Original subtitles

Well, gentlemen, one half of our great adventure is over.

We have conceived and given birth to a mighty child.

But as I see her at the quayside, I realize

it is not just the ship that has a backbone of steel,

but the people who built her.

Good luck to all of us.

And God protect us.

Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen,

please welcome Mr. J. P. Morgan.

Mr. President,

ladies and gentlemen,

we live in a time of strange methods,

huge forces,

novel combinations.

A titanic world has sprung up around us.

And to stand still is to fall.

And to fall is to perish.

Therefore we must, we will go forward.

And in the spirit of this age,

we gather here tonight to celebrate a mighty venture.

An American ship.

A ship of my White Star Line.

A vessel built to rule the waves,

a craft of unparalleled size and luxury

that shall dominate the transport of souls

from the Old World to the New.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure

to give you the only ocean liner worthy of her name

and of this age,

RMS Titanic.

Miss Yaeger. Mr. Morgan.

I'd like to introduce someone to you.

This is Dr. Mark Muir. He worked on HMS Dreadnought.

I was her chief metallurgist, sir.

Big battleship.

But yours will be bigger.

Yes, she will.

I would like to offer my services to Titanic, Mr. Morgan.

I believe you need me to build this ship.

Need? Why would I need you?

There are very few who know more about

the structure of a ship's steelwork than me,

especially for a vessel as large as Titanic.

You are venturing into the unknown, sir.

An arrogant statement, Dr. Muir.

It's not arrogant if it's true.

Sir. Hmm.

I think the President would like to see you.

Dr. Muir.

Mr. Morgan.

You. You.

You. You.

Me, sir? Yes, you.

Me, sir? Report to the boiler room.

You. Yes, you.

Any chance today, sir?

Get lost, boy!

Hey!

You. You.

What are you doing?

We're taking care of the day's business.

Get rid of him.

Hey. Hey!

Leave him alone.

That's just another Catholic brat, sir.

They multiply like rats around here.

I don't care what he is, right? You leave him alone.

You wanna stay out of this.

Oh!

Go on, lad.

Smithy? Aye?

Go ahead.

Come along.

Come on! Come on!

What's going on?

Sorry, My Lord. This man here...

Be quiet.

What is your business here, sir?

Are you Lord Pirrie?

Yes, I'm Pirrie! Who are you?

I'm Mark Muir, sir.

I believe we have an appointment.

Come with me.

I'm sorry about that back there.

This city is very difficult to understand, Dr. Muir.

It's riven with division and prejudice.

Catholic and Protestant, rich and poor.

But there is also much to admire.

You went straight to the Admiralty

after your studies at Imperial College?

That's correct.

So you have no experience of commercial work?

That's right, Mr. Andrews.

That's no matter. We could do with a few pure souls around here.

Dr. Muir, could you explain precisely what you would offer,

why your contribution is so necessary?

We are building bigger and bigger ships, Lord Pirrie.

And we are building them using the same materials and technology

we used 20 years ago.

We stand at the border

where our ambition shall outstrip our technology.

And I'm here to stop that from happening.

Well, it hasn't happened here yet, Muir,

and Harland & Wolff have been building ships for 50 years.

Well, then you've been lucky, Mr. Andrews.

Go on.

You are building the biggest ship,

the biggest machine, the world has ever seen.

You are in uncharted territory.

How will she respond in heavy seas?

A superstructure this big

will be under greater stress because of her size.

Obviously.

And you, Dr. Muir,

you feel yourself the right person

to test our mettle, so to speak?

No.

Oh...

I believe I'm the only man.

Keep her coming, keep her coming!

Watch the swing at the back there.

Come on there, fellas, no slacking! Keep her coming!

Get the purchase there, Arthur! Let us through!

When the rivet holes are punched, is the steel hot or cold?

Did you want something, sir?

When the rivet holes are punched,

are the steel plates hot or cold?

Cold, sir.

Thank you.

Come on, boys!

You lose the morning, you lose the day. Let's get to it!

So, how are you finding Belfast, Dr. Muir?

A little parochial after London and New York?

No, not really.

Well, we like to think it's a city on the rise.

