The movie Titanic is a classic for a reason. The tragic love story is based on a true story that happened on April 15, 1912, where a huge ship sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg. So many lives lost, so many families mourning; a tragedy that would shock the world throughout time. James Cameron decided to pay homage to this grim event by painting love in it, allowing the twentieth century folk to catch a glimpse of this tragedy. Perhaps his creativity and ability to see color in a world of gray is why Jack, the lead male character, is an artist or why Rose, the lead female character, can stand on one toe during a face off with a brute. Either way, the way he tells the story is immensely immersive. Drawing from present and past, using color to differentiate the two, with the past being illuminated with brown and yellow and the present a palpable blue, for the ocean perhaps? All in all, it is hard not to tip one’s hat to these filmmakers, warm pool water aside, wink wink.
Titanic’s main characters are Rose (played by Kate Winslet) and Jack (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), a young duo who find themselves on a large ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Their meeting is rather dark (in hindsight this was a clever foreshadow by the writers), with Jack saving Rose’s life after she attempts to end it by plunging into the ice-cold water. As Jack puts it, “Water that cold…like right down there…it’s like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body..” Rose, who was feeling trapped by societal expectations and her oncoming marriage to a cruel man (who uses a baby to get on a safety boat then abandons them!), finally realizes she does not want to dance with death and begs Jack to haul her back in the safety of the ship. This chance encounter leads to Jack experiencing the life of the rich, the snooty, judgemental and cruel bunch (who refer to each other as old and new money) and for Rose to visit the other side, the paupers who find joy in the littlest of things (and are apparently locked on their side of the ship to give the rich enough time to escape to safety). It is amazing how Rose easily fits in this crowd while Jack struggles to get through one meal without a snide comment shot his way…
The duo quickly falls in love and the audience gets to witness this love through a series of charming moments such as Rose giving Jack a crash course on fine dining during a dinner or Jack teaching Rose “how to spit like a man” or them tap dancing to a fiddle and swinging round and round like children at the playground. The two seem fascinated with one another, with what they can build, with how what seemed impossible can be made possible. The logic of it all is simple, when the ship docks, the pair walk off together, hand in hand, with Rose free to choose whom to love and Jack ready to take on the woman he loves as a travel mate. Him winning the ticket at a game of luck, her traveling to live in a loveless marriage; it was all kismet. Until it wasn’t.
When the pair are being chased all over the unsinkable ship, they end up on the main deck out of breath from running and laughing. It is at this time that the ship has slammed hard into an iceberg, at this time that disaster strikes. Suddenly the color of the film shifts, darker tones take centre stage as screams fill the audience’s ears. The ship is in chaos with everyone attempting to save their lives and the lives of their loved ones (well except the musicians and the two gentlemen in sharp suits). This is when the protagonists’ love is truly tested. Jack assures Rose that the lifeboats are enough, that he would be alright. Rose stares up at him as the lifeboat she is in is lowered to the waters. Her red eyes and quivering lips, her crestfallen face as chaos continues to reign; it’s an emotional scene of a man braving demise and the unknown for the woman he loves. But suddenly Rose leaps from her haven and clings onto the sinking ship. The tempo of the music rises as Jack yells at her and begins to descend to where she is. When they collapse into each other, the message is clear, what they have is not a fling in the open waters, it is love.
As the story goes, Rose and Jack wind up in the ice-cold water, yes the one we mentioned at the beginning. Rose is on the wooden board, while Jack floats beside her. Their faces pale, lips turning blue, teeth chattering and air all wispy, they hang on to each other for dear life. Sadly, the a thousand knives stab Jack’s body to death before help arrives and Rose winds up on shore free yes, but not free with the one she loves (she also ends up at shore with the heart of the ocean which happens to be a major plot point of the movie). Rose ends up getting married, having children, and living her life on her terms, thanks to the sacrifice Jack made when the unsinkable ship sank, thanks to the chance encounter that showed her she still wanted to live.
Titanic is undoubtedly sad but it shines light on what love actually is. Wanting to see the other person live, choosing them, choosing to trust them in questionable situations, in the unknown, delighting in the other person, looking out for the other person. The story of Jack and Rose did not make sense to those around them, but it made sense to them and because of that Jack finally had something real for himself while Rose had, well, a life. The film also does a good job of addressing love after losing the one you love; life goes on. It also looks at classicism and the role it has when it comes to marriage and love; the rich seeking to marry the rich to get richer.
All in all, there is a reason Titanic is a timeless gem; the film tugs at the heartstrings and forces you to look at endless love twice, and what it means to actually love. Can you put the other person first in despair? And when you lose the one you love, can you choose love again?
PS: No, the board would not have fit them both. There is a whole documentary on it!
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