Rose partying in Third Class would both have been impossible. This is the ''real'' reason for the infamous "locked gates" that prevented Third Class passengers from accessing the boats: the strict separation of classes meant that only Third Class had to go through the health inspection in New York. Third Class had their own deck space fore and aft, including both well decks. However, the Boat Deck was only for First and Second Class outside of an emergency, and since ''Titanic'' had never had a lifeboat drill most of Third Class had no idea how to get there - coupled with the fact that a lot of them couldn't speak or read English very well (if at all) and so wouldn't understand the panicked directions they would have been given by the stewards - hence the crushing mortality rate.

* Contrary to what is portrayed in the film, Third-Class passengers were not deliberately locked below decks by the crew during the sinking. Some stewards did make it difficult for passengers to leave steerage since they didn't understand their orders, but at no point in the voyage were the doors locked (doors with locks were required by law at the time, but ''locking'' them was not). It may not be clear from the film, but more women and children from Third Class survived the sinking than men from both First and Second Class combined.
** Stewards did block a number of stairways and doors, but this was intended to allow them to shepherd the Third Class passengers to the boat deck without them getting lost. This is apparently referenced in the scene where Jack and the others break down the locked gate, as the steward tells them to head for the main stairwell and they'll be able to find their way up from there. Overall, there was a serious lack of communication among the stewards overseeing Third Class that prevented many passengers from getting to the lifeboats.

** Actually, Lifeboat 4 rescued 8 crew members from the water as it was rowing away (it was one of the last boats lowered, so people had already begun jumping off the ship), and 2 died. It was then one of the boats attached to Lifeboat 14, taking several of the female passengers aboard it, and after Lifeboat 14 departed, it and Lifeboat 12 (which had also attached to 14), heard Officer Lightoller's whistle and left to rescue him and the rest of the men balancing on top of overturned Collapsible B.

* The final deleted scene with wireless operators Phillips and Bride omits the fight they had with a stoker who tried to steal their life jackets.[[note]]In fairness, the scene cuts away after Bride throws a life jacket over Phillips while he continues working. Bride went into an adjoining room to collect their money and then noticed the stoker trying to remove Phillips' life jacket without him noticing.[[/note]]

* The final deleted scene with wireless operators Phillips and Bride omits the fight they had with a stoker who tried to steal their life jackets.

* Robert Hitchens is depicted as a tall, lean man with a [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents cockney accent]]. The real Hitchens was 5'6", stocky of build, and from UsefulNotes/{{Cornwall}}. He's also depicted as saying "shut that hole in your face" to Molly Brown; in reality, those words were spoken by a steward in lifeboat 8 to another woman.

* Whether or not the band actually played "Nearer, My God, To Thee" as ''Titanic'' went down is a matter of speculation. Survivors mostly described them playing upbeat music to help keep everyone calm, with hardly any specific tunes cited. In the film's defense, band leader Wallace Hartley had once told a friend in casual conversation that if he were ever to find himself on a sinking ship and knew he was going to die, that's the tune he would choose to spend his final moments playing.

* The film treats the ''Titanic'' with more fanfare and applause than it enjoyed in real life, as most portrayals of the ship do. It was ''Olympic'', the twin, that received uproarious acclaim when it first set sail. ''Titanic'' was indeed called things like the "ship of dreams", and though it had the same dimensions as ''Olympic'', Ismay's description of it as the largest manmade mobile object ever is technically true due to its greater gross tonnage. Nonetheless ''Titanic'' was seen as little more than a glorified clone. In fact, there is so little photography of ''Titanic's'' interior (even the famous Grand Staircase never had any photos taken of it) as the promoters simply used existing photographs from ''Olympic'' to represent ''Titanic'', which was so similar that it would have been pointless to do another photography session. The film acts like ''Titanic'' is the only child of White Star Line, with no mention of her twin at all. The filmmakers had in fact intended to recycle the ''Titanic'' set for a scene of ''Olympic'' answering ''Titanic'''s distress call (as happened in real life) but they would have had to refit it to account for ''Olympic'''s exposed promenade deck, and the scene was deemed too unimportant to merit that much work.

