Reflective Titanic: a Tragic Love Story

The film Titanic (1997) is a riveting Drama/Romance film based on real life events, told by Rose, one of the survivors, as well as one of the main characters in the film. The majority of the film takes place on the Titanic, set back in 1912, with portions of the film flashing back to the real life Rose telling her story about what she encountered on the ship. The film stars two of Hollywood's most known actors, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and together they really create something magical on screen. The film will have you feeling empowered, hopeful, and you may also shed a tear or two.

Titanic is a great film that is known for the amazing way the story is told throughout the film. The film is set to take place in 1912, with flashback to 1997, with the interview with Rose. During the film, Rose is telling the story to her Granddaughter, as well as the members of the research crew. The research crew was greatly involved due to the face they were looking for a rare diamond necklace that evidently, rose was wearing during the movie. The film tells a great story about a affluent seventeen year old who falls head over heels for a indigent artist, but their fate would soon be sealed when the glorious Titanic strikes an iceberg and we soon see what people are willing to do just to survive. James Cameron does an amazing job of telling the story through the passengers on board eyes, and making you feel as if you are truly living through the experience of being on board the Titanic.

The acting in Titanic is just marvelous. Watching the film you can really feel the connection that Rose (Winslet) and Jack (DiCaprio) portray on screen. When watching the film the actors do an amazing job of making you feel as if you are witnessing first hand what it goin on. For example, there is a scene where Rose really is starting to hate her life, as her mother is forcing her to marry a rich, conceded snob, who goes by the name Cal Hockley. Rose has finally had enough and decides that she want to end her life by jumping ship. While she is on the edge ready to jump, Jack swoops in and saves her life and that is what starts their brief love story. Though their love story is short, you really start to feel their growing bond throughout the movie, and that is what makes the acting so amazing to me, as well as giving the movie its genre of being a Drama/Romance movie.

Editing Titanic was one of the most advanced editing techniques, they had a great use of “Parallel editing” in the scene where they are running into the iceberg. They cut back and forth from the iceberg about to get hit, and the couple that are on the boat witnessing it, barely escaping ice chips about to hit them. In them doing this in the film it builds the anticipation and suspense about what is going to happen as a result of the hard hit of the iceberg. The film also includes “flashback” editing. A great example of this editing is when the move goes back and forth between the movie as well as when the research crew it talking to the elderly Rose. The movie also does a great job of editing the build up of Jack and Rose, by them doing so it really builds the anticipation to see them get together, as well as seeing how everything is going to play out in the end because of her being wealthy and him being poor.

The cinematography of Titanic was very throughout, the actual set was set to look like a 100ft long vessel, with about 650 portholes, with each porthole needing a light. Russell Carpenter, the cinematographer of Titanic, really did such an amazing job of making the set come to life, you could really tell the crew really put in so many extra hours to make this set not only come to life, but to make the movie come to life as well. What makes cinematography even more fascinating in my opinion was that they filmed the scenes in Baja, Mexico. Carpenter stated, “It was just a few feet shorter than the real Titanic, What was extraordinary was that as much as it looked like a real ship from one side, the other side was a total mishmash of scaffolding, lumber, cabling and wiring.” What amazes me is that if I wouldn’t have known any better, I honestly would have thought that the entire movie was either filmed at sea or at an actual boat at the dock.

In the movie, there are many sound aspects that make the film so great. The scene that really stood out for me was when the ship was sinking. The music creates a seldom atmosphere and it is almost evident that there are going to be a lot of people that are going to die, as well as not everyone will be saved. When the band that is on ship decides to play the last song, that is when it really hits home that that the ending won't be a happy one, but no matter what the band keeps on playing in hopes of trying to calm people down as much as possible. What also makes a huge difference in the film is the voice overs that happen every so often, as well as the dialogue they use to express what era they are trying to portray.

James Cameron is considered to be a pioneer for filmmaking and technology. The attention to detail that is put into these movies is what sets them over the top. Titanic used a great amount of CGI as well as a lot of set building. A great example that stands out to me is when the lifeboats are being launched off the Titanic, you can really tell the work that went into making the scene feel as if you are living it yourself. James Cameron put a lot of effort into making sure the “Historical Accuracy” was what would make the movie stand out, as well give you a perspective on what the time period would have been like. The film used actual underwater scenes at the beginning of the film, along with Cameron himself going on multiple dives just to ensure he would set the ship up correctly, as well as explore the wreck himself. At the time Titanic was filmed, Cameron set the bar high with making Titanic the most expensive film ever made, costing upwards of 200 million. The time and effort put into directing the film really shows, which is the reason it is in my top 5 movies.

Titanic had an impact on the society of film by raising the bar in a sense of film budgets are concerned. The film emphasized a sense of realism, and focused on what it would be like from on board prospective, and really portrays the emotion that was going on during the time of the event. The movie made it possible to have a real connection with the characters due to the fact they made the film in the point of view from the passengers on board and that to me is what set the film over the top. In Conclusion, Titanic is one of the greatest Drama/Romance movies to hit the box office. It is full of real life events, with amazing acting, filmmaking, and just overall craftsmanship throughout the entire film. James Cameron really does a great job of making you feel as if you are in the film yourself, and you can really see the thought process and effort that went in to making such a cinematic adventure.

Works Cited

1. Ebert, Roger. “Titanic Movie Review ; Film Summary (1997) | Roger Ebert.” RogerEbert.com, Brian Grazer, 19 Dec. 1997, www.rogerebert.com/reviews/titanic-1997.
2. Giardina, Carolyn. “'Titanic' Cinematographer Reveals Secrets Behind Jack and Rose's Iconic Kiss Scene.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2019, www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/titanic-cinematographer-reveals-secrets-behind-jack-roses-iconic-kiss-scene-1084350.
3. “Titanic as an Example of Mainstream Film.” Engaging Cinema at Tech, Engaging Cinema at Tech, 2 June 2011, lcc2500summer2011.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/example-of-parallel-editing-in-titanic/.