Titanic

Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage.

Cameron's inspiration for the film came from his fascination with shipwrecks; he felt a love story interspersed with the human loss would be essential to convey the emotional impact of the disaster. Production began in 1995, when Cameron shot footage of the actual Titanic wreck. The modern scenes on the research vessel were shot on board the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, which Cameron had used as a base when filming the wreck. Scale models, computer-generated imagery, and a reconstruction of the Titanic built at Baja Studios were used to re-create the sinking. The film was co-financed by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox; the former handled distribution in North America while the latter released the film internationally. It was the most expensive film ever made at the time, with a production budget of $200 million.

Upon its release on December 19, 1997, Titanic achieved critical and commercial success. Nominated for 14 Academy Awards, it tied All About Eve (1950) for the most Oscar nominations, and won 11, including the awards for Best Picture and Best Director, tying Ben-Hur (1959) for the most Oscars won by a single film. With an initial worldwide gross of over $1.84 billion, Titanic was the first film to reach the billion-dollar mark, and became the highest-grossing film ever at the time, until Cameron's Avatar surpassed it in 2010. A 3D version of Titanic, released on April 4, 2012, to commemorate the centennial of the sinking, earned it an additional $343.6 million worldwide, pushing the film's worldwide total to $2.18 billion and making it the second film to gross more than $2 billion worldwide (after Avatar). In 2017, the film was re-released for its 20th anniversary and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.


Contents
Plot
In 1996, treasure hunter Brock Lovett and his team board the research vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh to search the wreck of RMS Titanic for a necklace with a rare diamond, the Heart of the Ocean. They recover a safe containing a drawing of a young woman wearing only the necklace dated April 14, 1912, the day the ship struck the iceberg.[Note 1] Rose Dawson Calvert, the woman in the drawing, is brought aboard Keldysh and tells Lovett of her experiences aboard Titanic.

In 1912 Southampton, 17-year-old first-class passenger Rose DeWitt Bukater, her fiancé Cal Hockley, and her mother Ruth board the luxurious Titanic. Ruth emphasizes that Rose's marriage will resolve their family's financial problems and allow them to retain their upper-class status. Distraught over the engagement, Rose considers suicide by jumping from the stern; Jack Dawson, a penniless artist, intervenes and discourages her. Discovered with Jack, Rose tells a concerned Cal that she was peering over the edge and Jack saved her from falling. When Cal becomes indifferent, she suggests to him that Jack deserves a reward. He invites Jack to dine with them in first-class the following night. Jack and Rose develop a tentative friendship, despite Cal and Ruth being wary of him. Following dinner, Rose secretly joins Jack at a party in third class.

Aware of Cal and Ruth's disapproval, Rose rebuffs Jack's advances, but realizes she prefers him over Cal. After rendezvousing on the bow at sunset, Rose takes Jack to her state room; at her request, Jack sketches Rose posing nude wearing Cal's engagement present, the Heart of the Ocean necklace. They evade Cal's bodyguard, Mr. Lovejoy, and have sex in an automobile inside the cargo hold. On the forward deck, they witness a collision with an iceberg and overhear the officers and designer discussing its seriousness.

Cal discovers Jack's sketch of Rose and an insulting note from her in his safe along with the necklace. When Jack and Rose attempt to inform Cal of the collision, Cal retaliates by having Lovejoy slip the necklace into Jack's pocket and accusing him of theft. Jack is arrested, taken to the master-at-arms' office, and handcuffed to a pipe. Cal puts the necklace in his own coat pocket.

With the ship sinking, Rose flees Cal and her mother, who has boarded a lifeboat, and frees Jack. On the boat deck, Cal and Jack encourage her to board a lifeboat; Cal claims he can get himself and Jack off safely. After Rose boards one, Cal tells Jack the arrangement is only for himself. As her boat lowers, Rose realizes that she cannot leave Jack and jumps back on board. Cal takes his bodyguard's pistol and chases Rose and Jack into the flooding first-class dining saloon. After using up his ammunition, Cal realizes he gave his coat and consequently the necklace to Rose. He later boards a collapsible lifeboat by carrying a lost child.

After braving several obstacles, Jack and Rose return to the boat deck. The lifeboats have departed and passengers are falling to their deaths as the stern rises out of the water. The ship breaks in half, lifting the stern into the air. Jack and Rose ride it into the ocean and he helps her onto a wooden panel buoyant enough for only one person. He assures her that she will die an old woman, warm in her bed. Jack dies of hypothermia[8] but Rose is saved.

With Rose hiding from Cal en route, the RMS Carpathia takes the survivors to New York City where Rose gives her name as Rose Dawson. Rose says she later read that Cal committed suicide after losing all of his money in the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

Back in the present, Lovett decides to abandon his search after hearing Rose's story. Alone on the stern of Keldysh, Rose takes out the Heart of the Ocean, which was in her possession all along, and drops it into the sea over the wreck site. While she is seemingly asleep or has died in her bed,[9] photos on her dresser depict a life of freedom and adventure inspired by the life she wanted to live with Jack. A young Rose reunites with Jack at the Titanic's Grand Staircase, applauded by those who died on the ship.

Cast
Fictional characters


Leonardo DiCaprio (top, pictured in 2014), who portrayed Jack Dawson, and Kate Winslet (pictured in 2011), who portrayed Rose DeWitt Bukater.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson: Cameron said he needed the cast to feel as though they were really on the Titanic, to relive its liveliness, and "to take that energy and give it to Jack, ... an artist who is able to have his heart soar".[10] Jack is portrayed as an itinerant, poor orphan from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, who has toured numerous places in the world, including Paris. He wins two tickets onto the RMS Titanic in a poker game and travels as a third-class passenger with his friend Fabrizio. He is attracted to Rose at first sight and meets her when she contemplates throwing herself off the stern of the ship. Her fiancé's "reward", an invitation to dine with them the next evening, enables Jack to mix with the first-class passengers for a night. When casting the role, various established actors, including Matthew McConaughey, Chris O'Donnell, Billy Crudup, and Stephen Dorff, were considered, but Cameron felt that a few of the actors were too old for the part of a 20-year-old.[11][12][13][14] Tom Cruise was interested in portraying the character, but his asking price was too much for the studio to consider.[12] Cameron considered Jared Leto for the role, but Leto refused to audition.[15] Jeremy Sisto auditioned and was filmed in a series of screen tests with Winslet and three other actresses vying for the role of Rose.[16] DiCaprio, 21 years old at the time, was brought to Cameron's attention by casting director Mali Finn.[11] Initially, he did not want to portray the character and refused to read his first romantic scene on the set (see below). Cameron said, "He read it once, then started goofing around, and I could never get him to focus on it again. But for one split second, a shaft of light came down from the heavens and lit up the forest." Cameron strongly believed in DiCaprio's acting ability and told him, "Look, I'm not going to make this guy brooding and neurotic. I'm not going to give him a tic and a limp and all the things you want." Cameron rather envisioned the character as a James Stewart type.[11] Although Jack Dawson was a fictional character, in Fairview Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where 121 victims are buried, there is a grave labeled "J. Dawson". The real J. Dawson was Joseph Dawson, who shoveled coal in the bowels of the ship. "It wasn't until after the movie came out that we found out that there was a J. Dawson gravestone," said the film's producer, Jon Landau, in an interview.[17]
Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater: Cameron said Winslet "had the thing that you look for" and that there was "a quality in her face, in her eyes," that he "just knew people would be ready to go the distance with her".[10] Rose is a 17-year-old girl, originally from Philadelphia, who is forced into an engagement to 30-year-old Cal Hockley so she and her mother, Ruth, can maintain their high-class status after her father's death had left the family debt-ridden. Rose boards the RMS Titanic with Cal and Ruth, as a first-class passenger, and meets Jack. Winslet said of her character, "She has got a lot to give, and she's got a very open heart. And she wants to explore and adventure the world, but she [feels] that's not going to happen."[10] Gwyneth Paltrow, Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Gabrielle Anwar, and Reese Witherspoon had been considered for the role.[11][18][19][20] When they turned it down, 20-year-old Winslet campaigned heavily for the role. She sent Cameron daily notes from England, which led Cameron to invite her to Hollywood for auditions. As with DiCaprio, casting director Mali Finn originally brought her to Cameron's attention. When looking for a Rose, Cameron described the character as "an Audrey Hepburn type" and was initially uncertain about casting Winslet even after her screen test impressed him.[11] After she screen tested with DiCaprio, Winslet was so thoroughly impressed with him, that she whispered to Cameron, "He's great. Even if you don't pick me, pick him." Winslet sent Cameron a single rose with a card signed, "From Your Rose", and lobbied him by phone. "You don't understand!" she pleaded one day when she reached him by mobile phone in his Humvee. "I am Rose! I don't know why you're even seeing anyone else!" Her persistence, as well as her talent, eventually convinced him to cast her in the role.[11]
Billy Zane as Cal Hockley: Cal is Rose's arrogant and snobbish 30-year-old fiancé who also acts as the heir to a Pittsburgh steel fortune. He becomes increasingly embarrassed by, jealous of, and cruel about Rose's relationship with Jack. The part was originally offered to Matthew McConaughey,[12] and Rob Lowe has also gone on the record as having pursued it.[21]
Frances Fisher as Ruth DeWitt Bukater: Rose's widowed mother, who arranges her daughter's engagement to Cal to maintain her family's high-society status. She loves her daughter but believes that social position is more important than having a loving marriage. She strongly dislikes Jack, even though he saved her daughter's life.
Gloria Stuart as Rose Dawson Calvert: Rose narrates the film in a modern-day framing device. Cameron stated, "In order to see the present and the past, I decided to create a fictional survivor who is [close to] 101 years, and she connects us in a way through history."[10] The 100-year-old Rose gives Lovett information regarding the "Heart of the Ocean" after he discovers a nude drawing of her in the wreck. She tells the story of her time aboard the ship, mentioning Jack for the first time since the sinking. At 87, Stuart had to be made up to look older for the role.[12] Of casting Stuart, Cameron stated, "My casting director found her. She was sent out on a mission to find retired actresses from the Golden Age of the thirties and forties."[22] Cameron said that he did not know who Stuart was, and Fay Wray was also considered for the role. "But [Stuart] was just so into it, and so lucid, and had such a great spirit. And I saw the connection between her spirit and [Winslet's] spirit," stated Cameron. "I saw this joie de vivre in both of them, that I thought the audience would be able to make that cognitive leap that it's the same person."[22] Stuart died on September 26, 2010, at age 100, approximately the same age elder Rose was in the film.[23]
Bill Paxton as Brock Lovett: A treasure hunter looking for the "Heart of the Ocean" in the wreck of the Titanic in the present. Time and funding for his expedition are running out. He later reflects at the film's conclusion that, despite thinking about Titanic for three years, he has never understood it until he hears Rose's story.
Suzy Amis as Lizzy Calvert: Rose's granddaughter, who accompanies her when she visits Lovett on the ship and learns her grandmother's true identity and romantic past with Jack Dawson.
Danny Nucci as Fabrizio De Rossi: Jack's Italian best friend, who boards the RMS Titanic with him after Jack wins two tickets in a poker game. Fabrizio does not board a lifeboat when the Titanic sinks and is killed when one of the ship's funnels breaks and crashes into the water, crushing him to death.
David Warner as Spicer Lovejoy: An ex-Pinkerton constable, Lovejoy is Cal's English valet and bodyguard, who keeps an eye on Rose and is suspicious about the circumstances surrounding Jack's rescue of her. He dies when the Titanic splits in half, causing him to fall into a massive opening. Warner had appeared in the 1979 TV miniseries S.O.S. Titanic.
Jason Barry as Thomas "Tommy" Ryan: An Irish third-class passenger who befriends Jack and Fabrizio. Tommy is killed when he is accidentally pushed forward and shot by a panicked First Officer Murdoch.
Historical characters
Although not intended to be an entirely accurate depiction of events,[24] the film includes portrayals of several historical figures:


