The Titanic Phenomenon

Remember James Cameron's elegant Oscar Night request for a moment of silence for those who died in the Titanic sinking? Depending on which reference source you choose to believe, "those who died" tends to be a pretty fluid number. Russell Ash's The Top 10 of Everything 1998 lists 1,517; The New American Desk Encyclopedia pegs the number at 1,513; and this new British documentary on The Titanic Phenomenon and memorabilia collecting claims that 1,503 perished. To find the correct answer, we naturally went to the Paramount website, where the Titanic fact section laid (for me, anyway) the issue to rest: 1,502. If the death toll figure is this slippery, you can well imagine the problems collectors face when it comes to authenticity of items connected with the great ship. Filmed in and around Southampton, where Titanic began her ill-fated journey on April 10, 1912, The Titanic Phenomenon is a fairly low-budget assembly of basic facts and rambling interviews with collectors and enthusiasts. The more interesting segments include a warning on the innumerable fake items being sold as genuine Titanic memorabilia, some speculation over the last hymn the ship's band played, and an interview with a Titanic survivor. Sure to be popular, but not even remotely in the same class as A&E's superb documentary Titanic (selling for the same price). Optional. (R. Pitman)