Using computer-generated imagery, Cameron succeeds in capturing the terror and awe of the legendary maritime disaster. The minutes when the ship splits in half, it tilts upward, exposing its enormous propellers and the desperate passengers cling to the suddenly vertical deck or plummet from its heights into the icy water, are particularly effective. This sudden tragedy is similar to the sinking in ‘White Squall’. In comparison to other maritime disaster movies, ‘Titanic’ shines. Made before ‘Titanic’, we see a similar idea in ‘The Poseidon Adventure’, but showing a lack of special effects and digital technology. The cinematography in ‘Titanic’, along with the music, sound effects, stunts, special effects, and night and day contrasts, all make the ‘Titanic’ differ from movies of a similar plot.
The structure of the film, flicking from the present day back to 1912, and back again, might seem a bit skittish, but this dynamic approach gives the audience a narrator to the love story of Jack and Rose as well as a description of the tragedy of the sinking of the ‘Titanic’. Played by Gloria Stuart, the modern day Rose ties together the past and present; this gives a storybook structure to the film, with the modern day Rose as the storyteller. The music, by James Horner, set the tone of the entire film, with Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ becoming the theme tune, the song used during the memorable ‘flying’ scene.
Rose calls the Titanic, "the Ship of Dreams", and yet to her it was a slave ship taking her home to America. Her clothes, make-up, and characteristics all reflect the control her mother and fiancée have over her. On the surface, the world (her mother) has shaped her; silently, she is screaming, not wanting to be married a man she will never love (Cal). These two (her mother and Cal) walk arm in arm throughout the movie trying to keep Rose from running away. Rose is unmoved by the ‘Titanic’; this forces Cal to make the comment that God himself could not sink the ship.
Jack's boarding of ‘Titanic’ is altogether different from Rose's. The sharp contrast between the two worlds they inhabit begins right here. He wins a ticket, which means he is going home. Unlike her slow walk up the gangplank, he leaps onboard at the last moment. While she unpacks cases of luggage in her staterooms, he throws his single bag on a bunk bed. He is freedom personified. Filled with life, he runs leaps, shouts, and waves as he boards the ship. The class structure of the ship reflects the world's class systems. First Class is the wealthy industrial nations; Second class is the developing nations; and Third Class is the third world. It is this class, an unimportant part of the world, to which Jack appears. Running to the bow he proclaims, "I'm king of the world." Although a third class passenger, he sees the ‘Titanic’ as a salvation from the boundaries of classes.
Although she is travelling in first class, Rose feels overpowered by her desperation to escape from this world, so she runs, seeing death as the only way out. This results from the control her mother and Cal have had over her life. Jack, who has seen her from a distance, is there to rescue her, to pull her back from the brink of disaster. This is where the word ‘trust’ enters the movie. There is a striking contrast between Jack saving Rose, and Cal is trying to ‘own’ her. Cal pulls out the Coeur de la Mer diamond to tempt her into opening her heart. He tells her, "There isn't anything I couldn't give you." She may have given him her body, but she has not given him her heart. Jack however has nothing to give to her apart from himself, which he does willingly. "You see people," Rose states while looking at Jack's sketchbook. He sees and is interested in their hearts, their stories (for example, Madame Bijoux, the one legged prostitute). He sees Rose and knows she wouldn't have jumped. Jack knows how Rose feels and has come to set her free from the boundaries of her first class life. He gives her a description of a life of freedom: roller coaster rides, horseback riding on the beach, even the freedom to spit in the wind, which he humorously demonstrates.
The compelling role played by Winslet enhances the captivating connection these two young actors share. Although DiCaprio’s talent seems to make Jack came to life, Jack seems to have only charming flaws, however for the rules, a little too perfect for a young artisan. Both DiCaprio and Winslet are excellent choices, conveying all the emotions expected in a romance, both actors playing to their individual strengths. However, to this familiar ‘Romeo and Juliet’ story between Jack and Rose, Cameron forgets the truth of the ‘Titanic’, and the tragic sinking and loss of life seems to be an afterthought, an approach that seems wrong for a three-hour film. The disaster only seems to take centre stage when the ship sinks. Nevertheless, the other passengers and crew are all but ignored, causing the audience to miss out and not appreciate the scale of the sinking.
The film pleases the viewer with an all-star cast, glorious cinematography, a wonderful wardrobe, held together by the attention to detail and Cameron’s broad control of the film. Unfortunately, like most films, ‘Titanic’ has its flaws. With much opportunity to integrate both the love story and the disastrousness of the sinking, Cameron’s treatment of the event is awkward and disappointing. By weakening the true story in favour of a fictional romance, the film becomes one-sided, unreal. Irrevocably ‘Titanic’ entertains, giving its viewer a visually exceptional recreation of the sinking, along with a captivating love story, unquestionably a motion picture to be witnessed at least once.