The real Margaret Brown (right) giving Captain Arthur Henry Rostron an award for his service in the rescue of Titanic's surviving passengers.
Kathy Bates as Margaret "Molly" Brown: Brown is looked down upon by other first-class women, including Ruth, as "vulgar" and "new money". She is friendly to Jack and lends him a tuxedo (bought for her son) when he is invited to dinner in the first-class dining saloon. Despite Brown being a real person, Cameron decided not to portray her real-life actions. Molly Brown was dubbed "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" by historians because she, with the support of other women, commandeered Lifeboat 6 from Quartermaster Robert Hichens.[25] Some aspects of this altercation are portrayed in Cameron's film.
Victor Garber as Thomas Andrews: The ship's builder, Andrews is portrayed as a very kind and pleasant man who is modest about his grand achievement. After the collision, he tries to convince the others, particularly Ismay, that it is a "mathematical certainty" that the ship will sink. He is depicted during the sinking of the ship as standing next to the clock in the first-class smoking room, lamenting his failure to build a strong and safe ship. Although this has become one of the most famous legends of the sinking of the Titanic, this story, which was published in a 1912 book (Thomas Andrews: Shipbuilder) and therefore perpetuated, came from John Stewart, a steward on the ship who in fact left the ship in boat no.15 at approximately 1:40 a.m.[26] There were testimonies of sightings of Andrews after that moment.[26] It appears that Andrews stayed in the smoking room for some time to gather his thoughts, then he continued assisting with the evacuation.[26] Another reported sighting was of Andrews frantically throwing deck chairs into the ocean for passengers to use as floating devices. Andrews was last seen leaving the ship at the last moment.
Bernard Hill as Captain Edward John Smith: Smith planned to make the Titanic his final voyage before retiring. He retreats into the wheelhouse on the bridge as the ship sinks, dying when the windows implode from the water whilst he clings to the ship's wheel. There are conflicting accounts as to whether he died in this manner or later froze to death in the water near the capsized collapsible lifeboat "B".[27]
Jonathan Hyde as J. Bruce Ismay: Ismay is portrayed as a rich, ignorant upper-class man. In the film, he uses his position as White Star Line managing director to influence Captain Smith to go faster with the prospect of an earlier arrival in New York and favorable press attention; while this action appears in popular portrayals of the disaster, it is unsupported by evidence.[28][29] After the collision, he struggles to comprehend that his "unsinkable" ship is doomed. Ismay later boards Collapsible C (one of the last lifeboats to leave the ship) just before it is lowered. He was branded a coward by the press and public for surviving the disaster while many women and children had drowned.
Eric Braeden as John Jacob Astor IV: A first-class passenger whom Rose (correctly) calls the richest man on the ship. The film depicts Astor and his 18-year-old wife Madeleine (Charlotte Chatton) as being introduced to Jack by Rose in the first-class dining saloon. During the introduction, Astor asks if Jack is connected to the "Boston Dawsons", a question Jack neatly deflects by saying that he is instead affiliated with the Chippewa Falls Dawsons. Astor is last seen as the Grand Staircase glass dome implodes and water surges in.
Bernard Fox as Colonel Archibald Gracie IV: The film depicts Gracie making a comment to Cal that "women and machinery don't mix", and congratulating Jack for saving Rose from falling off the ship, though he is unaware that it was a suicide attempt. Fox had portrayed Frederick Fleet in the 1958 film A Night to Remember.
Michael Ensign as Benjamin Guggenheim: A mining magnate traveling in first-class. He shows off his French mistress Madame Aubert (Fannie Brett) to his fellow passengers while his wife and three daughters wait for him at home. When Jack joins the other first-class passengers for dinner after his rescue of Rose, Guggenheim refers to him as a "bohemian". He is seen in the flooding Grand Staircase during the sinking, saying he is prepared to go down as a gentleman.
Jonathan Evans-Jones as Wallace Hartley: The ship's bandmaster and violinist who plays uplifting music with his colleagues on the boat deck as the ship sinks. As the final plunge begins, he leads the band in a final performance of Nearer, My God, to Thee, to the tune of Bethany,[30][31] and dies in the sinking.
Mark Lindsay Chapman as Chief Officer Henry Wilde: The ship's chief officer, who lets Cal on board a lifeboat because he has a child in his arms. Before he dies, he tries to get the boats to return to the sinking site to rescue passengers by blowing his whistle. After he freezes to death, Rose uses his whistle to attract the attention of Fifth Officer Lowe, which leads to her rescue.
Ewan Stewart as First Officer William Murdoch: The officer who is put in charge of the bridge on the night the ship struck the iceberg. During a rush for the lifeboats, Murdoch shoots Tommy Ryan as well as another passenger in a momentary panic, then commits suicide by shooting himself in the head. When Murdoch's nephew Scott saw the film, he objected to his uncle's portrayal as damaging to Murdoch's heroic reputation.[32] A few months later, Fox vice-president Scott Neeson went to Dalbeattie, Scotland, where Murdoch lived, to deliver a personal apology, and also presented a £5000 donation to Dalbeattie High School to boost the school's William Murdoch Memorial Prize.[33] Cameron apologized on the DVD commentary, but stated that there were officers who fired gunshots to enforce the "women and children first" policy.[34] According to Cameron, his depiction of Murdoch is that of an "honorable man," not of a man "gone bad" or of a "cowardly murderer." He added, "I'm not sure you'd find that same sense of responsibility and total devotion to duty today. This guy had half of his lifeboats launched before his counterpart on the port side had even launched one. That says something about character and heroism."[35]
Jonathan Phillips as Second Officer Charles Lightoller. Lightoller took charge of the port side evacuation. The film depicts Lightoller informing Captain Smith that it will be difficult to see icebergs without breaking water and following the collision suggesting the crew should begin boarding women and children to the lifeboats. He is seen brandishing a gun and threatening to use it to keep order. He can be seen on top of Collapsible B when the first funnel collapses. Lightoller was the most senior officer to have survived the disaster.
Simon Crane as Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall: The officer in charge of firing flares and manning Lifeboat 2 during the sinking. He is shown on the bridge wings helping the seamen firing the flares.
Ioan Gruffudd as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe: The ship's only officer to lead a lifeboat to retrieve survivors of the sinking from the icy waters. The film depicts Lowe rescuing Rose.
Edward Fletcher as Sixth Officer James Moody: The ship's only junior officer to have died in the sinking. The film depicts Moody admitting Jack and Fabrizio onto the ship only moments before it departs from Southampton. Moody is later shown following Mr. Murdoch's orders to put the ship to full speed ahead, and informs First Officer Murdoch about the iceberg. He is last seen clinging to one of the davits on the starboard side after having unsuccessfully attempted to launch collapsible A.
James Lancaster as Father Thomas Byles: Second-class passenger Father Byles, a Catholic priest from England, is portrayed praying and consoling passengers during the ship's final moments.
Lew Palter and Elsa Raven as Isidor Straus and Ida Straus: Isidor is a former owner of R.H. Macy and Company, a former congressman from New York, and a member of the New York and New Jersey Bridge Commission. During the sinking, his wife Ida is offered a place in a lifeboat, but refuses, saying that she will honor her wedding pledge by staying with Isidor. They are last seen lying on their bed embracing each other as water fills their stateroom.
Martin Jarvis as Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon: A Scottish baronet who is rescued in Lifeboat 1. Lifeboats 1 and 2 were emergency boats with a capacity of 40. Situated at the forward end of the boat deck, these were kept ready to launch in case of a person falling overboard. On the night of the disaster, Lifeboat 1 was the fourth to be launched, with 12 people aboard, including Duff-Gordon, his wife and her secretary. The baronet was much criticized for his conduct during the incident. It was suggested that he had boarded the emergency boat in violation of the "women and children first" policy and that the boat had failed to return to rescue those struggling in the water. He offered five pounds to each of the lifeboat's crew, which those critical of his conduct viewed as a bribe. The Duff-Gordons at the time (and his wife's secretary in a letter written at the time and rediscovered in 2007) stated that there had been no women or children waiting to board in the vicinity of the launching of their boat, and there is confirmation that lifeboat 1 of the Titanic was almost empty and that First Officer William Murdoch was apparently glad to offer Duff-Gordon and his wife and her secretary a place (simply to fill it) after they had asked if they could get on. Duff-Gordon denied that his offer of money to the lifeboat crew represented a bribe. The British Board of Trade's inquiry into the disaster accepted Duff-Gordon's denial of bribing the crew, but maintained that, if the emergency boat had rowed towards the people who were in the water, it might very well have been able to rescue some of them.[36][37]
Rosalind Ayres as Lady Duff-Gordon: A world-famous fashion designer and Sir Cosmo's wife. She is rescued in Lifeboat 1 with her husband. She and her husband never lived down rumors that they had forbidden the lifeboat's crew to return to the wreck site in case they would be swamped.[38][39][40]
Rochelle Rose as Noël Leslie, Countess of Rothes: The Countess is shown to be friendly with Cal and the DeWitt Bukaters. Despite being of a higher status in society than Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff-Gordon, she is kind, and helps row the boat and even looks after the steerage passengers.
Scott G. Anderson as Frederick Fleet: The lookout who saw the iceberg. Fleet escapes the sinking ship aboard Lifeboat 6.
Paul Brightwell as Quartermaster Robert Hichens: One of the ship's six quartermasters and at the ship's wheel at the time of collision. He is in charge of lifeboat 6. He refuses to go back and pick up survivors after the sinking and eventually the boat is commandeered by Molly Brown.
Martin East as Reginald Lee: The other lookout in the crow's nest. He survives the sinking.
Gregory Cooke as Jack Phillips: Senior wireless operator on board the Titanic whom Captain Smith ordered to send the distress signal.
Craig Kelly as Harold Bride: Junior wireless operator on board the Titanic.
Liam Tuohy as Chief Baker Charles Joughin: The baker appears in the film on top of the railing with Jack and Rose as the ship sinks, drinking brandy from a flask. According to the real Joughin's testimony, he rode the ship down and stepped into the water without getting his hair wet. He also admitted to hardly feeling the cold, most likely thanks to alcohol.[41]
Terry Forrestal as Chief Engineer Joseph G. Bell: Bell and his men worked until the last minute to keep the lights and the power on in order for distress signals to get out. Bell and all of the engineers died in the bowels of the Titanic.
Cameos
Several crew members of the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh appear in the film, including Anatoly Sagalevich, creator and pilot of the MIR self-propelled Deep Submergence Vehicle.[42] Anders Falk, who filmed a documentary about the film's sets for the Titanic Historical Society, makes a cameo appearance in the film as a Swedish immigrant whom Jack Dawson meets when he enters his cabin; Edward Kamuda and Karen Kamuda, then President and Vice President of the Society who served as film consultants, were cast as extras in the film.[43][44]

Pre-production
Writing and inspiration
"The story could not have been written better...The juxtaposition of rich and poor, the gender roles played out unto death (women first), the stoicism and nobility of a bygone age, the magnificence of the great ship matched in scale only by the folly of the men who drove her hell-bent through the darkness. And above all the lesson: that life is uncertain, the future unknowable...the unthinkable possible."
— James Cameron[45]
James Cameron had a fascination with shipwrecks, and for him the RMS Titanic was "the Mount Everest of shipwrecks".[46][47][48] He was almost past the point in his life when he felt he could consider an undersea expedition, but said he still had "a mental restlessness" to live the life he had turned away from when he switched from the sciences to the arts in college. So when an IMAX film was made from footage shot of the wreck itself, he decided to seek Hollywood funding to "pay for an expedition and do the same thing". It was "not because I particularly wanted to make the movie," Cameron said. "I wanted to dive to the shipwreck."[46]

Cameron wrote a scriptment for a Titanic film,[49] met with 20th Century Fox executives including Peter Chernin, and pitched it as "Romeo and Juliet on the Titanic".[47][48] Cameron stated, "They were like, 'Oooooohkaaaaaay – a three-hour romantic epic? Sure, that's just what we want. Is there a little bit of Terminator in that? Any Harrier jets, shoot-outs, or car chases?' I said, 'No, no, no. It's not like that.'"[11] The studio was dubious about the idea's commercial prospects, but, hoping for a long-term relationship with Cameron, they gave him a greenlight.[11][12][22]


Director, writer and producer James Cameron (pictured in 2000)
Cameron convinced Fox to promote the film based on the publicity afforded by shooting the Titanic wreck itself,[49] and organized several dives to the site over a period of two years.[45] "My pitch on that had to be a little more detailed," said Cameron. "So I said, 'Look, we've got to do this whole opening where they're exploring the Titanic and they find the diamond, so we're going to have all these shots of the ship." Cameron stated, "Now, we can either do them with elaborate models and motion control shots and CG and all that, which will cost X amount of money – or we can spend X plus 30 per cent and actually go shoot it at the real wreck."[47] The crew shot at the real wreck in the Atlantic Ocean twelve times in 1995 and actually spent more time with the ship than its passengers. At that depth, with a water pressure of 6,000 pounds per square inch, "one small flaw in the vessel's superstructure would mean instant death for all on board." Not only were the dives high-risk, but adverse conditions prevented Cameron from getting the high quality footage that he wanted.[12] During one dive, one of the submersibles collided with Titanic's hull, damaging both sub and ship and leaving fragments of the submersible's propeller shroud scattered around the superstructure. The external bulkhead of Captain Smith's quarters collapsed, exposing the interior. The area around the entrance to the Grand Staircase was also damaged.[50]

Descending to the actual site made both Cameron and crew want "to live up to that level of reality ... But there was another level of reaction coming away from the real wreck, which was that it wasn't just a story, it wasn't just a drama," he said. "It was an event that happened to real people who really died. Working around the wreck for so much time, you get such a strong sense of the profound sadness and injustice of it, and the message of it." Cameron stated, "You think, 'There probably aren't going to be many filmmakers who go to Titanic. There may never be another one – maybe a documentarian." Due to this, he felt "a great mantle of responsibility to convey the emotional message of it – to do that part of it right, too".[22]

After filming the underwater shots, Cameron began writing the screenplay.[49] He wanted to honor the people who died during the sinking, so he spent six months researching all of the Titanic's crew and passengers.[45] "I read everything I could. I created an extremely detailed timeline of the ship's few days and a very detailed timeline of the last night of its life," he said.[47] "And I worked within that to write the script, and I got some historical experts to analyze what I'd written and comment on it, and I adjusted it."[47] He paid meticulous attention to detail, even including a scene depicting the Californian's role in Titanic's demise, though this was later cut (see below). From the beginning of the shoot, they had "a very clear picture" of what happened on the ship that night. "I had a library that filled one whole wall of my writing office with Titanic stuff, because I wanted it to be right, especially if we were going to dive to the ship," he said. "That set the bar higher in a way – it elevated the movie in a sense. We wanted this to be a definitive visualization of this moment in history as if you'd gone back in a time machine and shot it."[47]

