Titanic – the tragedy we’re all celebrating

But the world seems to think otherwise, and Malta is no exception.

Though locally we have nothing to match the Titanic 'memorial cruise' of the MS Balmoral (which set sail from Southampton, UK on Easter Sunday), yesterday evening, Grill 3301 at Corinthia Hotel, St Julian's organised a special dinner which attempted to re-create the Titanic's last dinner for first-class travellers. Historical liberties were taken with the menu - which included specialties like Amuse Bouche, poached salmon, Filet Mignons Lili, lamb cutlets and more - and unlike the 11-course dinner that was held on the doomed vessel 100 years ago, the dinner was reduced to a seven-course affair.

"In devising the event, we treated the Titanic tragedy first and foremost as a pop culture phenomenon. The 100th year anniversary is an opportunity for the world to remember this great ship. The heritage it evokes is one of old world charm - but today it carries a significance within pop culture and the link between the past food habits and present day practice is one that is very interesting to draw upon," Marketing Manager of Corinthia Hotels Claire Carey said, adding that the chefs had been devising the menu for the past four months, researching their historical sources online.

While Carey also said that the team behind the event was "sensitive" to the fact that the Titanic story did in fact end in a tragedy, it's not hard to see why people are still seduced by the Titanic story - and James Cameron's Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet-starring blockbuster film was as successful in Malta as it was globally when it first came out in 1997. Re-released in 3D last week to commemorate the centenary, Titanic is currently showing in Eden and Empire Cinemas.

While representatives from both cinemas are confident that the enhanced re-release will draw in a substantial crowd, they're also resigned to the fact that people don't visit the cinemas all that much anymore - even for such a high-profile release that's bound to have nostalgic value.

"Titanic 3D started showing last Wednesday and was very popular, coming in second to The Hunger Games, which is expected to be one of the biggest films of the year," director of Eden Group Simon De Cesare said, adding however that "cinema attendance is not what it was back in the 90s - back then there were far fewer things to do socially, and this film attracted tens of thousands of people".

Rosanne Cachia from Empire Cinemas in Bugibba said that Titanic's success in 1997 could be attributed to the fact that people didn't download films back then.

"Also, the film itself was a blockbuster in the vein of classics like Ben Hur and Sound of Music, which people tend to see over and over again."

Describing the 3D conversion of Titanic as "truly impressive", De Cesare added that "people have commented that they are particularly interested to see Kate Winslet in 3D in a particular scene" - a reference to a scene in which Winslet's Rose poses naked for Leonardo Di Caprio's Jack while he draws her.