Monday, April 30, 2012

William Murdoch of the Titanic: Hero or Villain?

From the April 9th Bulletin "Titanic artifacts" by Peter Prengaman, AP.

I started this April 28th.

Again, it was amazing that his personal effects would survive this long and be in that good of a shape.  And, to have found the toiletry kit of a person so connected with and involved with the sinking of the Titanic is just a huge bit of luck.

RMS Titanic Inc. oversees the artifacts, many of which can be seen at Premier Exhibitions in Atlanta, Georgia.  RMS Titanic is a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions.

William Murdoch gained notoriety for his role in the sinking because of his portrayal in James Cameron's 1997movie "Titanic."  In it, he accepts bribes, kills two people trying to get into lifeboats and then shoots himself.  According to historical accounts, he gave the order to avoid the collision and then acted selflessly to get passengers into the lifeboats.

When the movie came out, it created a furor with Murdoch's family and people from his hometown of Dalbeattie, Scotland.  The studio, 20th Century Fox refused saying the movie was not a reflection of real events and Murdoch was portrayed as a hero because of the many lives he saved.  Later, the studio issued a personal apology and made a contribution to the annual Murdoch memorial prize given out each year at Dalbeattie High School ever since 1912.

The controversy of Murdoch shooting himself did not happen before the movie.  Titanic expert and author of "1912: Facts About Titanic" Lee. W. Meredith, said, "Cameron took a lot of liberties, and that's why historians don't like the movie."

My own thought on the movie is that even if some or a lot wasn't exactly true, its extreme popularity caused millions of people who otherwise would have known little if anything about the event, now know about it.

And the Story Continues.  --DaCoot



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