Fictional stories interlaced with Titanic history

This four-part miniseries, though not a documentary, sticks closer to the facts than many fictional portrayals. Characters meant to represent real people (Bruce Ismay, the Allison family, Benjamin Guggenheim, Molly Brown, Jack Thayer) have small supporting roles, and their behavior in the film does not contradict anything that is historically known. A cast of fictional characters takes center stage, and in general their behavior is also typical of the period, giving even the fictionalized stories the feeling of reality. Rather than telling the story in chronological order, each episode focuses on a few characters, telling the story from their viewpoint. Although the ship hits the iceberg midway through episode 1, and the episode ends with passengers boarding lifeboats, episode 2 begins earlier, when the Titanic is under construction, and covers roughly the same time period as the first episode, but from the viewpoint of an Irish electrician, who works on the ship then sails on it with his family. This technique is so well done that it never gets tedious or repetitive. Though the special effects are not as spectacular as those in James Cameron's TITANIC, the mood is conveyed effectively by the convincing cast. The people on this Titanic look like ordinary people, not glamorous movie stars, which makes it easier to relate to them. If you don't mind fictional stories interlaced with your Titanic history, this is a must-see.