December 20, 1997 -- "Titanic" is one of the best movies of 1997. It has everything in it you would expect from one of the most expensive movies ever made about one of the worst maritime disasters in history, and some things you would not expect.

Probably the best film ever made about this tragedy is a 1958 film called "A Night to Remember." It has a haunting quality about it and an almost documentary feel to it that the current film can't match. But this "Titanic" has a remarkable love story not found in the 1958 film.

Titanic centers on two young lovers, Jack Dawson (Leonardo Di Caprio of "Romeo and Juliet") and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet, who played Ophelia in the 1996 version of "Hamlet"). Rose is so distressed over being trapped into a lifeless marriage with Cal Hockley (Billy Zane) she is ready to commit suicide when she is saved by Jack.

Jack decides he must save Rose from her fate, setting off an affair that seems as doomed as the ship. Rose, however, is saved from her fate and Jack's love helps her not only to survive, but to live.

Their love is a parable that contrasts with the shallow values of the first class passengers of the ship, many of whom die without realizing they have never really lived in the first place. Their conceit and their misplaced trust in money and technology is made quite clear.

As in the 1958 film, the story contrasts tales of heroism with cowardice, the serenity of faith with blind panic, nobility and craven self-interest. The great tragedy brings out the best, and the worst in people.

Director James Cameron shows a very sure hand here. Best known for action films ("Terminator" and "Aliens") he downplays the action and special effects, letting the characters drive the story. The special effects are glorious, but not intrusive. The story never takes a back seat to the effects. They are simply so good that it looks as if the movie must have been filmed aboard the Titanic. It is flawless in this regard.

This is a fine example of Hollywood filmmaking. This is a studio film in the best sense of the word. The actors are first-rate, including Zane as the upper class scum, and Kathy Bates as the unsinkable Molly Brown. It isn't as poignant as it might have been. Somehow it seems detached from the monstrous tragedy it depicts, but it is a grand effort, nonetheless. It rates an A.

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