Movie Review: ‘Titanic’ Directed by James Cameron - Nothing On Earth Could Come Between Them

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“A woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets.” 

-Rose

Review in a Phrase - Triumph in Tragedy

Movie in a Sentence - On the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic, a seventeen-year-old aristocrat, Rose, falls in love with a kind but poor artist, Jack.

Introduction

Initial release - 18 November 1997 (London)

Director - James Cameron

Genre - Drama, Romance

Featured song- My Heart Will Go On; Nearer My God To Thee

Produced by - James Cameron; Jon Landau

Stars - Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates

IMDb Rating - 7.8/10

Penning a review for a film that grossed a billion dollars, swept the Oscars, and has become profoundly etched in the cultural echelon doesn't leave me much room to express anything particularly original.

“Can you exchange one life for another? A caterpillar turns into a butterfly. If a mindless insect can do it, why couldn’t I?” 

- Rose

However, I frequently hear Titanic described as a wacky 90s hit centered on some celebrity heartthrob, which is so bizarre to me that, after revisiting the film earlier this year, I felt compelled to write about why it still holds up two decades later.

Elevator Pitch

In every definition of the term, Titanic is epic. The title of the film might be a double edge sword, with one hint to the ship and the other to the overwhelming scale of the spectacle that James Cameron has created. 

Despite the fact that none of us has clearly been on the Titanic, Cameron's meticulous craftsmanship in replicating the ship is evident and transports the viewer into this realm, as if we, like Leonardo DiCaprio's blue-collar Jack, are just as blessed to be on board and catch glimpses of its marvels. 

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Of course, as the metaphorical and physical iceberg hits and the ship begins to sink, Titanic's destruction of its sets is maybe even more remarkable and spectacular than how it flaunted them in the first half.

The cinematography expertise here is difficult to overstate, with Cameron relishing any opportunity to make the walls appear to be falling in and the water level rising, and it's a technical marvel that has seldom been matched since its debut.

Plot Synopsis

After earning a trip on the RMS Titanic in a dockside game of cards, American Jack Dawson spots aristocratic girl Rose DeWitt Bukater on her way to Philadelphia to marry her posh snob fiancé Caledon Hockley.

Rose feels helpless in her condition and makes her way to the rear deck, where she contemplates suicide until she is intercepted and rescued by Jack.

As a result, Cal is constrained to ask Jack to eat dinner at their first-class table, where he experiences the slights of his haughty guests. In exchange, he whisks Rose away to third-class for an evening of dancing, where she has the time of her life. 

Rose decides to abandon her planned future entirely and asks Jack, a Parisian street artist, to portray her naked, like one of his french models, just wearing the invaluable Blue Diamond Cal has given her.

Cal discovers the truth and imprisons Jack. Immediately went, the ship collides with an iceberg, and Rose should locate Jack while both must escape from Cal as the ship sinks further into the bitterly cold ocean.

There were so many layers to this movie, and while the love connection between Jack and Rose was made up for the sake of the big screen, it does make you realise that there were genuine individuals aboard the Titanic, and there were probably many new friendships and relationships formed.

Irreplaceable Scenes in the Movie

The “I’m Flying, Jack” Scene

“Rose, you’re no picnic, all right? You’re a spoiled little brat, even, but under that, you’re the most amazingly, astounding, wonderful girl, woman that I’ve ever known.” 

-Jack

This is the only moment in the film that I was aware of ahead of time. Before I started watching the film, I had no idea what would take up the entire three hours. Rose is on the edge of the boat, raising her arms like a bird, and Jack stands behind her for balance – and to show physical affection.

The “Draw me like one of your French girls” Scene

Are you serious? I can't tell you how stunned I was to hear that line in this film. I'm not sure how long this sentence and accompanying pictures have been a craze on the internet, but it's been a long time. I'm still flabbergasted. How should I go on? How would my heart go on? Someone called C. Dion once and asked.

Quirky Highlights from the Movie

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“I figure life’s a gift and I don’t intend on wasting it. You don’t know what hand you’re gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you…to make each day count.”

 -Jack

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“It was the ship of dreams to everyone else. To me, it was a slave ship, taking me back to America in chains. Outwardly, I was everything a well brought up girl should be. Inside, I was screaming.”  

-Rose

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“They’ve got you trapped, Rose. And you’re gonna die if you don’t break free. Maybe not right away because you’re strong but sooner or later that fire that I love about you, Rose…that fire’s gonna burn out.” 

– Jack

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“Your money can’t save you anymore than it can save me.”

 -First Officer Murdoch

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“Promise me you’ll survive. That you won’t give up, no matter what happens. No matter how hopeless.” 

-Jack

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“Fifteen-hundred people went into the sea, when the Titanic sank from under us. There were 20 boats floating nearby…and only one came back. One. Six were saved from the water, myself included. Six…out of 1500. Afterward, the 700 people in the boats had nothing to do but wait…wait to die…wait to live…wait for an absolution…that would never come.”

 -Rose

The Closing Statement

Titanic contains pretty much everything you could want. It's a romance, a historical drama, a disaster film, an action film with a sense of humour and wit and a tragedy. To summarise, Titanic is perhaps as close to a perfect cinematic experience as you're ever going to get.

Nothing can sink Titanic in Film Industry!

My ratings for the movie - 5 on 5

Written By - Prakriti Chaudhary