The most watched film for the '97 holiday season in the United States was also the costliest film ever made; Titanic. At a price of approximately two hundred million dollars, the flick has to be a hit or it spells disaster for two film studios and director James Cameron. As it happens, the film is a successful mix of romance and adventure that has something for everybody and seems sure to recoup the investment and garner a number of major awards in the process.

Living in San Diego, close to the Mexican border has given me a slight insight into the filming of this epic piece of entertainment and allowed me to see the project from a somewhat unique perspective. In this installment of Hugh's Views I take a look at the film and find a...

Living in the wealthiest nation on the planet, we in the United States have a sometimes jaded attitude towards the other countries that inhabit the earth. Many seem to feel that these countries are just there to serve our needs and wants.

Not everybody has the advantages of an economy that seems to be forever on the upswing. Just cross the border from San Diego into the teeming city of Tijuana and there's an immediate change in status. Those walking are assaulted first by a flood of vocal taxi cab drivers and next by mothers with small children hoisting styrofoam cups asking for spare change. To get to the downtown area of T.J. you must cross a bridge that spans a dry riverbed. The smell of urine is overwhelming for those taking the stairs to the top walkway of the bridge (courtesy of "gringos" who couldn't wait). Next come vendors selling everything from food and jewelry to ladies of the night.

Those who drive find a confusing series of turns that takes them around the town to get to the Calle Libre (free road) or the Calle Cuota (toll road). The drive to the principal location for the shooting of Titanic takes one down the Mexican coast for about thirty miles to the small beach city of Rosarito, which has been a popular stop for college students for at least three decades, and probably longer.

Just outside of the city, visitors for over a year were greeted by the giant smokestacks rising from the reconstructed ill-fated ship. It is here that an enormous new studio was built with the world's largest movie water tank. Just in front of the new film studio are vendors selling plaster Bart Simpsons, black velvet Elvis paintings, wrought iron plant holders and a variety of food. There is even a small makeshift taco stand in the shadow of the Titanic.

During the filming, my youngest daughter, Victoria, kept repeating the fact that her idol for several years, Leonardo DiCaprio, was nearby filming and we should take the trip down the coast to give her the chance of meeting him. She has been a fan since she saw What's Eating Gilbert Grape, the film that garnered an Oscar nomination for DiCaprio's portrayal of a retarded teenager. She even has the traditional teen shrine to him all over the walls of her bedroom. I told Vicky she'd never meet him, but that it would be an interesting trip to see the site of the filming of this most major of motion pictures.

My middle daughter, Emily, had other plans. She and a friend drove down to Rosarito to see if they could meet the young actor they had just seen in the remake of Romeo and Juliet.

Here is the account that she turned in for a college English class:

"Celebrity Disappointment

One of my most exciting and actually disappointing times was when I had a close encounter with a celebrity. Upon hearing that the movie Titanic was being filmed in nearby Rosarito, Mexico and was starring Leonardo DiCaprio, my friend Kellie and I had to go and investigate.

After hours of searching, Kellie and I found the hotel where he was staying. At the hotel we met a friendly man whose name tag read Roberto. Roberto, as we found out, was Leo's room-service man, and he said we had a pretty good chance of seeing him as filming was pretty much over for the night. Kellie and I were overjoyed with teenybopper enthusiasm about the possibility he was there, and even before we knew for sure we squealed with joy. Roberto pointed a group of young men over to our direction.

It was Leonardo all right, complete with his assembly of cast and crew. It was all like a beautiful dream, and I wasn't waking up. Leonardo was quite polite and invited us up to play cards with him and his friends.

Hanging out Leonardo was fun; however, it really wasn't anything special. He was a regular, typical and even somewhat boring guy. I actually caught myself in a yawn or two along the way.

As we said our goodbyes and left, I realized no one should obsess over any celebrity figure,no matter how completely beautiful he/she is, because everyone is just as special,or as boring, as anyone else."

After her older sister's experience, my suggestion to my youngest daughter about never having a chance of meeting DiCaprio seemed additional proof that we older folk don't know what we're talking about.

The chance meeting put a real damper on the relationship between the girls, and seem patently unfair that the one who met this young star was the daughter whose interest had just started and, unlike her sister, had not been carrying a torch for several years.

My wife, two daughters and I did travel to Rosarito to see if we could find the actor and view the replica of the ill-fated vessel. We did see the ship and the place where Leonardo stayed, but unfortunately he was gone for the day.

The girls have since made peace, but it is difficult when someone close to you lives your dream.

Hugh Peebles

January, 1998

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