Titanic (1997)

Romance, Targedy, History, + Horror

It's hard to believe its been 10 years since this movie came out. Moving right along, what makes this movie interesting is that while there are some fictional elements, they are mixed with historical elements as well. (So to some extent, we are permitted to accept the fictional elements such as the Calvin, Rose, Jack soap opera as real.) It is interesting how we are told the story from a survivor (the 100 year old Rose). Obviously, we know Rose will somehow survive. But that doesn't mean Rose won't lose someone she loves. The scenery and outfits are beautiful, and although the movie is over 3 hours, somehow it never seems to drag. The story seems to move at a realistic pace (rather than everything being crammed to fit inside a 2 hour slot). While Rose and Jack are the stars, other characters make good use of their screen time. (The unsinkable Molly Brown who comes into money, but never sacrificed herself or her moral values, and kept her redneckish charm, the virtuous and honorable Thomas Andrews, to name 2.)

While Calvin is not seen in a favorable light often, his character is at least a tad grayer than we would like to admit. (I actually find Rose's mother to be more repulsive.) Basically, Rose's mother (now broke) wants Calvin to marry Rose to reestablish themselves financially; Calvin, despite his faults is willing to do so; in all honesty, Calvin STARTS OFF no worse than anyone else in his position would probably be. Rose then begins her relationship with Jack, and Calvin starts to get abusive, to the point where he nearly kills her. I'm not trying to defend his abuse of Rose, or for that matter firing several gunshots in a rage. But if we wish to throw 'a small tad' of understanding on the table, (at least before he gets abusive) Rose's mother was asking Calvin to rescue them financially, and then Rose runs around with Jack. A whiter Calvin may have decided he shouldn't waste any more time here.

Moving on, there is some generous time of just getting to know everyone, but this also provides a creepy suspense. (Obviously, we already know the ship is going to sink.) A conversation between Rose and Thomas Andrews (at about the 1/2 way point) reminds us that there are only enough life boats for 1/2 the passengers. We can also see that Thomas Andrews wanted enough for everyone, but 'certain powers' didn't take his concerns seriously.

There are some romantic moments between Jack and Rose, and then the Titanic crashes. (While some people would pick and find someone to blame, the movie seems to not point the blame to any one party. Not even 100 % towards Mr. Ismay who came out with splattered with mud the most.) In the event we forgot the conversation between Rose and Thomas Andrews, Thomas faces Rose again and reminds us.

One phenomenal thing about this movie is that it shows us the true horror of people dying. (Unlike many movies that glorify people getting killed.) Interestingly, the ship sinks for (an actual hour or so). This is great in that we get to see the panic, tragedy, and horror of the crew knowing that less than half of them are going to survive. Rose finds herself in not only this situation, but the climax of her situation with her mother and Calvin. (There is a predictable, but still shaking moment when Rose simply says: "Goodbye mother" which infers they will probably never see each other again.)

Moving on, we are permitted sympathy for even characters we never met as they face their probably inevitable death. Their different ways of facing it are interesting. (Story telling, playing music, simply waiting, or in one case having a brandy.)

Most of you probably already know the personal tragedy Rose faces. But moving back to present, it is interesting how the Bill Paxton character suddenly realizes that there is more to life than ourselves. Overall, it's a phenomenal romance (in a historical setting) that reminds us not only of the true horror of people dying, but that there is more to life than our own existence. October 6, 2008

Modern day classic by a modern day film genius

I was one of the few who knew this was going to be good.
The hype before the film came out was mostly negative. Plagued by delays the film quickly became the most expensive film ever made. But I was steadfast on seeing it, because I liked all of James Cameron's films, and I was certain to go see this one regardless of what the story was.

And then the film came out and it was great. May not have been the best picture of the year, but it is one of the few films that have won best picture that weren't the best pictures of their year, that I believed earned the title because of the struggle the filmmakers went through to make this movie.

Now, watching and listening to James Cameron's commentary, ten years after the film's release, I like it even more, for he explains in this feature length commentary, how things he was doing in Titanic were revolutionary, but have now become the norm. The green screen compositing to transition from one sceen to the next, used ad-nausea in Speed Racer was pioneered in Titanic. The computer generated extensions of backgrounds and sets that were used in films such as Garden State was in the infancy stage when Cameron used it on this film. Cameron is big on research, and you can tell by the detail he goes into the story and each character that appears on the screen. His very insightful and thorough commentary and I strongly recommend it for anybody who wants to be a filmmaker. September 23, 2008

Great Item

Titanic DVD was sent in super time and it was great. Thank you very much :) September 23, 2008

Amazing Titanic edition!

This three disc special edition is a great set for all collectors to have. The special features on this edition are amazing and to see how James Cameron was able to make the movie look like you were on the Titanic itself back in 1912 is outstanding. Even the fine details that they put into the set is excellent. Along with that, the acting was done well by all the actors which showed this dramatic event which occured 96 years ago. This movie allows people to see the true events which occurred on that cold night on April 15, 1912 and helps to remind everyone of the tragedy of the amazing ship Titanic. September 15, 2008

MORE THAN A POPULAR ROMANTIC MOVIE...

Everyone knows this film for being a multi-million-dollar epic as well as a definitive love story (with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet); less mentioned (but more of the film's actual concern) is its uplifting portrayal of a woman's liberation out of repression, set within a real historical time and setting used to create a symbolic fable.

The point is hammered home in its scene of the young Rose viewing a little girl folding her napkin on her lap (a girl she remembers in horror as herself) and its final scene of the elderly Rose happily drifting off with photos of her full life around her. The Jack in her life (even if fleeting) has given her wings. Looking at this being the main theme of the story, the film is not a tragedy but a triumph in a woman finding herself (through Jack) and living a full life without letting others dictate who she will become.

On this level, even as its deceptive surface emphasizes its tragic love story, it's a masterpiece that Joseph Campbell would have venerated using a real-life tragic event to tell a positive, life-affirming story of a woman finding herself utilizing the iconography of Freudian dream symbolism. September 10, 2008

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