Cameron felt the Titanic sinking was "like a great novel that really happened", but that the event had become a mere morality tale; the film would give audiences the experience of living the history.[45] The treasure hunter Brock Lovett represented those who never connected with the human element of the tragedy,[42] while the blossoming romance of Jack and Rose, Cameron believed, would be the most engaging part of the story: when their love is finally destroyed, the audience would mourn the loss.[45] He said: "All my films are love stories, but in Titanic I finally got the balance right. It's not a disaster film. It's a love story with a fastidious overlay of real history."[22]

Cameron framed the romance with the elderly Rose to make the intervening years palpable and poignant.[45] While Winslet and Stuart stated their belief that, instead of being asleep in her bed, the character dies at the end of the film,[51][52] Cameron said that he would rather not reveal what he intended with the ending because "[t]he answer has to be something you supply personally; individually."[9]

Scale modeling
A ship resembling the Titanic is being built at a port with clear skies and small waves.
The reconstruction of the RMS Titanic. The blueprints were supplied by the original ship's builder and Cameron tried to make the ship as detailed and accurate as possible.[53]
Harland and Wolff, the RMS Titanic's builders, opened their private archives to the crew, sharing blueprints that were thought lost. For the ship's interiors, production designer Peter Lamont's team looked for artifacts from the era. The newness of the ship meant every prop had to be made from scratch.[53] Fox acquired 40 acres of waterfront south of Playas de Rosarito in Mexico, and began building a new studio on May 31, 1996. A horizon tank of seventeen million gallons was built for the exterior of the reconstructed ship, providing 270 degrees of ocean view. The ship was built to full scale, but Lamont removed redundant sections on the superstructure and forward well deck for the ship to fit in the tank, with the remaining sections filled with digital models. The lifeboats and funnels were shrunken by ten percent. The boat deck and A-deck were working sets, but the rest of the ship was just steel plating. Within was a fifty-foot lifting platform for the ship to tilt during the sinking sequences. Towering above was a 162-foot-tall (49 m) tower crane on 600 feet (180 m) of rail track, acting as a combined construction, lighting, and camera platform.[42]

The sets representing the interior rooms of the Titanic were reproduced exactly as originally built, using photographs and plans from the Titanic's builders. The Grand Staircase, which features prominently in the film, was recreated to a high standard of authenticity, though it was widened 30% compared to the original and reinforced with steel girders. Craftsmen from Mexico and Britain sculpted the ornate paneling and plaster-work based on Titanic's original designs.[54] The carpeting, upholstery, individual pieces of furniture, light fixtures, chairs, cutlery and crockery with the White Star Line crest on each piece were among the objects recreated according to original designs.[55] Cameron additionally hired two Titanic historians, Don Lynch and Ken Marschall, to authenticate the historical detail in the film.[12]

Production
Principal photography for Titanic began in July 1996 at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with the filming of the modern day expedition scenes aboard the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh.[42] In September 1996, the production moved to the newly built Fox Baja Studios in Rosarito, Mexico, where a full scale RMS Titanic had been constructed.[42] The poop deck was built on a hinge which could rise from zero to 90 degrees in a few seconds, just as the ship's stern rose during the sinking.[56] For the safety of the stuntmen, many props were made of foam rubber.[57] By November 15, the boarding scenes were being shot.[56] Cameron chose to build his RMS Titanic on the starboard side as a study of weather data revealed it was a prevailing north-to-south wind which blew the funnel smoke aft. This posed a problem for shooting the ship's departure from Southampton, as it was docked on its port side. Implementation of written directions, as well as props and costumes, had to be reversed; for example, if someone walked to their right in the script, they had to walk left during shooting. In post-production, the film was flipped to the correct direction.[58]

A full-time etiquette coach was hired to instruct the cast in the manners of the upper class gentility in 1912.[12] Despite this, several critics picked up on anachronisms in the film, not least involving the two main stars.[59][60]

A pencil-drawing sketch depicting a woman with a somewhat stern face lying on a chair and pillow naked, only wearing a diamond necklace. From the breast down the picture is cut off.
Cameron's nude sketch of Rose wearing the "Heart of the Ocean". The associated nude scene was one of the first scenes shot, as the main set was not yet ready.[22]
Cameron sketched Jack's nude portrait of Rose[61] for a scene which he feels has the backdrop of repression. "You know what it means for her, the freedom she must be feeling. It's kind of exhilarating for that reason," he said.[22] The nude scene was DiCaprio and Winslet's first scene together. "It wasn't by any kind of design, although I couldn't have designed it better. There's a nervousness and an energy and a hesitance in them," Cameron stated. "They had rehearsed together, but they hadn't shot anything together. If I'd had a choice, I probably would have preferred to put it deeper into the body of the shoot." Cameron said he and his crew "were just trying to find things to shoot" because the big set "wasn't ready for months, so we were scrambling around trying to fill in anything we could get to shoot." After seeing the scene on film, Cameron felt it worked out considerably well.[22]

Other times on the set were not as smooth. The shoot was an arduous experience that "cemented Cameron's formidable reputation as 'the scariest man in Hollywood'. He became known as an uncompromising, hard-charging perfectionist" and a "300-decibel screamer, a modern-day Captain Bligh with a megaphone and walkie-talkie, swooping down into people's faces on a 162ft crane".[62] Winslet chipped a bone in her elbow during filming and had been worried that she would drown in the 17m-gallon water tank the ship was to be sunk in. "There were times when I was genuinely frightened of him. Jim has a temper like you wouldn't believe," she said.[62] "'God damn it!' he would yell at some poor crew member, 'that's exactly what I didn't want!'"[62] Her co-star, Bill Paxton, was familiar with Cameron's work ethic from his earlier experience with him. "There were a lot of people on the set. Jim is not one of those guys who has the time to win hearts and minds," he said.[62] The crew felt Cameron had an evil alter ego and so nicknamed him "Mij" (Jim spelled backwards).[62] In response to the criticism, Cameron stated, "Film-making is war. A great battle between business and aesthetics."[62]

During the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh shoot in Canada, an angry crew member put the dissociative drug PCP into the soup that Cameron and various others ate one night in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.[11][63] It sent more than 50 people to the hospital, including Paxton.[63] "There were people just rolling around, completely out of it. Some of them said they were seeing streaks and psychedelics," said actor Lewis Abernathy.[11] Cameron managed to vomit before the drug took a full hold. Abernathy was shocked at the way he looked. "One eye was completely red, like the Terminator eye. A pupil, no iris, beet red. The other eye looked like he'd been sniffing glue since he was four."[11][62] The person behind the poisoning was never caught.[51][64]

The filming schedule was intended to last 138 days but grew to 160. Many cast members came down with colds, flu, or kidney infections after spending hours in cold water, including Winslet. In the end, she decided she would not work with Cameron again unless she earned "a lot of money".[64] Several others left the production, and three stuntmen broke their bones, but the Screen Actors Guild decided, following an investigation, that nothing was inherently unsafe about the set.[64] Additionally, DiCaprio said there was no point when he felt he was in danger during filming.[65] Cameron believed in a passionate work ethic and never apologized for the way he ran his sets, although he acknowledged:

I'm demanding, and I'm demanding on my crew. In terms of being kind of militaresque, I think there's an element of that in dealing with thousands of extras and big logistics and keeping people safe. I think you have to have a fairly strict methodology in dealing with a large number of people.[64]

The costs of filming Titanic eventually began to mount and finally reached $200 million,[4][5][6] a bit over $1 million per minute of screen time.[66] Fox executives panicked and suggested an hour of specific cuts from the three-hour film. They argued the extended length would mean fewer showings, thus less revenue, even though long epics are more likely to help directors win Oscars. Cameron refused, telling Fox, "You want to cut my movie? You're going to have to fire me! You want to fire me? You're going to have to kill me!"[11] The executives did not want to start over, because it would mean the loss of their entire investment, but they also initially rejected Cameron's offer of forfeiting his share of the profits as an empty gesture, as they predicted profits would be unlikely.[11]

Cameron explained forfeiting his share as complex. "... the short version is that the film cost proportionally much more than T2 and True Lies. Those films went up seven or eight percent from the initial budget. Titanic also had a large budget to begin with, but it went up a lot more," he said. "As the producer and director, I take responsibility for the studio that's writing the checks, so I made it less painful for them. I did that on two different occasions. They didn't force me to do it; they were glad that I did."[22]

Post-production
Effects
Cameron wanted to push the boundary of special effects with his film, and enlisted Digital Domain to continue the developments in digital technology which the director pioneered while working on The Abyss and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Many previous films about the RMS Titanic shot water in slow motion, which did not look wholly convincing.[67] Cameron encouraged his crew to shoot their 45-foot-long (14 m) miniature of the ship as if "we're making a commercial for the White Star Line".[68] Afterwards, digital water and smoke were added, as were extras captured on a motion capture stage. Visual effects supervisor Rob Legato scanned the faces of many actors, including himself and his children, for the digital extras and stuntmen. There was also a 65-foot-long (20 m) model of the ship's stern that could break in two repeatedly, the only miniature to be used in water.[67] For scenes set in the ship's engines, footage of the SS Jeremiah O'Brien's engines were composited with miniature support frames, and actors shot against a greenscreen.[69] In order to save money, the first-class lounge was a miniature set incorporated into a greenscreen backdrop behind the actors.[70] The miniature of the Lounge would later be crushed to simulate the destruction of the room and a scale model of a First-Class corridor flooded with jets of water while the camera pans out.[71]

The Titanic about to sink into the ocean, with the ship breaking into two parts and with smoke still coming out of the funnels.
Unlike previous Titanic films, Cameron's retelling of the disaster showed the ship breaking into two pieces before sinking entirely. The scenes were an account of the moment's most likely outcome.
An enclosed 5,000,000-US-gallon (19,000,000 L) tank was used for sinking interiors, in which the entire set could be tilted into the water. In order to sink the Grand Staircase, 90,000 US gallons (340,000 L) of water were dumped into the set as it was lowered into the tank. Unexpectedly, the waterfall ripped the staircase from its steel-reinforced foundations, although no one was hurt. The 744-foot-long (227 m) exterior of the RMS Titanic had its first half lowered into the tank, but as the heaviest part of the ship it acted as a shock absorber against the water; to get the set into the water, Cameron had much of the set emptied and even smashed some of the promenade windows himself. After submerging the dining saloon, three days were spent shooting Lovett's ROV traversing the wreck in the present.[42] The post-sinking scenes in the freezing Atlantic were shot in a 350,000-US-gallon (1,300,000 L) tank,[72] where the frozen corpses were created by applying on actors a powder that crystallized when exposed to water, and wax was coated on hair and clothes.[53]

The climactic scene, which features the breakup of the ship directly before it sinks as well as its final plunge to the bottom of the Atlantic, involved a tilting full-sized set, 150 extras, and 100 stunt performers. Cameron criticized previous Titanic films for depicting the liner's final plunge as a graceful slide underwater. He "wanted to depict it as the terrifyingly chaotic event that it really was".[12] When carrying out the sequence, people needed to fall off the increasingly tilting deck, plunging hundreds of feet below and bouncing off of railings and propellers on the way down. A few attempts to film this sequence with stunt people resulted in some minor injuries, and Cameron halted the more dangerous stunts. The risks were eventually minimized "by using computer generated people for the dangerous falls".[12]

Editing
There was one "crucial historical fact" Cameron chose to omit from the film – the SS Californian was close to the Titanic the night she sank but had turned off its radio for the night, did not hear her crew's SOS calls, and did not respond to their distress flares. "Yes, the [SS] Californian. That wasn't a compromise to mainstream filmmaking. That was really more about emphasis, creating an emotional truth to the film," stated Cameron. He said there were aspects of retelling the sinking that seemed important in pre- and post-production, but turned out to be less important as the film evolved. "The story of the Californian was in there; we even shot a scene of them switching off their Marconi radio set," said Cameron. "But I took it out. It was a clean cut, because it focuses you back onto that world. If Titanic is powerful as a metaphor, as a microcosm, for the end of the world in a sense, then that world must be self-contained."[22]

During the first assembly cut, Cameron altered the planned ending, which had given resolution to Brock Lovett's story. In the original version of the ending, Brock and Lizzy see the elderly Rose at the stern of the boat and fear she is going to commit suicide. Rose then reveals that she had the "Heart of the Ocean" diamond all along but never sold it, in order to live on her own without Cal's money. She tells Brock that life is priceless and throws the diamond into the ocean, after allowing him to hold it. After accepting that treasure is worthless, Brock laughs at his stupidity. Rose then goes back to her cabin to sleep, whereupon the film ends in the same way as the final version. In the editing room, Cameron decided that by this point, the audience would no longer be interested in Brock Lovett and cut the resolution to his story, so that Rose is alone when she drops the diamond. He also did not want to disrupt the audience's melancholy after the Titanic's sinking.[73] Paxton agreed that his scene with Brock's epiphany and laugh was unnecessary, stating that "I would have shot heroin to make the scene work better ...you didn't really need anything from us. Our job was done by then ... If you're smart and you take the ego and the narcissism out of it, you'll listen to the film, and the film will tell you what it needs and what it does not need".[74]