Where are you staying?

The Ambassador. Really?

We may be able to help you there.

Our drawing room, Dr. Muir.

As you know, White Star have charged us

with building three ships of the Olympic class.

Olympic itself, Titanic you know about,

and Gigantic, which is still on the drawing board.

Should you wish for copies of plans, this is where you come.

Ah, Eddy.

Morning, sir.

Let me introduce you to Dr. Mark Muir, who will be joining us today.

Muir, Eddy Hatton, our office manager.

He's the chap who keeps the wheels turning around here.

Well, I do my best, sir. Very pleased to meet you, Dr. Muir.

Actually, while you're here, Eddy,

does your mother still let rooms out, by any chance?

She does indeed, sir.

Well, Dr. Muir here is looking for somewhere suitable.

He'd be welcome at our house, sir.

Excellent. Thank you, Eddy.

Well, I'm sure you'll be very comfortable at the Hattons', Muir.

I'm sure I will.

My first task will be to test the tensile properties of the steel you use.

You needn't concern yourself about the steel we use, Dr. Muir.

It's of the best quality.

That's what I'm here to check.

Aye, but it has been checked, at the testing house.

My experiments will be more precise, more advanced.

No disrespect, gentlemen,

but we broke a lot of new ground on HMS Dreadnought.

Dreadnought's steel had passed tests that no other ship,

military or commercial, has ever had to pass.

Admiral Fisher demanded the highest quality.

With more strength

and speed than any other.

The millitary world develops technology faster than the commercial.

We've got a fairly high standard ourselves, Dr. Muir.

Aye. Hear, hear.

I agree.

I merely look forward to working together,

to furthering the excellence of your work.

On another note,

may I ask about your process?

Why is it that you do not heat the steel plates

before punching the rivet holes?

Dr. Muir, perhaps you could leave that

for another day. On to other business.

Gentlemen, the keel-laying ceremony fast approaches.

Mr. Morgan will be here within 12 days. Any concerns?

I fail to see what he brings us.

Other than the good graces of our benefactor, Mr. Morgan?

Yes, I understand that,

but our quality control has never been compromised.

I would never have seen the need for a metallurgist.

Still, he does raise a valid question

about ambition and technology.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you think.

Dr. Muir!

Why don't you join me?

Near the end of each day, I like to come and inspect what we've been doing.

I like to be close, feel the ease of the work.

I completely agree.

Yes, I don't think you are a man to sit back or be proud.

You like to get your hands dirty.

You know how this ship started?

No.

A drawing.

On the back of a napkin.

Yeah, I was dining with Morgan, and

We conceived the idea that this vast ship as an answer to

the threat the Cunard shipping line poses to White Star.

All that from the back of a napkin?

Well of course, since then it's grown in my imagination.

She's now far more to me than a mere thing of steel and iron. She's...

Well, she's the possibility of a greatness unimagined.

And not just for Morgan and White Star.

But for all the people here in Belfast.

Building Titanic.

Does that sound rather too poetic, Dr. Muir?

No.

Sounds a realistic estimation of our possibilities sir.

That certainly doesn't sound too poetic.

You saw something of our divisions.

I did.

Catholic and protestant.

Still living on the edge of enmity.

And you'll never find a Catholic in a position of responsibility or importance.

I see.

700 years of turbulant history.

To now people together and yet...

So far apart.

But I believe there can be change.

And once again I wax a sentimental.

Doesn't sound sentimental to me, sir.

Well many would beg to differ.

But I firmly believe this great ship will become a symbol of unity.

Beginning of a new era.

Or better times.

Exactly.

What do you want, mister?

I'm sorry.

Wrong house.

The high and mighty appear so

only because we are on our knees.

We are going to rouse the working classes out of a mire of misery and poverty.

If it is good for the employer to have clean clothing,

good food, handbooks, pictures, music,

so it is good for the people to have these things, too.

That is the claim that we are making.

Aye, dead on.

And this great fight of ours

is not simply a question of shorter hours and better wages.

It's about our human liberty.

The liberty to live as human beings should live.

Excercise our God-given faculties and

power over nature.

Always reaching.

