Movie Review – Titanic(1997)

Titanic is the name of the ship. In April 1912, the RMS Titanic was a British ocean liner that was not only the largest passenger ship in the world, with 2,240 passengers and crew on board, but it was also the largest ship ever built. 

The film starts with a flashback of an old woman Rose volunteering herself to help Lovett locate the necklace the Heart of the Ocean. Then she boards Keldysh to recall her past. A young poor boy Jack played by Leonardo and his friend win their way onto the Titanic in a game of cards. The ship provides tickets for first-class passengers, second-class passengers and third-class passengers. They win the cheapest tickets. Jack meets Rose played by Kate Winslet who is Cal's fiancee. Rose engaged with Cal because of her family's financial problems. Her widowed mother can maintain their upper-class status by marrying Cal. However, Rose does not fall in love with Cal. When a young boy meets a beautiful woman, he cannot take his eyes off her. Rose lives in a world full of restraint. Rose is attracted by his freedom and adventurous spirit. When they are on the deck, Jack stands behind Rose and opens her arm with the wind blowing. Rose suddenly feels the freedom in the ship. The sexiest scene in Titanic is when Jack draws a young nude Rose wearing a necklace. After this, she sends this painting to her fiance and says she would like to end the engagement. She is a bit rebellious.

So far, it seems a romantic film. When the ship is sailing in the North Atlantic Ocean, it strikes an Iceberg causing the shipwreck. Titanic’s sinking is a real historic event. The tragedy kills about 1,500 passengers and ship personnel. Jack dies in the film. Rose survived. She heard that Cal committed suicide after losing his fortune in the 1929 Wall Street crash. In the end, Lovett abandons his search for the necklace. Rose holds the Heart of the Ocean, which has been in her possession all along, and drops it into the sea over the wreck site after recalling her past. Her photos are beside her bed. She falls asleep and recalls her unforgettable youth and love in her dream.  

The decoration inside Titanic is very luxurious. It shows a big contrast between the first-class area and the third-class area. It provides extensive facilities for First Class passengers. It is like living in a movable luxury mansion. The suites in the ship are richly appointed in 11 different period styles, including Adam, Louis XIV, XV, and XVI, French Empire, Georgian, Jacobean and Italian Renaissance. There are different kinds of restaurants on the ship. It includes recreation facilities. All those ladies and gentlemen dress up and they are like living in a ball party every minute. It is believed that it would be an unforgettable journey to be on board the ship. One ship put all the passengers together. Jack joins Rose to have meals with those ladies and gentlemen. When Jack reveals his background, Rose’s fiance despises and dislikes him. Jack learns to kiss Rose’s hand from Rose’s fiance. He is brave enough to display himself and try to be witty in front of people from the upper class. He says that make each day count. When he goes back to the third class, those passengers hold a party and they dance together. They have their own joy. This couple is quite like the couple in the notebook. The background of the couple has a big difference. Strangely, they are attracted to each other. It may be fun to date due to the exploration of the unknown opposite world. It is said that couples from the same family background would be well-matched. In the end, the grand luxurious ship sinks into the sea. It vanishes into thin air and it is another grand loss.

The most famous line from the film is You jump I jump. After many years, people still discuss about this film. Kate Winslet was once on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and talked about the size of the floating wood. It should have enough space to help Jack to get up from the sea. Jack could have been saved. The movie becomes timeless. The song in the film My Heart Will Go On also becomes a classic and Oscar-winning song by Celine Dion celebrating the endless love between couples.

Everybody knows about Titanic (1997). Did you know that Titanic has other versions? The first Titanic film was produced in 1953. A Night to Remember (1958 film) is inspired by the Titanic shipwreck event. 

Is Titanic (1997 film) similar to Titanic(1953)? Titanic(1953) is not about a love story. It is about how a man handles his family issues. Richard's wife Julia would like to bring her children to America to start her new life without Richard's permission. Richard follows her to the ship. On the ship, his wife admits that Norman is not his biological child. Richard does not want to take care of Norman after knowing the truth. Before having Norman, Julia and Richard could not maintain a happy marriage. Julia gives birth to Norman because of her one-night stand affair with a man. When the ship strikes an iceberg, Norman gets into the emergency ship with Julia and his sister Annette. But he returns to the ship to find his father. He does not really understand how dangerous a situation he is in. From that moment, Richard changes his mind and is proud of him for being his son. They both die in the end. It is a totally different story so it is hard to compare to Titanic (1997 film). As the ship can contain 2,240 passengers, 2,240 stories in Titanic can be created. Everyone has a story to tell.

In addition, Titanic Quarter which is the world's largest Titanic-themed attraction centred on land in Belfast Harbour is built to memorize the ship Titanic. Fans of the film even made a fake trailer for Titanic 2 wishing to see the next sequel.

To conclude, it is worthy to set Titanic on the must-watch romantic movie list for teenagers. 

Bibliography:

https://www.noaa.gov/office-of-general-counsel/gc-international-section/rms-titanic-history-and-significance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-class_facilities_of_the_Titanic