The version used for the first test screening featured a fight between Jack and Lovejoy which takes place after Jack and Rose escape into the flooded dining saloon, but the test audiences disliked it.[75] The scene was written to give the film more suspense, and featured Cal (falsely) offering to give Lovejoy, his valet, the "Heart of the Ocean" if he can get it from Jack and Rose. Lovejoy goes after the pair in the sinking first-class dining room. Just as they are about to escape him, Lovejoy notices Rose's hand slap the water as it slips off the table behind which she is hiding. In revenge for framing him for the "theft" of the necklace, Jack attacks him and smashes his head against a glass window, which explains the gash on Lovejoy's head that can be seen when he dies in the completed version of the film. In their reactions to the scene, test audiences said it would be unrealistic to risk one's life for wealth, and Cameron cut it for this reason, as well as for timing and pacing reasons. Many other scenes were cut for similar reasons.[75]

Music and soundtrack
Main articles: Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture and Back to Titanic
Cameron wrote Titanic while listening to the work of Irish new-age musician Enya.[76] He offered Enya the chance to compose for the film, but she declined.[77] Cameron instead chose James Horner to compose the film's score. The two had parted ways after a tumultuous working experience on Aliens,[78] but Titanic cemented a successful collaboration that lasted until Horner's death.[79] For the vocals heard throughout the film, subsequently described by Earle Hitchner of The Wall Street Journal as "evocative", Horner chose Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø, commonly known as "Sissel". Horner knew Sissel from her album Innerst i sjelen, and he particularly liked how she sang "Eg veit i himmerik ei borg" ("I Know in Heaven There Is a Castle"). He had tried twenty-five or thirty singers before he finally chose Sissel as the voice to create specific moods within the film.[80]

Horner additionally wrote the song "My Heart Will Go On" in secret with Will Jennings because Cameron did not want any songs with singing in the film.[81] Céline Dion agreed to record a demo with the persuasion of her husband René Angélil. Horner waited until Cameron was in an appropriate mood before presenting him with the song. After playing it several times, Cameron declared his approval, although worried that he would have been criticized for "going commercial at the end of the movie".[81] Cameron also wanted to appease anxious studio executives and "saw that a hit song from his movie could only be a positive factor in guaranteeing its completion".[12]

Release
Initial screening
20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures co-financed Titanic, with Paramount handling the North American distribution and Fox handling the international release. They expected Cameron to complete the film for a release on July 2, 1997. The film was to be released on this date "in order to exploit the lucrative summer season ticket sales when blockbuster films usually do better".[12] In April, Cameron said the film's special effects were too complicated and that releasing the film for summer would not be possible.[12] With production delays, Paramount pushed back the release date to December 19, 1997.[82] "This fueled speculation that the film itself was a disaster." A preview screening in Minneapolis on July 14 "generated positive reviews" and "[c]hatter on the internet was responsible for more favorable word of mouth about the [film]". This eventually led to more positive media coverage.[12]

The film premiered on November 1, 1997, at the Tokyo International Film Festival,[83] where reaction was described as "tepid" by The New York Times.[84] Positive reviews started to appear back in the United States; the official Hollywood premiere occurred on December 14, 1997, where "the big movie stars who attended the opening were enthusiastically gushing about the film to the world media".[12]

Box office
Including revenue from the 2012 and 2017 reissues, Titanic earned $659.4 million in North America and $1.528 billion in other countries, for a worldwide total of $2.187 billion.[7] It became the highest-grossing film of all time worldwide in 1998, and remained so for twelve years, until Avatar (2009), also written and directed by Cameron, surpassed it in 2010.[85] On March 1, 1998,[86] it became the first film to earn more than $1 billion worldwide[87] and on the weekend April 13–15, 2012—a century after the original vessel's foundering, Titanic became the second film to cross the $2 billion threshold during its 3D re-release.[88] Box Office Mojo estimates that Titanic is the fifth highest-grossing film of all time in North America when adjusting for ticket price inflation.[89] The site also estimates that the film sold over 128 million tickets in the US in its initial theatrical run.[90]

Titanic was the first foreign-language film to succeed in India, which has the largest movie-going audience in the world.[91] A 2012 Hindustan Times report attributes this to the film's similarities and shared themes with most Bollywood films.[92]

Initial theatrical run
The film received steady attendance after opening in North America on Friday, December 19, 1997. By the end of that same weekend, theaters were beginning to sell out. The film earned $8,658,814 on its opening day and $28,638,131 over the opening weekend from 2,674 theaters, averaging to about $10,710 per venue, and ranking number one at the box office, ahead of the eighteenth James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies. By New Year's Day, Titanic had made over $120 million, had increased in popularity and theaters continued to sell out. Its highest grossing single day was Saturday, February 14, 1998, on which it earned $13,048,711, more than eight weeks after its North American debut.[93][94] It stayed at number one for 15 consecutive weeks in North America, a record for any film.[95] The film stayed in theaters in North America for almost 10 months before finally closing on Thursday, October 1, 1998 with a final domestic gross of $600,788,188.[96] (equivalent to $937.7  million in 2018[97]) Outside North America, the film made double its North American gross, generating $1,242,413,080[98] and accumulating a grand total of $1,843,201,268 worldwide from its initial theatrical run.[99]

Commercial analysis
Before Titanic's release, various film critics predicted the film would be a significant disappointment at the box office, especially due to it being the most expensive film ever made at the time.[62][100][101][102] When it was shown to the press in autumn of 1997, "it was with massive forebodings" since the "people in charge of the screenings believed they were on the verge of losing their jobs – because of this great albatross of a picture on which, finally, two studios had to combine to share the great load of its making".[101] Cameron also thought he was "headed for disaster" at one point during filming. "We labored the last six months on Titanic in the absolute knowledge that the studio would lose $100 million. It was a certainty," he stated.[62] As the film neared release, "particular venom was spat at Cameron for what was seen as his hubris and monumental extravagance". A film critic for the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Cameron's overweening pride has come close to capsizing this project" and that the film was "a hackneyed, completely derivative copy of old Hollywood romances".[62]

"It's hard to forget the director on the stage of the Shrine Auditorium in LA, exultant, pumping a golden Oscar statuette into the air and shouting: 'I'm the king of the world!' As everyone knew, that was the most famous line in Titanic, exclaimed by Leonardo DiCaprio's character as he leaned into the wind on the prow of the doomed vessel. Cameron's incantation of the line was a giant 'eff off', in front of a television audience approaching a billion, to all the naysayers, especially those sitting right in front of him."
— Christopher Goodwin of The Times on Cameron's response to Titanic's criticism[62]
When the film became a success, with an unprecedented box office performance, it was credited for being a love story that captured its viewers' emotions.[100] The film was playing on 3,200 screens ten weeks after it opened,[101] and out of its fifteen straight weeks on top of the charts, jumped 43% in total sales in its ninth week of release. It earned over $20 million a week for ten weeks,[103] and after 14 weeks was still bringing in more than $1 million a week.[101] 20th Century Fox estimated that seven percent of American teenage girls had seen Titanic twice by its fifth week.[104] Although young women who saw the film several times, and subsequently caused "Leo-Mania", were often credited with having primarily propelled the film to its all-time box office record,[105] other reports have attributed the film's success to positive word of mouth and repeat viewership due to the love story combined with the ground-breaking special effects.[103][106]

The film's impact on men has also been especially credited.[107][108][109] Considered one of the films that make men cry,[107][108] MSNBC's Ian Hodder stated that men admire Jack's sense of adventure and his ambitious behavior to win over Rose, which contributes to their emotional attachment to Jack.[107] The film's ability to make men cry was briefly parodied in the 2009 film Zombieland, where character Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), when recalling the death of his young son, states: "I haven't cried like that since Titanic."[110]

In 2010, the BBC analyzed the stigma over men crying during Titanic and films in general. "Middle-aged men are not 'supposed' to cry during movies," stated Finlo Rohrer of the website, citing the ending of Titanic as having generated such tears, adding that "men, if they have felt weepy during [this film], have often tried to be surreptitious about it." Professor Mary Beth Oliver, of Penn State University, stated, "For many men, there is a great deal of pressure to avoid expression of 'female' emotions like sadness and fear. From a very young age, males are taught that it is inappropriate to cry, and these lessons are often accompanied by a great deal of ridicule when the lessons aren't followed." Rohrer said, "Indeed, some men who might sneer at the idea of crying during Titanic will readily admit to becoming choked up during Saving Private Ryan or Platoon." For men in general, "the idea of sacrifice for a 'brother' is a more suitable source of emotion".[108]

Scott Meslow of The Atlantic stated while Titanic initially seems to need no defense, given its success, it is considered a film "for 15-year-old girls" by its main detractors. He argued that dismissing Titanic as fodder for 15-year-old girls fails to consider the film's accomplishment: "that [this] grandiose, 3+ hour historical romantic drama is a film for everyone—including teenage boys." Meslow stated that despite the film being ranked high by males under the age of 18, matching the ratings for teenage boy-targeted films like Iron Man, it is common for boys and men to deny liking Titanic. He acknowledged his own rejection of the film as a child while secretly loving it. "It's this collection of elements—the history, the romance, the action—that made (and continues to make) Titanic an irresistible proposition for audiences of all ages across the globe," he stated. "Titanic has flaws, but for all its legacy, it's better than its middlebrow reputation would have you believe. It's a great movie for 15-year-old girls, but that doesn't mean it's not a great movie for everyone else too."[109]

Quotes in the film aided its popularity. Titanic's catchphrase "I'm the king of the world!" became one of the film industry's more popular quotations.[111][112] According to Richard Harris, a psychology professor at Kansas State University, who studied why people like to cite films in social situations, using film quotations in everyday conversation is similar to telling a joke and a way to form solidarity with others. "People are doing it to feel good about themselves, to make others laugh, to make themselves laugh", he said.[112]

Cameron explained the film's success as having significantly benefited from the experience of sharing. "When people have an experience that's very powerful in the movie theatre, they want to go share it. They want to grab their friend and bring them, so that they can enjoy it," he said. "They want to be the person to bring them the news that this is something worth having in their life. That's how Titanic worked."[113] Media Awareness Network stated, "The normal repeat viewing rate for a blockbuster theatrical film is about 5%. The repeat rate for Titanic was over 20%."[12] The box office receipts "were even more impressive" when factoring in "the film's 3-hour-and-14-minute length meant that it could only be shown three times a day compared to a normal movie's four showings". In response to this, "[m]any theatres started midnight showings and were rewarded with full houses until almost 3:30 am".[12]

Titanic held the record for box office gross for twelve years.[114] Cameron's follow-up film, Avatar, was considered the first film with a genuine chance at surpassing its worldwide gross,[115][116] and did so in 2010.[85] Various explanations for why the film was able to successfully challenge Titanic were given. For one, "Two-thirds of Titanic's haul was earned overseas, and Avatar [tracked] similarly... Avatar opened in 106 markets globally and was no. 1 in all of them" and the markets "such as Russia, where Titanic saw modest receipts in 1997 and 1998, are white-hot today" with "more screens and moviegoers" than ever before.[117] Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, said that while Avatar may beat Titanic's revenue record, the film is unlikely to surpass Titanic in attendance. "Ticket prices were about $3 cheaper in the late 1990s."[115] In December 2009, Cameron had stated, "I don't think it's realistic to try to topple Titanic off its perch. Some pretty good movies have come out in the last few years. Titanic just struck some kind of chord."[103] In a January 2010 interview, he gave a different take on the matter once Avatar's performance was easier to predict. "It's gonna happen. It's just a matter of time," he said.[116]

Author Alexandra Keller, when analyzing Titanic's success, stated that scholars could agree that the film's popularity "appears dependent on contemporary culture, on perceptions of history, on patterns of consumerism and globalization, as well as on those elements experienced filmgoers conventionally expect of juggernaut film events in the 1990s – awesome screen spectacle, expansive action, and, more rarely seen, engaging characters and epic drama."[118]

Critical reception
Titanic garnered mainly positive reviews from film critics, and was positively reviewed by audiences and scholars, who commented on the film's cultural, historical and political impacts.[118][119][120] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 189 reviews, with a rating average of 7.98/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A mostly unqualified triumph for Cameron, who offers a dizzying blend of spectacular visuals and old-fashioned melodrama."[106] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating to reviews, the film has a score of 75 based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorably reviews".[121] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale, one of fewer than 60 films in the history of the service to earn the score.[122] Critics have considered it one of the greatest films ever made.[123][124]