* The film treats the ''Titanic'' with a little more fanfare and applause than it enjoyed in actuality, as is the case with most portrayals of the ship. While it was referred to by such monikers as the "ship of dreams", in real life it was ''Olympic'', the twin, that received such uproarious acclaim when first embarking and then arriving on her maiden voyage, by virtue of being a brand new ship of sheer size and luxury never seen before. After the dust settled, ''Titanic'' was seen as little more than a glorified clone of ''Olympic'' with new tweaks. In fact, there is so little photography of ''Titanic's'' interior because the promoters simply used existing photographs of the ''Olympic's'' features, like the famous Grand Staircase, to represent ''Titanic's'' by virtue of her similarities to the former, having no more reason to do another photography session. The film also further treats the ''Titanic'' as the only child of White Star Line, with no mention of her twin at all, and Rose, while deadpan and dismissive, treats the ship like a one of a kind thing.
** All photos of the Grand Staircase are actually from the ''Olympic'', but are easily mistaken for the ''Titanic'' simply because the latter was more well-known after the tragedy.

* Thomas Andrews' tour of the ship for Rose, Cal, and Ruth goes to the bridge and he mentions that they'll be seeing the engine room, both of which were out of bounds. The boiler rooms were also out of bounds to passengers, although Frederick Barrett does say that Jack and Rose shouldn't be there when they dart in there to escape Lovejoy.
** While Rose, Cal, and Ruth were accompanied by Thomas Andrews, who has more access than the average passenger, it's unlikely an exception would have been allowed for a simple recreational tour, and in the background there are clearly two other passengers on the bridge as well. The only indication of this rule is when Cal and Lovejoy storm through the bridge as a shortcut across the ship and James Moody feebly protests "Sir, you can't come through here!".

* Thomas Andrews is depicted speaking with an Irish accent. While he was born in Ireland, he grew up in an upper-class Anglican family and therefore spoke with a typical English RP accent. (And as mentioned under FakeIrish, Creator/VictorGarber doesn't even get the Irish accent quite right as he makes Andrews sound more like he comes from Dublin than Ulster.)

* Thomas Andrews is depicted speaking with an Irish accent. While he was born in Ireland, he grew up in an upper-class Anglican family and therefore spoke with a typical English RP accent.

* A very minor one with Lovejoy's [[GunsOfFiction/HandgunsAToL nickel-plated Colt M1911]]. While the M1911 came out in 1911, it's highly unlikely it would have found its way in Lovejoy's hands, especially [[BlingBlingBANG fancied up as it is]], as widespread sales only began in 1913. The hammer on the gun is also one from the [=M1911A1=], which came out in 1924. A Colt [=M1902=] or [=M1903=] would be more likely at that time.

* The sinking's depiction did change over the years, but it was mostly agreed the ''Titanic''''s rear end wasn't that raised at such a high angle as depicted in the film. The bow section went under just shortly before the breakup, and the entire ship's stern was only halfway high when it happened.

* The sinking's depiction did change over the years, but it was mostly agreed the ''Titanic's'' rear end wasn't that raised at such a high angle as depicted in the film. The bow section went under just shortly before the breakup, and the entire ship's stern was only halfway high when it happened.

Creator/JamesCameron sought out to make his depiction of the sinking of the [[UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic RMS]] ''[[UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic Titanic]]'' as accurate as possible, conducting an exhaustive amount of research into not only the ship but Edwardian Era society. Given the scientific understanding of the disaster at the time, he certainly succeeded beyond what any filmmaker could hope to achieve, and this film is rivalled only by ''Film/ANightToRemember'' as the most accurate depiction of the sinking. Nevertheless, in his own words, he often spent his time thinking as a screenwriter rather than a historian, resulting in many of the following historical inaccuracies. He also said that some of the myths were included, despite having been disproven by the 1990s, because "[[CoconutEffect audiences would expect to see them.]]"

* It was agreed upon, including Cameron, that the ship broke apart in the section between the second and third funnels, not the third and fourth like in the film. To be fair, at this time period of the film's production, this was the most accurate depiction of the break up.

* The film treats the ''Titanic'' with a little more fanfare and applause than it was in actuality, such is most portrayals of the ship. While it was referred to by such monikers like the "ship of dreams", in real life, it was ''Olympic'', the twin, that received such uproarious acclaim when first embarking and then arriving on her maiden voyage, on virtue of being a brand new ship of sheer size and luxury never seen before. After the dust settled, ''Titanic'' was seen as little more than a glorified clone of ''Olympic'' with new tweaks. In fact, there is so little photography of ''Titanic's'' interior, because the promoters simply used existing photographs of the ''Olympic's'' features, like the famous Grand Staircase, to represent ''Titanic's'' by virtue of her similarities to the former, having no more reason to do such hardship. The film also further treats the ''Titanic'' as the only child of White Star Line, with no mention of her twin at all, and Rose, while deadpan and dissmissive, treats the ship like a one of a kind thing.