For a higher betterment and development.

But none of this shall be achieved

unless we can muster the organization,

the unity and the sense of purpose

a union shall bring to the working man.

Or woman.

Or woman.

If we, the people of this island, unite,

and by that I mean put aside our differences,

stand together whatever our creed,

if we stand united and indivisible,

there's nothing that can't be achieved.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you to meet Dr. Muir.

This is lady Carlton and sir Henry Carlton.

And my wife, Margaret. Welcome.

This is Thomas Andrews junior.

And my nephew.

Obviously you know him from the yard.

Good evening Muir.

Andrews, I didn't know you...

We keep it out of the yard.

Ah, and this is my god-daughter.

Miss Kitty Carlton.

Good evening miss Carlton.

Good evening dr. Muir.

So Muir, I hear you've joined our merry band.

Sir Henry is on the board of Harland & Wolff,

among his many other business concerns.

Daddy may only have two thumbs, but he has many pies.

My heart shall always belong to shipping.

We Carltons have been in shipping for many generations.

Muir worked for the Royal Navy, you know, Henry.

He helped design the Dreadnought.

They say she's unsinkable, Muir. Is that correct?

Well, no ship is unsinkable,

but it would take considerable effort to send her down.

I'm very glad to hear it.

Personally, I do not believe

there's another navy can match our nautical capability.

The Americans are quite good.

Oh, I wouldn't underestimate the Americans, Daddy.

Isn't it an American paying for all this?

Quite true, Kitty.

Mr. Morgan, among other things, is definitely an American.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Stokes. Mr. Ashley Stokes.

Charles, Enid, come in, come in!

We're late, I know. Sorry, Lady P.

Damn motorcar wouldn't start.

I'm going to fire that driver and get

somebody who can make the damn thing go.

It's an honor to have you here in Belfast mr. Larkin.

There's a great thirst here for what you bring.

There's a thirst for it everywhere Walter.

We'll see it through mr. Larkin.

Mr. Larkin?

Michael McCann.

I'm a riveter at Harland & Wolff.

We were thinking

it's time we were paid a day rate.

Not by the rivet.

I agree.

What about a few Catholics in the positions of management and responsibility?

We're seeking equality for all men. And women.

Regardless of creed. Or class.

Sofia, where have you been?

I was with Emily. Sorry, Papa.

Ah, yes. Doing what?

Just talking.

I'm sorry I'm late.

Your sister has cooked dinner.

I'll do it tomorrow, Violetta.

Yes, you will.

How was work?

It was good.

Yeah. We should be finished at the Carltons' quite soon.

Good.

Violetta!

Do you know what happened today

in your dear Mr. Carlton's factory?

Mary Sweeney was fired, just for talking.

Maybe she talks too much.

Well, you shouldn't lose your job because you talk.

Enough!

You should be more like your sister.

She works hard, she gets on well and she doesn't complain.

The biggest mistake was sending them all to school.

Now that they can read and write,

their heads are full of all sorts of nonsense.

That's a little harsh.

You don't consider universal literacy a progressive move, Charles?

Well, it has some advantage, but it also undermines the workforce.

Just gives them fancy ideas.

What's fancy about them?

Well, you know,

brotherhood of man, workers' rights, all that tosh.

Tosh?

That's right. Tosh.

Really? A fair day's wage for a fair day's work?

We pay fairly.

I wonder if a man with five children

earning rather less than £2 a week would agree with that.

There's no one starving.

Actually, in London, a 7-year-old girl

starved to death in the streets.

Well, this is Belfast.

So you are a metallurgist, Dr. Muir?

Metallurgist, yes.

Yes. How fascinating!

And what is that, exactly?

It's a scientist who studies metal, Mother.

Now is that an new thing, mettalurgy?

Because nowadays there seems to be

a new science for absolutely everything.

There is, but science shall never replace

good judgment or plain common sense.

Science is common sense.

Researching facts, making accurate measurements, comparing data,

reaching inevitable conclusions

arrived at by reason, calculation.

And what has this to do with your work in Belfast Dr. Muir?

Everything.

I believe science is the future of industry,

its most valuable resource.