With regard to the film's overall design, Roger Ebert stated, "It is flawlessly crafted, intelligently constructed, strongly acted, and spellbinding... Movies like this are not merely difficult to make at all, but almost impossible to make well." He credited the "technical difficulties" with being "so daunting that it's a wonder when the filmmakers are also able to bring the drama and history into proportion" and "found [himself] convinced by both the story and the sad saga".[125] He named it his ninth best film of 1997.[126] On the television program Siskel & Ebert, the film received "two thumbs up" and was praised for its accuracy in recreating the ship's sinking; Ebert described the film as "a glorious Hollywood epic" and "well worth the wait," and Gene Siskel found Leonardo DiCaprio "captivating".[127] James Berardinelli stated, "Meticulous in detail, yet vast in scope and intent, Titanic is the kind of epic motion picture event that has become a rarity. You don't just watch Titanic, you experience it."[128] It was named his second best film of 1997.[129] Almar Haflidason of the BBC wrote that "the sinking of the great ship is no secret, yet for many exceeded expectations in sheer scale and tragedy" and that "when you consider that [the film] tops a bum-numbing three-hour running time, then you have a truly impressive feat of entertainment achieved by Cameron".[130] Joseph McBride of Boxoffice Magazine concluded, "To describe Titanic as the greatest disaster movie ever made is to sell it short. James Cameron's recreation of the 1912 sinking of the 'unsinkable' liner is one of the most magnificent pieces of serious popular entertainment ever to emanate from Hollywood."[131]

The romantic and emotionally charged aspects of the film were equally praised. Andrew L. Urban of Urban Cinefile said, "You will walk out of Titanic not talking about budget or running time, but of its enormous emotive power, big as the engines of the ship itself, determined as its giant propellers to gouge into your heart, and as lasting as the love story that propels it."[132] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly described the film as, "A lush and terrifying spectacle of romantic doom. Writer-director James Cameron has restaged the defining catastrophe of the early 20th century on a human scale of such purified yearning and dread that he touches the deepest levels of popular moviemaking."[131] Janet Maslin of The New York Times commented that "Cameron's magnificent Titanic is the first spectacle in decades that honestly invites comparison to Gone With the Wind."[131] Richard Corliss of Time magazine, on the other hand, wrote a mostly negative review, criticizing the lack of interesting emotional elements.[133]

Some reviewers felt that the story and dialogue were weak,[120] while the visuals were spectacular. Kenneth Turan's review in the Los Angeles Times was particularly scathing. Dismissing the emotive elements, he stated, "What really brings on the tears is Cameron's insistence that writing this kind of movie is within his abilities. Not only is it not, it is not even close.",[134] and later claimed that the only reason that the film won Oscars was because of its box office total.[135] Barbara Shulgasser of The San Francisco Examiner gave Titanic one star out of four, citing a friend as saying, "The number of times in this unbelievably badly written script that the two [lead characters] refer to each other by name was an indication of just how dramatically the script lacked anything more interesting for the actors to say."[136] Also, filmmaker Robert Altman called it "the most dreadful piece of work I've ever seen in my entire life".[137] In his 2012 study of the lives of the passengers on the Titanic, historian Richard Davenport-Hines said, "Cameron's film diabolized rich Americans and educated English, anathematizing their emotional restraint, good tailoring, punctilious manners and grammatical training, while it made romantic heroes of the poor Irish and the unlettered".[138]

Titanic suffered backlash in addition to its success. In 2003, the film topped a poll of "Best Film Endings",[139] and yet it also topped a poll by Film 2003 as "the worst movie of all time".[140] The British film magazine Empire reduced their rating of the film from the maximum five stars and an enthusiastic review, to four stars with a less positive review in a later edition, to accommodate its readers' tastes, who wanted to disassociate themselves from the hype surrounding the film, and the reported activities of its fans, such as those attending multiple screenings.[141] In addition to this, positive and negative parodies and other such spoofs of the film abounded and were circulated on the internet, often inspiring passionate responses from fans of various opinions of the film.[142] Benjamin Willcock of DVDActive.com did not understand the backlash or the passionate hatred for the film. "What really irks me...," he said, "are those who make nasty stabs at those who do love it." Willcock stated, "I obviously don't have anything against those who dislike Titanic, but those few who make you feel small and pathetic for doing so (and they do exist, trust me) are way beyond my understanding and sympathy."[102]

Cameron responded to the backlash, and Kenneth Turan's review in particular. "Titanic is not a film that is sucking people in with flashy hype and spitting them out onto the street feeling let down and ripped off," he stated. "They are returning again and again to repeat an experience that is taking a 3-hour and 14-minute chunk out of their lives, and dragging others with them, so they can share the emotion." Cameron emphasized people from all ages (ranging from 8 to 80) and from all backgrounds were "celebrating their own essential humanity" by seeing it. He described the script as earnest and straightforward, and said it intentionally "incorporates universals of human experience and emotion that are timeless – and familiar because they reflect our basic emotional fabric" and that the film was able to succeed in this way by dealing with archetypes. He did not see it as pandering. "Turan mistakes archetype for cliche," he said. "I don't share his view that the best scripts are only the ones that explore the perimeter of human experience, or flashily pirouette their witty and cynical dialogue for our admiration."[143]

Empire eventually reinstated its original five star rating of the film, commenting, "It should be no surprise then that it became fashionable to bash James Cameron's Titanic at approximately the same time it became clear that this was the planet's favourite film. Ever."[144] In 2017, on the 20th anniversary of its release, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[145]

Accolades
Main article: List of accolades received by Titanic
Titanic began its awards sweep starting with the Golden Globes, winning four, namely Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song.[146] Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart were also nominees.[147] It won the ACE "Eddie" Award, ASC Award, Art Directors Guild Award, Cinema Audio Society Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award (Best Supporting Actress for Gloria Stuart), The Directors Guild of America Award, and Broadcast Film Critics Association Award (Best Director for James Cameron), and The Producer Guild of America Award.[148] It was also nominated for ten BAFTA awards, including Best Film and Best Director; it failed to win any.[148]

The film garnered fourteen Academy Award nominations, tying the record set in 1950 by Joseph L. Mankiewicz's All About Eve[149] and won eleven: Best Picture (the second film about the Titanic to win that award, after 1933's Cavalcade), Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Sound (Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Gary Summers, Mark Ulano), Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Original Song.[148][150] Kate Winslet, Gloria Stuart and the make-up artists were the three nominees that did not win. James Cameron's original screenplay and Leonardo DiCaprio were not nominees.[100] It was the second film to receive eleven Academy Awards, after Ben-Hur.[148] The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King would also match this record in 2004.

Titanic won the 1997 Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as three Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television.[148][151][152] The film's soundtrack became the best-selling primarily orchestral soundtrack of all time, and became a worldwide success, spending sixteen weeks at number-one in the United States, and was certified diamond for over eleven million copies sold in the United States alone.[153] The soundtrack also became the best-selling album of 1998 in the U.S.[154] "My Heart Will Go On" won the Grammy Awards for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television. The film also won Best Male Performance for Leonardo DiCaprio and Best Movie at the MTV Movie Awards, Best Film at the People's Choice Awards, and Favorite Movie at the 1998 Kids' Choice Awards.[148] It won various awards outside the United States, including the Awards of the Japanese Academy as the Best Foreign Film of the Year.[148] Titanic eventually won nearly ninety awards and had an additional forty-seven nominations from various award-giving bodies around the world.[148] Additionally, the book about the making of the film was at the top of The New York Times' bestseller list for several weeks, "the first time that such a tie-in book had achieved this status".[12]

Since its release, Titanic has appeared on the American Film Institute's award-winning 100 Years... series. So far, it has ranked on the following six lists:

AFI's 100 Years...100 Rank Source Notes
Thrills 25 [155] A list of the top 100 thrilling films in American cinema, compiled in 2001.
Passions 37 [156] A list of the top 100 love stories in American cinema, compiled in 2002.
Songs 14 [157] A list of the top 100 songs in American cinema, compiled in 2004. Titanic ranked 14th for Céline Dion's "My Heart Will Go On".
Movie quotes 100 [111] A list of the top 100 film quotations in American cinema, compiled in 2005. Titanic ranked 100th for Jack Dawson's yell of "I'm the king of the world!"
Movies 83 [158] A 2007 (10th anniversary) edition of 1997's list of the 100 best films of the past century. Titanic was not eligible when the original list was released.
AFI's 10 Top 10 6 [159] The 2008 poll consisted of the top ten films in ten different genres. Titanic ranked as the sixth best epic film.
Home media
Titanic was released worldwide in widescreen and pan and scan formats on VHS and laserdisc on September 1, 1998.[160] Both VHS formats were also made available in a deluxe boxed gift set with a mounted filmstrip and six lithograph prints from the movie. In the first 3 months, the film sold 25 million copies in North America with a total sales value of $500 million becoming the best selling live-action video beating Independence Day.[161] In that time, it sold 58 million worldwide, outselling The Lion King for a total worldwide revenues of $995 million.[161]

A DVD version was released on August 31, 1999 in a widescreen-only (non-anamorphic) single-disc edition with no special features other than a theatrical trailer. Cameron stated at the time that he intended to release a special edition with extra features later. This release became the best-selling DVD of 1999 and early 2000, becoming the first DVD ever to sell one million copies.[162] At the time, fewer than 5% of all U.S. homes had a DVD player. "When we released the original Titanic DVD, the industry was much smaller, and bonus features were not the standard they are now," said Meagan Burrows, Paramount's president of domestic home entertainment, which made the film's DVD performance even more impressive.[162]

Titanic was re-released to DVD on October 25, 2005 when a three-disc Special Collector's Edition was made available in the United States and Canada. This edition contained a newly restored transfer of the film, as well as various special features. The two-disc edition was marketed as the Special Edition, and featured the first two discs of the three-disc set, only PAL-enabled. A four-disc edition, only available in the United Kingdom and marketed as the Deluxe Collector's Edition, was also released on November 7, 2005. A limited 5-disc set of the film, under the title Deluxe Limited Edition, was also only released in the United Kingdom with only 10,000 copies manufactured. The fifth disc contains Cameron's documentary Ghosts of the Abyss, which was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Unlike the individual release of Ghosts of the Abyss, which contained two discs, only the first disc was included in the set.[102] In 2007, for the film's tenth anniversary, a 10th Anniversary Edition was released on DVD, which consists of the first two discs from the three-disc 2005 set containing the movie and the special features on those discs.[163]

Titanic was released on Blu-ray as a single disc variant and a 2 disc version featuring special features on September 10, 2012.[164] A limited 4 Disc Blu-ray 3D version was released the same day.[165][166] A limited Collector's Edition box set including the Blu-ray 3D, 2D Blu-ray, DVD, a digital copy and a variety of souvenirs was also released exclusively to Amazon.com and other international retailers.[167]

With regard to television broadcasts, the film airs occasionally across the United States on networks such as TNT.[168] To permit the scene where Jack draws the nude portrait of Rose to be shown on network and specialty cable channels, in addition to minor cuts, the sheer, see-through robe worn by Winslet was digitally painted black. Turner Classic Movies also began to show the film, specifically during the days leading up to the 82nd Academy Awards.[169]

3D conversion
A 2012 3D re-release was created by re-mastering the original to 4K resolution and post-converting to stereoscopic 3D format. The Titanic 3D version took 60 weeks and $18 million to produce, including the 4K restoration.[170] The 3D conversion was performed by Stereo D[171] and Sony with Slam Content's Panther Records remastering the soundtrack.[172] Digital 2D and in 2D IMAX versions were also struck from the new 4K master created in the process.[173] For the 3D release, Cameron opened up the Super 35 film and expanded the image of the film into a new aspect ratio, from 2:35:1 to 1:78:1, allowing the viewer to see more image on the top and bottom of the screen.[174] The only scene entirely redone for the re-release was Rose's view of the night sky at sea, on the morning of April 15, 1912. The scene was replaced with an accurate view of the night-sky star pattern, including the Milky Way, adjusted for the location in the North Atlantic Ocean in April 1912. The change was prompted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who had criticized the scene for showing an unrealistic star pattern. He agreed to send film director Cameron a corrected view of the sky, which was the basis of the new scene.[175]


An accurate view of the Milky Way was used to replace Rose's view of the moonless night sky at sea, as in this photo from Paranal Observatory. The view was adjusted to match the North Atlantic at 4:20 am on April 15, 1912.
The 3D version of Titanic premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in London on March 27, 2012, with James Cameron and Kate Winslet in attendance,[176][177] and entered general release on April 4, 2012, six days shy of the centenary of RMS Titanic embarking on her maiden voyage.[178][179][180]

Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers rated the reissue 3½ stars out of 4, explaining he found it "pretty damn dazzling". He said, "The 3D intensifies Titanic. You are there. Caught up like never before in an intimate epic that earns its place in the movie time capsule."[181] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman gave the film an A grade. He wrote, "For once, the visuals in a 3-D movie don't look darkened or distracting. They look sensationally crisp and alive."[182] Richard Corliss of Time who was very critical in 1997 remained in the same mood, "I had pretty much the same reaction: fitfully awed, mostly water-logged." In regards to the 3D effects, he noted the "careful conversion to 3D lends volume and impact to certain moments ... [but] in separating the foreground and background of each scene, the converters have carved the visual field into discrete, not organic, levels."[183] Ann Hornaday for The Washington Post found herself asking "whether the film's twin values of humanism and spectacle are enhanced by Cameron's 3-D conversion, and the answer to that is: They aren't." She further added that the "3-D conversion creates distance where there should be intimacy, not to mention odd moments in framing and composition."[184]

The film grossed an estimated $4.7 million on the first day of its re-release in North America (including midnight preview showings) and went on to make $17.3 million over the weekend, finishing in third place.[185][186] Outside North America it earned $35.2 million finishing second,[187] and improved on its performance the following weekend by topping the box office with $98.9 million.[188] China has proven to be its most successful territory where it earned $11.6 million on its opening day,[189] going on to earn a record-breaking $67 million in its opening week and taking more money in the process than it did in the entirety of its original theatrical run.[188] The reissue ultimately earned $343.4 million worldwide, with $145 million coming from China and $57.8 million from Canada and United States.[190]

The 3D conversion of the film was also released in the 4DX format in selected international territories, which allows the audience to experience the film's environment using motion, wind, fog, lighting and scent-based special effects.[191][192][193]

For the 20th anniversary of the film, Titanic was re-released in cinemas in Dolby Vision (in both 2D and 3D) for one week beginning December 1, 2017.[194]

Titanic Live
Titanic Live was a live performance of James Horner's original score by a 130-piece orchestra, choir and Celtic musicians, accompanying a showing of the film.[195] In April 2015, Titanic Live premiered at the Royal Albert Hall, London, where the 2012 3D re-release had premiered.[196] The Express said it was "An absolute triumph, Titanic Live brought the film to life in a beautiful new way."[197]

Rajnath singh

Rajnath Singh (born 10 July 1951) is an Indian politician serving as the Central Defence Minister of India. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party He has previously served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and as a Cabinet Minister in the Vajpayee Government. He was previously also the Home Minister in the First Modi Ministry. He has also served as the President of the BJP twice, 2005 to 2009 and 2013 to 2014. He began his career as a physics lecturer and used his long-term association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to become involved with the Janata Party.


