Return voyage of the Titanic

Near, far, wherever you are, Titanic fever is preparing to take the world by storm again, this time in 3D. Beijing is one port of call where the 1997 film will dock again on April 6, 2012 - the 100th anniversary of real ship's maiden and sole voyage.

For many fans of the movie, it's hard to believe it's been 15 years since the romantic epic directed by James Cameron hit the big screen. Jack and Rose, the protagonists played by a youthful Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, won viewers' hearts over with their blossoming romance on the ill-fated ocean liner, while the film's theme song - My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion - remains a favorite on playlists at karaoke parlors across China.

Tackling taboo topics

The Hollywood blockbuster opened in Beijing cinemas in spring of 1998, attracting swathes of lovers eager to see what was then the most expensive film ever made with an estimated $200 million budget. It had been the highest-grossing film in the country until sci-fi epic Avatar, also directed by Cameron, broke the record by earning $182 million in 2010.

"When Titanic hit screens at cinemas, it was common to see young couples waiting in queues at the box office to buy tickets to see the film," outlined an article on Mtime.com, a Chinese website for film fans. "People were moved by the tragedy in the film. They left cinemas with their eyes red from crying. The film became a hot topic in the mainstream media in China."

In 1998, watching a movie at the cinema was still a luxury in Beijing given that the average monthly salary at the time was about 1,000 yuan ($158), according to the Beijing Statistics Yearbook.

"The cost of movie ticket back then was more than 60 yuan, comparatively much higher than today," recalled Zhao Ningyu, a film critic and professor at Communication University of China.

One of the most controversial and hotly discussed topics of the film was its sexual themes that included a steamy love scene in a car made famous by a sweaty, sliding handprint on the window. Earlier in the film, Jack, an artist, sketches Rose reclining on a chaise lounge naked, bar her priceless blue diamond necklace.

Redefining love

Han Han, a 29-year-old Chinese novelist and blogger, once wrote about how he saw Titanic, albeit a strictly toned down version, with classmates at school.

"I was surprised to know that our school had organized for us to watch the film because I'd heard the character Rose appeared naked in it. However, our teachers told us there would be nothing to worry about as the film was edited by the dean. I thought it was impressive that the dean was capable of editing films," he wrote in jest.

"Students became so swept up in the story and were breathless when Rose asked Jack to draw her portrait. When she started taking off clothes, suddenly the shadow of a hand covered the screen. The most awkward aspect was that we could still hear their voices."

Another reason the young generation was fascinated by the movie was that it gave Chinese people a new "definition of love," said film fan Li Li. "The traditional, classic love celebrated in Chinese culture is like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in the legend of the Butterfly Lovers, which involves two lovers dying together in a blissful romance. However in Titanic, Jack tells audiences that living and having children and grandchildren in the future is also a form of love."

Zhang Wenhui, a 19-year-old university student who set up a group to discuss the film on online communication platform Baidu Tieba (Post Bar), said the most attractive point of the film goes beyond its commercial appeal and can be found in the stories of the lead lovers, musicians and captain who refused to abandon the ship as it sank.

Many film fans are prepared to fork out a sizeable chunk of their pay check to watch the film in 3D at IMAX cinemas, possibly to atone for past sins of watching it illegally. "I will go to watch it at IMAX as I only watched it from pirated VCD before," said Li Leifeng, 30, who was so swept up in Titanic fever as a 15-year-old when it first came out that he used to sketch his own comics involving Jack and Rose.

Unsinkable appeal

Critics of Titanic appear few and far between in China, though Professor Zhao insists that the film may have been a victim of its own success. "Titanic is a film that has been overly consumed. After its China premiere in 1998, box office takings for North American films stayed low for many years," said Zhao. "But in actual fact, Cameron's method of story-telling in Titanic and Avatar follows the trend of other Hollywood films."

Sometimes classic films enjoy equal, if not greater popularity during their second screenings, added Zhao. "Hollywood has a habit of bringing old films back to the big screen after they have been modified," Zhao said. "Take Casablanca for example. The original black and white film was colorized and re-released in 2005."

Film producers in China have also made attempts to modify classic films. The 1994 adventure film Ashes of Time by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai made a modest impact at the box office when it was released, but found success when a redux edition digitally enhanced hit the screen last year. "The US has almost 50,000 screens, which is more than sufficient," said Zhao. "Currently, China only has 9,000 screens. If this figure reaches 20,000, we will have greater opportunities to re-release more classic films."