There's also experience, Muir.

Yes, so long as experience isn't used as an excuse

for falling back on idle and outmoded practices.

Are you insinuating...

Well, I think it's clear that science and experience, hand in hand,

shall be our best way forward.

The wisdom of the ages, the knowledge of the new.

Cricket starts tomorrow.

We're a man short. Do you want to play, Muir?

No, thank you. I don't play.

Really?

Yes, really.

But you must've played at school!

And yet I didn't.

Where did you say you went to school?

I didn't.

I should think I'd find it quite entertaining

to watch you play cricket, Dr. Muir.

I don't think so, Miss Carlton,

unless you have some perverse sense

of what you find to be entertaining.

I'm afraid that might be true.

Well, we could put you low down the order

if you don't really play.

Well it's all just a bit of fun.

No one will judge you too harshly.

Go lads!

What a shame!

Unbelievable.

Came out of nowhere.

We can give it another half an hour

before we make our final decision. Yeah, all right.

I don't know what they're all so mopey about.

What promised to be a most tedious afternoon of sport

now holds all manner of possibilities.

Come on, Belfast! Come on, you Harps!

Come on, Belfast.

Oh, come on, Walter!

Pretend you're addressing a public meeting or setting up a union!

Come on, Belfast!

Better!

I don't understand this game.

Why not? It's not so difficult.

Why are we here?

Come on, Belfast!

To watch Michael. Ah!

Come on, Michael!

When can we go out again, alone?

Up to the line! That's it! Come on!

We should go out alone.

Sometime.

Come on, Michael!

Come on! Come on!

Michael!

Come along, Muir.

Three bottles of champagne, please, Moreland.

Dance, Kitty?

In a minute. I'm talking to Dr. Muir.

I see.

Thank you. Poor chap.

His weekend is ruined. He does love his cricket.

To each his own.

Quite!

What is your own, Muir?

Why are you not obsessed with bat and ball, like most Englishmen?

I don't know. Must be a strange deficiency of nature.

You are a funny one.

Is that what brought you here?

No, it's just an added benefit.

So then what?

A ship.

Just that?

Just that.

You speak like a man in love.

Perhaps I am.

She's a lucky girl, that ship of yours.

Now, please don't tell me that your strange deficiency of nature

also prevents you from dancing.

No.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Let's go for a walk later.

Hmm?

It's for you. Thank you.

Good morning, Signor Pietro.

Good morning.

Thank you.

Let's go.

See you later.

You.

You. You.

You. You.

You. You.

Do you still need a job?

Yes, sir.

Come on.

This lad needs a job. Find him one.

Yes. Can I help you?

I was told by Mr. Andrews you need these plans, sir.

Yes. Thank you very much, Miss...

Silvestri, sir.

Silvestri?

You're Italian?

Born in Italy, but I'm Irish now.

I've been to Italy. Whereabouts are you from?

San Romano, sir.

I don't know that.

I didn't think you would.

It's a very small village. In Tuscany.

I've been to Lucca.

Not so far from Lucca.

It's a place of remarkable beauty.

What exactly do you do here? Are you a designer?

No, I'm a copyist.

It's very important work.

Do you think?

We all play our part.

Some parts are more interesting than others.

If you need any more plans...

I'll know where to come.

Have a good day, Miss Silvestri.

You as well, Dr. Muir.

Right. This way.

Over here.

McCann! You said you could use a man.

Here's one for you.

He's only half of one.

Michael McCann. What's your name, son?

Jack Lowry. All right.

This here is Jimmy Smith, Arthur McAllister

and Bill Armstrong.

So what do you do best, Jack? Throw or catch?

Right. So, when Bill throws one of those rivets at you,

you catch it in that tin can.

Then you use these to pick it out

and shove it in one of them holes.

Think you can manage that, Jack? I'll try, sir.

Let's see if you can catch a rivet first.

Don't worry. It takes years before you get it right you know.

Skilled work.

It'll be less than the Bill's son.

He couldn't catch a cold.

It may not look like much, Jack,

but we put one-and-a-half million rivets into the S.S. America.

She was 22,000 tons.

You see this keel here?

