TITANIC- at what age would you let your kids watch it?

[3PRINCESSES]

I bought my DD (age 9.5) a book about the Titanic in the bookfair at school - it's one of the ones in the Scolastic 'My Story' series. She's really enjoying it, and is very gripped by the story and wanting to know more about the whole thing. The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester have got a Titanic exhibition on this summer and I'm planning to take her to that, but she really wants to watch the film too.

Does anybody know what certificate it is, and am I being silly thinking it's not suitable for a not-yet 10 year old? I'm not worried about the old steamy-windows scene, but just feel it's a bit upsetting... for all its corny Hollywood gloss, it does get under your skin rather.

Advice and a bit of sensible perspective please!!

its a 12 certificate film, but i think it depends on the maturity of your dd about whether or not she can watch it. there are other titanic films out there, which i belive arent as steamy but i think they may not hold her attention.

I think the certificate is pretty spot on - that gruesome scene with dead bodies, including babies, drifting in the sea might be upsetting/nightmare inducing for her?

Hmm... had forgotten about the dead bodies bit. Have seen it twice myself and both times have completely lost it at the bit where the mummy tucks her children into bed as the ship is going down.

I agree tbh... the sex scene where all you really see is a hand on a steamy window is pretty tame. The emotional wrenching of so many lives lost, however, I'd be far more concerned about.

Agree with everyone else. The steamy windows scene is nothing but then, I don't really mind my two (7 and 9) seeing a mild sex scene. We discuss sex fairly openly anyway. However, I only allow them to watch up to the iceberg hitting the ship, after that it gets too upsetting.

That's interesting, Pacific. Had sort of wondered about letting her watch some of it as what she seems to be most interested in at the moment, and what the book and I am trying to describe to her is the scale and magnificence of the ship. How do yours feel about only being able to watch so far and no more?

This is one I tripped up on ... I tend to be fairly strict on censoring films (there's lots of PGs I wouldn't let them watch); but one week ds1 (6 at the time) was ill and was just watching videos back-to-back. He came across Titanic, and asked to watch it. I registered it was a 12 certificate, but like you remembered Kate Winslet getting her tits out to get painted, steamy car, etc., thought that was OK, and we sat down to watch together. Half way through I suddenly remembered: Oh no! They all die horribly, don't they? I felt so stupid for having completely forgotten the plot! Anyway we watched to the end, and he survived the experience.

Bad Mummy

But what of the nightmares? The fortune you've had to shell out on post-traumatic stress counselling?

Seriously - no regrets...?

(And the tits-out life drawing was another bit I'd forgotten. Very erotic too, now I come to think on it)

I would wonder why mine would want to watch such crap personally

message withdrawn

Thank goodness there are others who share my view about this tripe

Having said that my oldest girl (12)and her sister (7) would undeniably love it.

my oldest son saw the video ( I think he was about 8 at the time) and found it a bit boring (too mumsy and grownup for him I think) and he hated the song. Wasn't traumatised at all. In fact he and dh were cheering as the ship went down. I was fighting back the tears.

As you can see the Titanic story had not touched him. If he had been affected by the story in the way your dd is, I would have been more cautious about him seeing the film. It sounds like the story has already had quite an impact on your dd. Perhaps take her to the exhibition, then see how she reacts to it before seeing the film. And if you do see the film perhaps have someone watching it with you who is totally insensitive to the tragedy as depicted by Kate and Leonardo, so your dd can follow their lead if she chooses.

BTW the scene where the mother is putting her children to bed as the ship goes down haunts me too - I am glad I am not the only one.

Apparently, when you enter the exhibition you're issued with a boarding pass and when you've been through the whole thing and come out at the end you find out whether the person named on your boarding pass died or survived.

God. Hope we strike it lucky. Wonder if you can upgrade to first class?

PMSL @ roisin and "Oh no! They all die horribly, don't they?"

(Glad I'm not alone in being an emotional cheap-date either, tigermoth )

See if you can get a copy of the Black and White clasic version of the Titanic story, 'A night to remember'. Stars Kenneth Moore, no sex, and upper lips have never been so stiff!

Stiff upper lips? But she's only 9!!

No, that sounds like a good idea. Shall peruse ebay for A Night to Remember.

Found it on Amazon for under £11 for the DVD!

www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004CX5L/202-1553434-3647866

And at least only the lips were stiff

One of the worst films I've ever seen. THere was distinct tittering when we saw it at the local cinema, OK not at the dead bodies whcih I thought was the best part, but at Billy Zane shooting the pineapple off the end of the stairs and then tripping on it, people falling off the railings and going DONK onto a rope bollard-thingy, load of bollards if you ask me! KW in her flimsy nightie going along up to the tits in freezing water to free (ugly) Leonardo. And as for the old bag, she belonged in Night of The Living Dead...

Roisin, your post made me larf! Yep, they all die horribly! It is a terrible film imo, I kept thinking 'oh sink the ship ffs and let's get this over'...

Argh, but you spoiled the plot for me!!!!

www - I thought exactly the same.

My younger sister made me watch it on DVD one night on a girlie night in. I ended up getting some school marking out to do during it!!!

I found the film horribly sad but the thing didn't really sink until some friends came from a conference in Halifax, Canada with some photographs of the cemetery where lots of titanic victims were buried, I was shocked about the numbers.

PS Not that the friends are morbid or anything, just got stuck for a week in the city with nothing else to do.

I have to say I loved the film, not for the naff romance bit, but because I was a bit of a Titaniac before the film came out. Was absolutely fantastic to "see" the grandness of the ship for "real", see her in full glory and really appreciate for the first time that all those hundreds of lives were individual people with individual hopes and dreams for their future. The amount of detail that was put in the film was amazing, and I'll watch it again for those, fastforwarding the Leo & Kate bits.

That's kind of why I'm tempted to let her watch it Georgina - to show the size of the ship, the newness and grandness of it, plus the difference between 1st and 3rd class. All the time when we're reading the book , which is quite challenging, and written in an authentically wordy Edwardian style, I keep thinking that the film would make it all a bit more immediate for her.
Didn't really mean this to be a discussion on the cinematic merits - or otherwise - of the film !