Contents
Early life
Singh was born in Bhabhaura village of Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh. His father was Ram Badan Singh and his mother was Gujarati Devi. He was born into a family of farmers and went on to secure a master's degree in physics, acquiring first division results from the Gorakhpur University. Rajnath Singh had been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since 1964, at the age of 13 and remained connected with the organisation even during his employment as a physics lecturer in Mirzapur. In 1974, he was appointed secretary for the Mirzapur unit of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, predecessor of Bharatiya Janata Party.[1]

Political career
In 1975, aged 24, Singh was appointed District President of the Jana Sangh. In 1977, he was elected Member of Legislative Assembly from the Mirzapur. He became the State President of the BJP youth wing in 1984, the National general secretary in 1986 and the National President in 1988. He was also elected into the Uttar Pradesh legislative council.[1]

In 1991, he became Education Minister in the first BJP government in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Major highlights of his tenure as Education Minister included Anti-Copying Act, 1992, which made copying a non-bailable offence,[2] modernising science texts and incorporating vedic mathematics into the syllabus.[3] In April 1994, he was elected into the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Parliament) and he became involved with the Advisory committee on Industry (1994–96), Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Agriculture, Business Advisory Committee, House Committee and the Committee on Human Resource Development.[1] On 25 March 1997, he became the President of the BJP's unit in Uttar Pradesh and in 1999 he became the Union Cabinet Minister for Surface Transport.[1]


Rajnath Singh & Meghraj
In 2000, he became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and was twice elected as MLA from Haidergarh in 2001 and 2002.[2] He tried to rationalise the reservation structure in government jobs by introducing the most Backward Classes among the OBC and SC, so that the benefit of reservation can reach the lowest status of Society.[4]

In 2003, Singh was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture and subsequently for Food Processing in the NDA Government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and was faced with the difficult task of maintaining one of the most volatile areas of India's economy.[5] During this period he initiated a few epoch-making projects including the Kisan Call Centre and Farm Income Insurance Scheme.[6] He brought down interest rates on Agriculture loans and also established Farmer Commission and initiated Farms Income Insurance Scheme.[4]

After the BJP lost power in the 2004 general elections, it was forced to sit in the Opposition. After the resignation of prominent figure Lal Krishna Advani, and the murder of strategist Pramod Mahajan, Singh sought to rebuild the party by focusing on the most basic Hindutva ideologies.[7] He announced his position of "no compromise" in relation to the building of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya at any cost[7] and commended the rule of Vajpayee as Prime Minister, pointing towards all the developments the NDA made for the ordinary people of India.[8] He also criticised the role of the English language in India, claiming that most of Indian population is unable to participate in Indian economy and cultural discourse due to extreme preferences shown to English at the expense of native languages.[9]

He became the BJP National President on December 31, 2005, a post he held till December 19, 2009. In May 2009, he was elected MP from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.[10]

On 24 January 2013, following the resignation of Nitin Gadkari due to corruption charges, Singh was re-elected as the BJP's National President.[11]

Singh is on record shortly after the law Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was re-instated in 2013, claiming that his party is "unambiguously" in favour of the law, also claiming that "We will state (at an all-party meeting if it is called) that we support Section 377 because we believe that homosexuality is an unnatural act and cannot be supported.”[12]


Rajnath Singh addressing a rally in Nayagaon, Sonpur in 2015
He contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow constituency and was subsequently elected as a Member of the Parliament.[13]

Union Home Minister
He was appointed the Union Minister of Home Affairs in the Narendra Modi government and was sworn in on 26 May 2014.[14]

He triggered controversy amid the protests over the police action at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), on 14 February 2016, claiming that the "JNU incident" was supported by Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed.[15]

In May 2016, he claimed that infiltration from Pakistan declined by 52% in a period of two years.[16]

On 9 April 2017, he launched Bharat Ke Veer Web portal and Application with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar. This was an initiative taken by him for the welfare of Martyrs' family.[17]

An official anthem was launched on 20 January 2018 for the cause 'Bharat Ke Veer' by him along with film star Akshay Kumar, and other ministers Kiren Rijiju, Hansraj Ahir.[18]

On 21 May 2018, he commissioned Bastariya Battalion. As Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh attended the passing out parade of 241 Bastariya Battalion of CRPF in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh on 21 May 2018.[19]

Defence minister
Singh became the defence minister of India on 1 June 2019.[20]

Prabhas

Prabhas (born 23 October 1979) is an Indian film actor known for his works in Telugu and Hindi language films. Prabhas made his screen debut with the 2002 Telugu drama film Eeswar. He has garnered the state Nandi Award for Best Actor, for his role in Mirchi.[3] He made guest appearance in Prabhudeva's 2014 Hindi film Action Jackson.[4] Prabhas is the first south Indian actor to have his wax sculpture at Madame Tussaud's wax museum.[5]

His works include Varsham (2004), Chatrapathi (2005), Chakram (2005), Billa (2009), Darling (2010), Mr. Perfect (2011), Mirchi (2013), and Saaho (2019). Prabhas played the title role in S. S. Rajamouli's epic film Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), which is the fourth-highest-grossing Indian film to date. Prabhas reprised his role in its sequel, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), which became the first Indian film ever to gross over ₹1,000 crore (US$155 million) in all languages in just ten days, and it is the second highest-grossing Indian film to date.


Contents
Early life
Prabhas was born to film producer U. Suryanarayana Raju and his wife Siva Kumari. He has two siblings, a brother named Prabodh and a sister Pragathi.[2][6][7] He is the youngest of the three children.[8] He is the nephew of Telugu actor Uppalapati Krishnam Raju.[2] Prabhas attended the DNR School, Bhimavaram and graduated with a B.Tech. degree from Sri Chaitanya College, Hyderabad.[9]

Career
Prabhas started his movie career with Eeswar in 2002. In 2003, he was the lead in Raghavendra. In 2004, he appeared in Varsham. He continued his career with Adavi Raamudu and Chakram.

In 2005 he acted in the film Chatrapathi directed by S. S. Rajamouli, in which he portrays the role of a refugee, exploited by goons. It had a 100-day run in 54 centers.[10] Idlebrain stated that he had a unique style and macho charm in his screen presence.[11]

Later he acted in Pournami, Yogi and Munna, an action-drama film came out in 2007, followed by the action-comedy Bujjigadu in 2008. In 2009 his two films were Billa and Ek Niranjan. Indiaglitz called Billa stylish and visually rich.[12]

In 2010 he appeared in the romantic comedy Darling. The film opened to positive reviews. The Times of India gave a two and half star rating explaining "Director Karunakaran extracts good performances from his actors, but can't come up with a refreshing plot. It looks like the director hasn't really come out of his Tholi Prema hangover as he dishes out yet another one-sided love saga but fails to come up with a valid and logical reason to make a Gen Z lad to hold back his feelings for his lover until the last moment. However, he compensates it all, by adding loads of fun moments in the film and the screenplay does have its share of some touching moments."[13] In 2011, Mr. Perfect, another romantic comedy.The review site GreatAndhra rated the film with three stars and noted "The film comes across as a clean, family entertainer and the intention of the makers must be appreciated.[14]

In 2012, Prabhas starred in Rebel, an action film directed by Raghava Lawrence. His next film was Mirchi. He rendered voice for a short cameo for the film Denikaina Ready.[15]Sashidhar from The Times of India stated, "The film belongs to hard-core Prabhas fans as the movie is stylish and visually rich but not much in content".[16] Purnima Ranawat from NDTV said, "Rebel serves up fare for the mass audience. The film will be definitely liked by Prabhas' fans. Watch it for the dancing talent of Tamannaah Bhatia and action skills of Prabhas."[17] Radhika Rajamani from Rediff.com gave the movie one and half stars out of five and said, "Working with hardly any storyline, director Raghava Lawrence had made a film that is arduous to watch... Rebel is a movie for the masses and certainly not for the discerning audience."[18]

Jeevi gave a rating of 3.25 out of 5, commenting that "First half of Mirchi is decent. Flashback episode which occupies 100% of second half is good. Climax could have been better. The plus points of the film are Prabhas, music and all-round orientation. On a whole, Mirchi has all the ingredients of a commercial potboiler".[19] Mahesh S Koneru gave his verdict that "At the Box Office, the film will turn in a good commercial performance", giving the film a score of 3.25/5.[20] Way2movies also gave a rating of 3.25/5, giving the verdict that "Prabhas rocks the show in this decent yet formulaic commercial entertainer".[21] Super good movies gave the film 3 stars in a scale of 5, reviewing that "Go and Watch Mirchi, It entertains both Class and Mass. It is a worth watch."[22]

In 2015 he appeared as Shivudu/Mahendra Baahubali and Amarendra Baahubali in S.S. Rajamouli's epic Baahubali: The Beginningwhich is the fourth-highest-grossing Indian film to date.[23][24][25] Prabhas reprised his role in its sequel, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), which became the first Indian film ever to gross over ₹1,000 crore (US$155 million) in all languages in just ten days, and it is the second highest-grossing Indian film to date.[26][27][28]

Saaho's first look poster released on 23 October 2017, on the occasion of Prabhas' birthday.[29] A second teaser released on 23 October 2018, once again on the occasion of Prabhas' birthday. It is the third most expensive Indian film made to date.

Brands
Prabhas, who has been signed on by Mahindra as brand ambassador for the new Mahindra TUV300 car, has made his debut in the television commercial (TVC) arena with their new ad.[30].

Filmography
Key
Films that have not yet been released Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Language Remarks
2002 Eeswar Eeswar Telugu
2003 Raghavendra Raghavendra Telugu
2004 Varsham Venkat Telugu Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu
2004 Adavi Ramudu Ramudu Telugu
2005 Chakram Chakram Telugu
2005 Chatrapathi Siva/ Chatrapathi Telugu Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu
2006 Pournami Siva Kesava Telugu
2007 Yogi Eeswar Prasad / Yogi Telugu
2007 Munna Munna Telugu
2008 Bujjigadu Bujji / Linga Raju / Rajinikanth Telugu
2009 Billa Billa / Ranga Telugu
2009 Ek Niranjan Chotu Telugu Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu
2010 Darling Prabhas / Prabha Telugu CineMaa award for Best actor (Jury)
2011 Mr. Perfect Vicky Telugu Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu
2012 Rebel Rishi/Rebel Telugu
2013 Mirchi Jai Telugu Nandi Award for Best Actor, Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu
2014 Action Jackson Himself Hindi Special appearance
2015 Baahubali: The Beginning Mahendra Baahubali / Shivudu
Amarendra Baahubali Telugu
Tamil Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu[31][32]
2017 Baahubali 2: The Conclusion Telugu
Tamil Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu
2019 Saaho Films that have not yet been released Ashok[33] Hindi
Tamil
Telugu

Hanuma Vihari

Hanuma Vihari (born 13 October 1993) is an Indian cricketer who plays for Andhra in Indian domestic cricket. A right-handed batsman and occasional right arm off break bowler, he was a member of the India Under-19 cricket team that won the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Australia.[1] He made his Test debut for India in September 2018.


Contents
Domestic career
Vihari played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League in 2013. In one of the league matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Hyderabad, Vihari opened the bowling as an off-spinner and removed Chris Gayle for just 1. He also scored an unbeaten 46 in the same match while chasing. Sunrisers ultimately won this match through a super-over.

Vihari was responsible for one-third of Hyderabad's total in the innings against Andhra in 2013/14 Ranji Trophy opener at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. He scored 75 in the first innings before being dismissed by CV Stephen, and then scored unbeaten 68 runs.