We'll put 46,000 tons of metal on top of it.

This one's gonna reach the heavens, Jack.

But not you.

You'll be far below with the rest of us.

Stick with Bill, he'll show you the workings of the bellows.

Come on, boys. Let's get back to it.

I don't know how much longer I can do this.

A long time yet.

Good afternoon, ma'am.

Yes, that's nice.

Rather reminds me of that wonderful frieze we saw in Siena.

Ravenna, Mother.

Yes, Ravenna.

Well! Very nice.

Keep it up.

Thank you.

The beauty of our country is lost on these people.

If you had a choice, Italy or Ireland?

Italy, of course.

Culture, food, beauty.

But no work.

Have you heard about Mr. Larkin's union?

I have seen this in Italy.

It leads to death and despair.

Ireland is always in conflict.

These men have a job, they should be happy.

Maybe it's for a better future.

I worry about my daughters.

Sofia's a good girl,

but I worry she will be lost to these new ideas.

Brothers!

The employers cannot carry out industry nor accumulate profits

if they have not the goodwill of the workers,

or their acquiescence in carrying out that industry!

Never a truer word was spoken.

We are now on the threshold

of a newer movement, with newer hopes!

And newer inspiration!

Join the NUDL. Fight for your rights. Stand together, lads.

Join your union brothers. Fight for your rights.

Stand up against the employers.

Stand together, men.

You!

Get away from these gates!

Move along.

Go! Move along, now!

We're not moving.

This is a lawful assembly. You can't move us along.

We have every right to be here.

Well, I'll show you what we can do.

Get your hands off him!

Get out of here! Go on!

You have no authority here.

Look at them. Filthy rabble.

Come on, Dr. Muir. Let's go.

You're a disgrace!

You spoke of the lull before the storm.

It seems you were right.

Think it might stir things up a bit

if I went down there and listened to him myself?

I do.

Extraordinary man, that Larkin. My God.

If he had the power to unionize all the docks in the northwest of England,

think what he'll do here.

That's exactly what I'm thinking about.

Is that a worry, Thomas?

I'm afraid it's beyond my worry.

It's inevitable.

Larkin is right.

The profit is made on the back of the workers.

Why worry about this?

These men have jobs. They're lucky.

In Italy, there is no work. That's why you're here.

We have to start fighting back, making demands.

Your father is worried about you,

about this kind of thinking.

That you'll get into trouble.

We are not in Italy now, Andrea. My father knows that.

Right.

Sofia,

if you were not here,

I wouldn't be here.

You know?

Yes.

Let's walk.

So you're a metallurgist, Eddy tells me.

With a doctorate.

That's right.

Must have worked so hard for that, Dr. Muir.

Your parents must have been very proud.

It wasn't so hard, really.

Pity you didn't study a little harder at your schoolwork, Eddy.

Could have ended up a university man here, like Dr. Muir.

Well, I didn't have the brains, Pa.

Yeah, true enough.

So you're from London yourself, Dr. Muir?

Uh, I lived there for quite some time, yes.

I know it well. Wonderful city.

I thought about studying there.

Really?

Well, I would have, I'm sure, but...

Well, my father needed me at the factory.

He was a man of affairs, not of learning.

Didn't trust it.

But we're not from the same educated background as yourself.

How are the rissoles, Dr. Muir?

Uh, delicious.

Thank you.

You'll not be joining us for church, then, Dr. Muir?

Leave him, Albert. A man's religion is his own business.

Church of England, are you, Dr. Muir?

No, Ma, he's a Catholic.

Now, I know he's nothing like that.

The cathedral has a good Anglican service,

I believe. You should go there.

- Amen. - Amen.

Aft ribs section three.

Five copies.

Thank you mr... - Get on with it now.

This, Mr. Morgan, is the gymnasium,

obviously equipped with the latest fitness devices:

rowing machine, cycling machine, vaulting horses.

A real coup over Cunard!

Will we recoup on it?

I think it's a good idea. It adds value.

Let's hope, at the very least, they get a good thirst

and we make it back at the bar.

The swimming pool, which will be warm salt water kept at 65 degrees.

