The 1996 Titanic mini-series is a poorly thought out adaptation of the story of the sinking. Although it shares some similarities with the 1997 movie, Cameron does a much better (and smoother) job at combining a melodramatic romance with a fictional account of a real event.
The biggest problem I have with this version is that the writers threw an unhistorical (and somewhat graphic) rape into the mix. Like Cameron, the (already dramatic enough) story of the sinking is accompanied by a romance between two passengers. Unlike Cameron, the writers of this mini-series gave the female character a name very similar to one of the victims of the tragedy AND they portrayed her as having been viciously and violently sexually assaulted by a porter at the moment of the collision. Not only was this an incredibly clumsy attempt at an allegory (the ship is raped by the iceberg at the same time she is raped by the porter), but it makes the mini-series completely inappropriate for younger viewers.
Another problem is how the real people aboard Titanic were portrayed by the writers. For example, the real Margaret Tobin Brown was a middle-aged, rather unattractive (she had jowls, droopy eyes, and crooked teeth) woman who dressed very conservatively. She was also an extremely intelligent, forward-thinking and capable woman. Unfortunately, she is portrayed in this mini-series as "Molly Brown" - a flashy, sexy, sassy, superficial bimbo one step short of a Paris courtesan. Marilu Henner is an excellent actor but her character is so unlike the real Margaret Brown that it's incredibly grating. It is no more believable than having Jessica Simpson play Margaret Thatcher in Daisy Dukes and a bikini top.
The acting is somewhat uneven. Although Henner's character is very inaccurately written, she personally does a good job with it, as does George C. Scott as Captain Smith, but Tim Curry as the rapist-porter chews enough scenery for the entire cast.
I don't recommend this mini-series for younger viewers or for anyone who actually cares about the real human beings who suffered on the night to remember. There was no need to create additional suffering in order to make the night more dramatic, and there was no need to portray real people so inaccurately.
The biggest problem I have with this version is that the writers threw an unhistorical (and somewhat graphic) rape into the mix. Like Cameron, the (already dramatic enough) story of the sinking is accompanied by a romance between two passengers. Unlike Cameron, the writers of this mini-series gave the female character a name very similar to one of the victims of the tragedy AND they portrayed her as having been viciously and violently sexually assaulted by a porter at the moment of the collision. Not only was this an incredibly clumsy attempt at an allegory (the ship is raped by the iceberg at the same time she is raped by the porter), but it makes the mini-series completely inappropriate for younger viewers.
Another problem is how the real people aboard Titanic were portrayed by the writers. For example, the real Margaret Tobin Brown was a middle-aged, rather unattractive (she had jowls, droopy eyes, and crooked teeth) woman who dressed very conservatively. She was also an extremely intelligent, forward-thinking and capable woman. Unfortunately, she is portrayed in this mini-series as "Molly Brown" - a flashy, sexy, sassy, superficial bimbo one step short of a Paris courtesan. Marilu Henner is an excellent actor but her character is so unlike the real Margaret Brown that it's incredibly grating. It is no more believable than having Jessica Simpson play Margaret Thatcher in Daisy Dukes and a bikini top.
The acting is somewhat uneven. Although Henner's character is very inaccurately written, she personally does a good job with it, as does George C. Scott as Captain Smith, but Tim Curry as the rapist-porter chews enough scenery for the entire cast.
I don't recommend this mini-series for younger viewers or for anyone who actually cares about the real human beings who suffered on the night to remember. There was no need to create additional suffering in order to make the night more dramatic, and there was no need to portray real people so inaccurately.