In October 2017, he scored his first triple century, making 302 not out for Andhra against Odisha in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy.[2] He was the leading run-scorer for Andhra in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy, with 752 runs in six matches.[3]

In October 2018, he was named in India B's squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy.[4] In December 2018, he was bought by the Delhi Capitals in the player auction for the 2019 Indian Premier League.[5][6]

International career
In August 2018, he was called up to India's Test squad for the final two Tests against England.[7] He made his Test debut against England on 7 September 2018, in the 5th Test match of India tour of England 2018, and scored his maiden half-century (56 off 124 balls) in the first innings.[8][9]

Following consistent performances, Vihaari also became a young contender for the Test cricket team. On 25th August 2019, against the West Indies, Vihari made 93 runs off 128 balls in the 2nd innings of the 1st Test match, which was labelled as a crucial knock for India as they gave the Windies a target of 419 runs with only 1 day remaining of the Test match.

Personal life
Vihari married Preethi Raj, his longtime girlfriend a native of Warangal, Telangana on 19 May 2019. She is a prominent fashion designer in Hyderabad running a virtual boutique "Preesha".

Ashes

The 2019 Ashes Series (officially the Specsavers Ashes Series for sponsorship reasons[1]) is a series of Test cricket matches being played between the England cricket team and Australia for The Ashes. The venues are Edgbaston, Lord's, Headingley, Old Trafford and The Oval.[2] Australia are the defending holders of the Ashes going into the series, having won in 2017–18. The series began later than previous series in England and Wales due to the 2019 Cricket World Cup, which took place in England and Wales between May and July. It is the first Test series of the inaugural 2019–21 ICC World Test Championship.[3][4] During the second Test match a concussion substitute was used for the first time in international cricket.


Contents
Background
The 2019 Ashes series began with Australia leading England by 33 series to 32, with five drawn series. Australia had won four of the last 10 Ashes series, including winning the most recent series 4–0 in 2017–18,[5] but the 2015 series, the last to be held in England, was won 3–2 by the home side.[6]

No visiting team had won an Ashes series since England defeated Australia 3–1 away in 2010–11. Furthermore, Australia last won an Ashes series in England in 2001. The two teams previously met in one warm-up game and two ODI matches in the Cricket World Cup held in England and Wales in the previous months, with Australia winning the warm-up game at the Rose Bowl by 12 runs and the group stage match convincingly by 64 runs at Lord’s. In their semi final rematch, England had their own convincing win by eight wickets with 107 balls to spare, en route to winning the tournament for the first time.

Australia's last two Test series before the Ashes were played against India and Sri Lanka during the home summer season of 2018–19. Although India won their tour series 2–1, the first time India had won a Test series in Australia,[7] Australia recovered to win the Test series against Sri Lanka 2–0.[8]

Prior to the Ashes series, Australia had its top-order batsmen David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft available for international selection, who were banned from playing international cricket for 9–12 months due to the 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town against South Africa.[9] All three cricketers were named in Australia's squad for the 2019 Ashes.[10]

Meanwhile, England warmed up for the 2019 Ashes with a Test series earlier in the year against the West Indies and a one-off Test against Ireland in July. The tour of the West Indies comprised three matches and was won 2–1 by the West Indies.[11] England also won the one-off Test against Ireland, by 143 runs.[12]

Ahead of the series, it was announced that the second day of the Lord’s Test would benefit the Ruth Strauss Foundation to fight cancer. Born Ruth Macdonald in Australia, and the wife of England's Ashes-winning captain Andrew Strauss, had died on 29 December 2018 from a rare form of lung cancer. Both teams wore red caps, with the stumps also red, and fans were also encouraged to wear red. Australia already had a similar tradition – the Jane McGrath Day is the third day of the Sydney Test during the traditional New Years Test time slot, in honour of the English-born wife of Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath, who died from breast cancer, only with pink replacing red, and the proceeds benefiting the McGrath Foundation.[13]

Squads
On 26 July 2019, Australia announced a 17-man touring party for the Ashes series.[14] England announced their squad for the first Test on 27 July.[15]

 England[16] Australia[17]
Joe Root (c)
Ben Stokes (vc)
Moeen Ali1
James Anderson
Jofra Archer
Jonny Bairstow (wk)
Stuart Broad
Rory Burns
Jos Buttler (wk)
Sam Curran
Joe Denly
Jack Leach1
Jason Roy
Olly Stone
Chris Woakes
Tim Paine (c, wk)
Pat Cummins (vc)
Travis Head (vc)
Cameron Bancroft
Marcus Harris
Josh Hazlewood
Usman Khawaja
Marnus Labuschagne
Nathan Lyon
Mitchell Marsh
Michael Neser
James Pattinson
Peter Siddle
Steve Smith
Mitchell Starc
Matthew Wade (wk)
David Warner
1 Jack Leach was added to England's squad for the second Test, with Moeen Ali being dropped.[18]
Matches
First Test
1–5 August 2019
Scorecard
Australia
v
 England
284 (80.4 overs)
Steve Smith 144 (219)
Stuart Broad 5/86 (22.4 overs)
374 (135.5 overs)
Rory Burns 133 (312)
Pat Cummins 3/84 (33 overs)
487/7d (112 overs)
Steve Smith 142 (207)
Ben Stokes 3/85 (22 overs)
146 (52.3 overs)
Chris Woakes 37 (54)
Nathan Lyon 6/49 (20 overs)
Australia won by 251 runs
Edgbaston, Birmingham
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pak) and Joel Wilson (WI)
Player of the match: Steve Smith (Aus)
Australia won the toss and elected to bat.
Stuart Broad (Eng) took his 100th wicket in The Ashes in the first innings of the match,[19] and his 450th wicket in Test cricket in the second innings.[20]
Rory Burns (Eng) scored his maiden Test century.[21]
Steve Smith (Aus) scored his ninth and tenth centuries in the Ashes, and his 24th and 25th centuries in Tests.[22]
Pat Cummins (Aus) took his 100th wicket in Test cricket.[23]
Nathan Lyon (Aus) took his 350th wicket in Test cricket.[23]
This was the first time since 2005 that Australia had won the opening Test of an Ashes series in England, and their first win at Edgbaston since 2001.[24]
World Test Championship points: Australia 24, England 0.
Day one
The first morning of the Ashes saw Stuart Broad take the wickets of both openers, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, who (along with Steve Smith) were returning to the Test format for the first time since their suspension for a ball-tampering incident in 2018. Warner was the first gone, leg before wicket in the fourth over, while Bancroft was caught behind just four overs later. Despite the early breakthrough, all was not tidy for England as James Anderson, recovering from an injury, bowled only four overs in the session, and while he came back onto the field, it was reported at the lunch interval that he was suffering from tightness in his right calf, and he left the field for a scan in the afternoon.[25] Usman Khawaja was given out after drinks thanks to a review, caught by Bairstow off a thin edge. Despite this setback, Steve Smith and Travis Head managed to hold on until lunch, leaving Australia 83/3 at the break.[26][27]

The first hour after lunch saw the fall of four wickets, due to good efforts by Broad and Woakes, with Head the first to go, leg before wicket to Woakes after a not out decision was referred to the third umpire, the fourth-wicket partnership having stood for 64 runs. Matthew Wade was the next man in, but he was soon dismissed in similar fashion. Tim Paine was caught at deep square leg after a "horror shot", and James Pattinson fell two balls later for a duck, leaving Australia 112/7 at the end of the 40th over. Pat Cummins fell shortly thereafter with the total at 122, but Australia scampered through to tea at 154/8, Smith unbeaten on 66.[26][27]

The final session's start was delayed by 20 minutes because of the weather. Peter Siddle and Smith then shared an 88-run partnership, before Siddle was dismissed six runs short of a half-century. Smith then managed to keep the strike for the better part of a dozen overs, reaching a century in the process as the fielders were spread out on the boundary, but he was dismissed with the first over of the new ball, having reached 144 runs on his return to Test cricket, lifting Australia to a respectable 284 all out after being 122/8, with Nathan Lyon unbeaten on 12.[26][28]

This left England's openers two overs to navigate before the close of play, which they batted out to a score of 10 without loss.[27]

Day two
The morning of the second day saw the wicket of Jason Roy fall, caught behind in the slips off a delivery from Pattinson. Joe Root and Rory Burns managed to play out the rest of the session without loss, despite a scare after drinks, as Root was beaten by a ball that hit his off stump but failed to dislodge the bails; he was initially given out after the ball was caught behind, but a review showed the only contact was with the stump. This left England on 71/1 at the break, wearing down Australia's bowlers but getting little return for their troubles in terms of runs.[29]

After lunch, both English batsmen piled on the runs on a pitch that was becoming more batsman-friendly.[26][29] Root was then given out leg before wicket to Siddle, but the review this time showed he made contact, and the on-field decision was overturned. Burns soon reached a half-century, Root following suit shortly afterwards. He was finally out caught and bowled to Siddle before tea, having stood for a 132-run third-wicket partnership. The new man in, Joe Denly, stuck around until the end of the session, England reaching 170/2 with Burns 18 runs away from a maiden Test century.[29]

The evening session saw the umpires decide to replace the ball after the 60th over. The "new" (but still used) ball saw off Denly and Buttler, England now 194/4.[26] A few overs later, Burns reached his century, becoming the first English opener to score a hundred in the first Test of an Ashes series since Graham Gooch in 1993.[26] Burns and Ben Stokes survived the reminder of the extended final session, building a 73-run partnership, as Travis Head and Matthew Wade were brought in to bowl a few overs before the new ball, which claimed no victims by the close of play; England were 267/4, trailing Australia by 17 runs.[29]

Day three
As play resumed on the third morning, England caught up to Australia's total, Stokes reaching a half-century before edging to the wicket-keeper on the next ball he faced from Cummins, the fifth wicket having stood for 88 runs. Shortly after drinks, Nathan Lyon was the next man to strike for Australia, taking Burns' wicket and dismissing Moeen Ali for a duck in the same over. Bairstow was out to Siddle in the next over, Australia having taken three wickets in the space of 11 balls. Woakes and Broad survived the half-hour left until lunch to put England on 328/8, the game in the balance as Australia had limited their first-innings deficit to only 44 runs at that point.[26][30]

During the break, there was good news for England, as it was confirmed that Anderson, injured on the first day, would be able to bat, and he even bowled in the nets during the interval. Broad and Woakes built a 65-run partnership, surviving until drinks, after which Broad was caught on a short delivery from Cummins. Anderson came in to bat, but made just three runs, England all out for 374 (a lead of 90), leading to an early tea interval.[30] Concerns over Anderson's fitness were again apparent as he "wasn't moving well between the wickets",[26] and when the teams returned to the field for the final session, he was absent.[30]

With 44 overs scheduled, the evening session began with the early wicket of Warner, after a review saw him caught behind off Broad in the third over; his aggregate total of 10 runs for the match was his third-lowest in Tests when batting twice. Ali was the next to strike, removing Bancroft and almost getting Khawaja in the same over, only for the latter to be dropped by Jos Buttler at second slip.[26] Khawaja was finally out off Ben Stokes' second ball, having stood for a 48-run third-wicket partnership with Smith, who again looked in top form despite being struck by a bouncer later on, which prompted the intervention of team doctors in light of new concussion protocols. Bad light stopped play just after 6 p.m., 31 overs having been bowled, with Australia 124/3 at the close, leading by 34 runs with Smith unbeaten on 46 and Travis Head also contributing 21 runs to the total.[26][30]

Day four
The following morning saw a good session for Australia as Smith and Head put up a century partnership before drinks, Smith already with a half-century. England's potential chase became more and more uncomfortable throughout the session, despite a few scares for the batsmen.[31] Head fell just before lunch, having put up a half-century of his own in the 130-run fourth-wicket stand. England's bowling attack, lacking Anderson, who was out of it for the reminder of the match,[32] did not pick up another wicket by the interval and Australia were in a strong position at 231/4, having extended their lead to 141 runs, and Smith two runs short of a second century in the match.[26]

The afternoon session began with Smith reaching his century, becoming only the fifth Australian to get two in an Ashes Test. With the 80th over approaching, Wade managed his own half-century as England was "out of options", with Root, Denly and Ali having spells that resulted in a few close calls, and a leg before wicket appeal against Smith that was deemed not out after an England review. In the first over of the new ball, Wade was given out, but his successful review saw the decision overturned. Australia finally lost a wicket in the next over as Smith was caught for 142, becoming only the fourth batsmen to score more than 140 in both innings of a Test.[26][31] The fifth wicket having stood for 126 runs, skipper Tim Paine was the man in for the few overs left until tea, by which point Australia were 356/5, giving them a comfortable lead of 266.[26]

The evening session saw Wade get a century of his own, the Australian lead now extended to over 300 runs. Paine was found not out after an England review for leg before wicket, but the sixth-wicket partnership, having stood for 76 runs, was broken in the next over as Wade was caught at deep backward square. Paine was bowled by Ali an over later, offering hints of a collapse, but Pattinson and Cummins, both unbeaten, then added 78 runs before the Australian side declared on 487/7, leaving England a target of 398.[31]

With seven overs left in the day, England's openers were brought out to bat, safely going through them for 13 runs, though their chances of winning were slim, short of them "pulling off a miracle".[31]