We shall be the first ship ever

to incorporate a pool on board.

Swimming pools! My God, William,

this generation's gone soft, don't you think?

The previous generation probably said the same.

But they were wrong.

Next.

First-class parlor suites.

Adams, Louis XIV and Georgian style.

Ah, yes.

What do you think our passengers' wives will think of this?

Well, let's just say I wouldn't mind

a night in one of those staterooms.

I think it's grand, gentlemen.

I want you to imagine a connected, coordinated system of travel.

You sail in luxury on our White Star ships,

you are met at the docks by our White Star trains

and taken to your hotel,

also White Star.

Good.

God, all the boring dignitaries and the drearily affluent

here to kiss the capacious bottom of Mr. Morgan.

Have you been introduced to the Mayor?

No.

Would you like to be?

Not particularly.

Good choice. He's a crushing bore.

Now tell me, what's he like?

Who? Morgan.

Is he really as terrifying as they say?

No, not at all.

Besides, I don't think you'd be terrified of anyone.

Mark!

Joanna! Surprised?

I came with J.P.

Joanna Yaeger. Kitty Carlton.

Pleased to meet you, Miss Carlton. You're a friend of Mark's?

We are friends, yes.

That's lovely!

And how do you know Dr. Muir?

Mark and I know each other from New York.

I was covering a story for the New York Times

and he gave me a bit of background information.

Oh, you're a journalist.

Yes, I get to work for a living.

How exciting that must be!

And now you're covering the story for Titanic?

In a sense. I help Mr. Morgan with his press relations.

You must be the most invaluable asset!

You remember Muir, J.P.?

I certainly do!

So, Mr. Muir, are you finding the work challenging?

Yes, I think so.

Good, good, good, good. And any suggestions so far?

Well, there is a small problem with the riveting process.

Oh?

Well, the steel plates are cold

when you punch the rivet holes,

which means they're weaker, more prone to cracking.

If the steel plates are hot, this is not as likely to happen.

Has this been a problem before?

No sir.

Cunard do this.

Cunard, William?

I don't think this is the time.

Let's move on, J.P.

All right.

That was completely inappropriate.

He asked the question. It was not the time.

God's sake, Muir, who the hell do you think you are?

Listen... I know about the rivets.

Did you think you'd found something new?

I have had this conversation with Lord Pirrie and Ismay before.

But... It is a financial matter.

This isn't just about money.

Muir, you have a lot to learn.

Are you avoiding me?

No.

So, what's wrong?

I've just been very distracted.

Sorry.

Why so preoccupied?

I don't know.

Joanna, I

can't put my finger on it.

A head full of questions with no answers.

I can read you like a book.

That's what I love about you.

What are you reading?

Catching up with an old friend,

Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

He built bridges and tunnels...

Railways and ships.

Railways and ships, yes.

The first steamship to cross the Atlantic was his. The Great Eastern.

I know who Brunel was.

I hope you find what you're looking for, Mark.

How many people are we expecting today, William?

How do you mean?

This is an historic event. I don't see any fanfare.

Laying the keel is more tradition, Mr. Morgan.

Really, it's only the beginning.

Right now there's not very much to see!

We do have the New York press here, J.P.

Gentlemen, in three years' time, when we launch this ship,

the world will already know the story of her greatness.

People's fascination with it should start now.

We need to make a ship that people are compelled to travel on

just so they can say that they have.

Today we start building a legend

that will last a thousand years.

Titanic will be the eighth wonder of the world, William.

She'll outlive us all.

Now. Joanna,

what are we gonna put on the front page of the New York Times?

You will be the front page, J.P.

Huh.

Ready!

That's it, now! Keep it coming!

Keep it coming!

Nearly there!

That's it, lads! Got it! Got it!

Now, Mr. Morgan, if I could just have a minute,

just a quick photo, please.

On three. And one, and two, and three.

Thanks, folks. Thank you.

Well done.

Well, there it is.

Whatever it is.

Oh, it's the backbone of the ship.

I'm gonna place this coin on it for good luck.

Never had you down as a superstitious man, Dr. Muir.

Generally I'm not, but...

Dr. Muir?