Friday 30 March 2012

Titanic (Drownton on Sea)


All credit to Alison Graham of the Radio Times for the moniker above.  The fact that the whole of this drama is slightly longer than the actual sinking, yet crams in the design, building, negotiations, pre-voyage, voyage, iceberg and sinking, and no doubt some of the aftermath, says it all.  Episode one dashed through the mechanics of the wrecking with all attention on Fellowes's favourite preoccupation: class divisions.  Like Downton, this has romance, frills, grand settings and painfully obvious dialogue.  Unlike Downton, we know the ending, but at least this is actually covering the same events in each episode, rather than just feeling like watching the same episode over and over.

The stars were out when the iceberg loomed up ahead, and the stars were out queuing for the lifeboats, having flocked to the wildly successful Downton creator's new show.  There can't be a single UK agent whose coffers are empty of 'Titanic' money with the huge cast, who play their roles with varying success (Celia Imrie, where are you supposed to be from?!)  Undeniably a Titanorak's wet or worst dream, depending on which geek feature appeals, but for the general public, this goes nowhere an old British film, a big-budget but dismally cliched Cameron effort and a real ship with a couple of thousand souls hasn't gone before.  Maybe we should let it rest in its watery grave now?

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