Day five
The final morning saw Burns become only the fourth England batsmen to bat on all five days of a Test, but this accolade meant little when he was dismissed early, caught by Lyon at gully off Cummins' bowling. Joe Root was then given out leg before wicket twice, but the decision was overturned on review both times, marking yet further poor umpiring decisions in the match.[26][33][34] Root then stood with Roy until drinks, but the partnership was ended at 41 runs after the latter was bowled playing a rash shot at a delivery from Lyon. Denly was in and out before lunch, the review not saving him this time, as Lyon struck again and had him caught at short leg. Buttler came in and survived an lbw review by Australia, but Root was dismissed by Lyon 10 minutes before lunch, England 85/4 at the break, after a session that was deemed to be "Australia's morning",[34] thanks mostly to Lyon's contribution.[26]

The afternoon was again fruitful for Australia, as Buttler was bowled by Cummins in the first over after the interval. Bairstow was next to fall, gloving the ball behind to become Cummins' 100th Test wicket after an unsuccessful review. Lyon struck with the next ball, removing Stokes for his 350th Test wicket,[26] becoming the fourth Australian to reach that landmark, joining Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Dennis Lillee as England were in the midst of a collapse.[35] Chris Woakes managed to slow Australia's progress until after drinks, striking boundaries and surviving a review for lbw, but Ali was then dismissed for Lyon's fifth wicket of the innings, falling to the Australian spinner for the ninth time in 11 innings. Broad was then out for a golden duck, England now 136/9, giving Lyon the chance to win the match with a hat-trick ball against Anderson; the English batsman survived the delivery,[34] and Woakes was dropped by Smith at second slip a few overs later on a ball that rolled on to the boundary, as dark clouds loomed over the ground; however, Smith made amends two overs later, catching Woakes off the bowling of Cummins to end the match before tea, Australia coming back from 122/8 in their first innings to win by 251 runs and take a 1–0 Ashes lead. It was their first Test win at Edgbaston since 2001.[34][35]

Steve Smith was named man of the match after scoring a century in each innings.[35]

Aftermath
After the match, it was confirmed that, because of his calf injury, James Anderson would be ruled out of the second Test, and would probably miss the third too.[36] Any further participation in the series was also uncertain, with Jofra Archer expected to replace him.[37] England captain Joe Root nevertheless refused to blame anybody, saying that Anderson had passed all fitness tests before the match and that his selection had been unanimous. England's pace bowling options remained limited for further Tests, however, as potential replacement Olly Stone was also injured in training.[38] Despite troubling performances by other members of the side, including Buttler, Bairstow and Ali, Root did not wish to make any "shotgun decisions" and noted that, despite the team's inconsistency, England were far from being out of contention.[39] England's prioritisation of white-ball cricket was also put in a bad light after disappointing performances by players more accustomed to One Day Internationals than Tests.[40]

Australian skipper Tim Paine noted that Anderson's exclusion had deprived England of one of the world's best bowlers, and that his side's confidence grew as a result.[39] However, he also warned against becoming complacent, making parallels with Australia's performance in preceding tours against India, South Africa and Pakistan, where they "[jumped] the gun with an emphatic win only to surrender a high-profile series".[41] In the meantime, Australia played a three-day tour match against Worcestershire, which, as a result of rain washing out most of the final day, was drawn.[42]

Criticism was directed at umpires Aleem Dar and Joel Wilson, who had 10 of their decisions overturned over the course of the game, with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting suggesting that the ICC's requirements of neutral umpires should be waived in the future, to reduce umpire workload and fatigue. Root, however, noted that players and umpires, both under pressure to perform, make mistakes, and that over-criticism and blame games should be avoided.[43] The idea, which had already surfaced before, had also been opposed by the umpires themselves, who "[were] happier to accept criticism of their decision-making on a basis of skills, conditions, eyesight – just about anything so long as they are not regarded as biased towards one side".[44]

Second Test
14–18 August 2019
Scorecard
England
v
 Australia
258 (77.1 overs)
Rory Burns 53 (127)
Josh Hazlewood 3/58 (22 overs)
250 (94.3 overs)
Steve Smith 92 (161)
Stuart Broad 4/65 (27.3 overs)
258/5d (71 overs)
Ben Stokes 115* (165)
Pat Cummins 3/35 (17 overs)
154/6 (47.3 overs)
Marnus Labuschagne 59 (100)
Jofra Archer 3/32 (15 overs)
Match drawn
Lord's, London
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pak) and Chris Gaffaney (NZ)
Player of the match: Ben Stokes (Eng)
Australia won the toss and elected to field.
No play was possible on day 1 due to rain. No play was possible after lunch on day 3 due to rain. Start of play was delayed on day 5 due to rain.
Jofra Archer (Eng) made his Test debut.
Aleem Dar equalled the record for the most Test matches umpired with 128.[45]
Steve Smith (Aus) was replaced on day 5 by Marnus Labuschagne, after suffering a concussion on the previous day. This was the first such substitution in a Test match.[46]
World Test Championship points: Australia 8, England 8.
Day one
The first day of the second Test was washed out because of intermittent rain that prevented the ground from drying and the toss from taking place, leaving four extended days, weather permitting, to complete the match.[47]

Day two
Play began on the second day with England's openers sent in to bat in the morning session. Australia struck in the second over, Jason Roy out for a three-ball duck, caught by Paine off Hazlewood's bowling, the latter returning to the Test side after not being selected for Edgbaston. Joe Root then came in, but he was trapped leg before wicket by Hazlewood, leaving England at 26/2. Denly, the new man in, was hit by a bouncer in the next over, leading to an early drinks break. Nevertheless, he and Rory Burns survived until lunch, contributing a 50-run partnership to rebuild England's innings after the early wickets. This left the home team at 76/2 at the interval.[48][49]

The second session saw Denly caught behind by Tim Paine off Hazlewood, before Burns reached a half-century. His wicket fell shortly thereafter, however, thanks to a splendid catch by Bancroft at short leg, off the bowling of Cummins. Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes were the next to fall, leaving England on 138/6 with less than an hour to go until tea. Australia reviewed for lbw against Bairstow a few overs before the interval, but this turned out to be a poor decision and the England batsmen did not lose any more wickets before the break, by which point they were 201/6.[48]

The extended evening session, with 37 overs scheduled over two-and-a-half hours, first saw Woakes caught behind on a ball that grazed his glove, the review confirming the on-field decision. England's remaining wickets then fell quickly, with Archer and Broad the next victims. Bairstow reached the 50-run milestone, but he was soon gone, England all out for 258.[48]

This left England's bowlers a theoretical 18 overs in just under an hour before the close. Warner fell first in the fifth over, for his third single-digit score of the series; however, Bancroft and Khawaja survived eight more overs before play was brought to a close with Australia on 30/1.[48]

Day three
The third morning saw 24.1 overs of play, the second wicket pushing the score to 60 before Bancroft was leg before wicket to Archer. Khawaja edged behind off Woakes in the next over, and Head did not last long as he was lbw to Broad, Australia 71/4. Stokes then thought he had Wade trapped for another lbw, but the on-field decision was overturned and Australia lost no further wickets before rain brought an early lunch, the total now 80/4.[50] The weather remained inclement throughout the afternoon and the evening, and no further play was possible.[50]

Day four
Play resumed on the fourth day with Smith and Wade at the crease. Wade was caught at slip off a delivery by Broad shortly before drinks, but Paine survived with Smith until lunch, the latter reaching a half-century to bring Australia's total to 155/5 at the break, England failing to make any further breakthroughs despite a few close calls.[51]

The sixth-wicket partnership was broken after the interval as Paine edged the ball to Buttler off Archer. Smith was then hit on the arm by a short delivery from Archer a few overs later, but was given the green light to continue after examination by team doctors. A review for lbw against Cummins was soon struck down as Archer continued to put pressure on the Australian batsmen, including hitting Smith directly in the neck with a bouncer; the batsman fell to the ground briefly, but had to retire hurt, though he was able to walk off the field unassisted after a chat with the team doctor. The new man in, Siddle, lasted only a few overs, failing to reach a double-digit score, at which point Smith was brought back in; however, he was soon out leg before wicket to Woakes after an unsuccessful review. Australia's tailenders were out before tea, giving them a total of 250, trailing by eight runs with England's second innings to begin after the interval.[51]

Cummins struck early by removing Roy and then getting Root for a golden duck, but Denly survived the hat-trick ball. This led to a 55-run fourth-wicket partnership, which ended with Denly caught and bowled by Siddle. Burns fell next, but Buttler survived until late in the session, when rain stopped play for the day with England on 96/4.[51]

Day five
The final day was again affected by rain as the start was delayed until just after noon. As the players came back on the field, there was confirmation that Steve Smith, struck by a bouncer the previous day, would not come back to the match. He was substituted by Marnus Labuschagne,[52][53] who became the first concussion substitute in Test cricket after the ICC's decision to allow such replacements.[54] Smith would later be ruled out of the third Test at Headingley.[55]

England's fifth wicket stood for the reminder of the morning session as Ben Stokes reached a half-century, unbeaten on 51 at the interval with England at 157/4. Buttler was caught by Hazlewood off Cummins soon after lunch, but Bairstow played on with Stokes until the latter reached a century, at which point England declared on 285/5. This left Australia a target of 267 runs to win off a scheduled 50 overs, albeit leaving England with an outside chance to bowl their opposition out.[52] England made an early breakthrough, Archer removing both Warner and Khawaja inside the first six overs, before Leach trapped Bancroft lbw with the final ball of the 14th over; however, Labuschagne and Head proved obstinate at the crease, putting on 85 runs for the fourth wicket before Labuschagne was caught by a diving Root at midwicket for 59 at the end of the 36th over. Wade was next to go seven balls later, out for one, before Denly produced a diving catch to remove Paine for four off the bowling of Archer, Australia now 149/6. Nevertheless, Head continued to stick around at the other end, farming the strike from Cummins and managing 42 runs to help Australia see out the final eight overs.

Ben Stokes was named man of the match after scoring a century in the second innings.[52]

Third Test
22–26 August 2019[n 1]
Scorecard
Australia
v
 England
179 (52.1 overs)
Marnus Labuschagne 74 (129)
Jofra Archer 6/45 (17.1 overs)
67 (27.5 overs)
Joe Denly 12 (49)
Josh Hazlewood 5/30 (12.5 overs)
246 (75.2 overs)
Marnus Labuschagne 80 (187)
Ben Stokes 3/56 (24.2 overs)
362/9 (125.4 overs)
Ben Stokes 135* (219)
Josh Hazlewood 4/85 (31 overs)
England won by 1 wicket
Headingley, Leeds
Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZ) and Joel Wilson (WI)
Player of the match: Ben Stokes (Eng)
England won the toss and elected to field.
Rain delayed the start of play, and shortened both the morning and the afternoon sessions on day one.
Jofra Archer (Eng) took his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests.[56]
England's score of 67 was their lowest against Australia in the Ashes since 1948.[57]
This was England's highest successful run chase in Tests.[58]
World Test Championship points: England 24, Australia 0.
Day one
Rain delayed the toss in the morning and play started shortly after noon with lunch delayed to 1:30 p.m. Only four overs could be completed before rain again interrupted play after the wicket of Harris, Australia 12/1. Lunch was taken early, but rain did not allow for resumption of play until 2 p.m. Khawaja was then caught after England referred the decision to the video umpire, but only 9.5 overs were possible before rain again prevented continuation. A few more overs were possible before bad light stopped play, with Australia on 54/2 at the early tea interval.[59]

The evening session was unaffected by rain, and Australia's third wicket stood for 111 runs before Warner, having previously successfully overturned an on-field decision, was caught off Archer. After this, Australia, on 136/3, collapsed to 179 all out by the close. Archer claimed five more victims to end the innings with figures of 6/45 in his second Test match.[59]

Day two
The second day was played in sunny conditions, but this did not prevent England from having a bad performance with the bat, with Denly the only batsman to reach double digits, scoring 12 after surviving an lbw review. England were 54/6 at the interval, with the Ashes "hanging by a thread".[60]

The England debacle continued after lunch, with Woakes out on the first ball of the afternoon session, the final three wickets then falling in quick succession as the home side was all out for 67, with Hazlewood picking up a five-wicket haul for the visitors.[60]

The dismal batting performance of both teams, the previous 18 wickets having fallen for 110 runs, appeared to continue into the second Australia innings as Warner was lbw for a duck in the second over. Harris and Khawaja added 26 runs to the total, surviving a review for lbw, before Harris was bowled by Leach. Khawaja was soon caught by Roy at second slip off Woakes, and Australia were 82/3 at tea.[60]

After the interval, the fourth wicket stood for 46 runs before losing Head with the total at 97/4, only for Wade and Labuschagne to build a 66-run partnership after surviving multiple reviews. Wade and Paine were given out shortly before stumps, as Labuschagne reached a half-century to put Australia on 171/6, a lead of 283.[60]

Fourth Test
4–8 September 2019
Scorecard
England
v
 Australia
Old Trafford, Manchester
Umpires: Marais Erasmus (SA) and Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SL)
Fifth Test
12–16 September 2019
Scorecard
England
v
 Australia
The Oval, London
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SL) and Marais Erasmus (SA)
Broadcasting
Country Television broadcaster(s) Radio broadcaster(s)
 Australia Nine Network[61] ABC Radio Grandstand
 United Kingdom
 Ireland Sky Sports[62] BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
Notes