Review of Titanic (1984) by Raji K — 05 Nov 2016

James Cameron presents his complete vision as he directs, produces, and writes the historical drama Titanic. The story of the real ship is relatively known, as it wrecked and is one of the greatest shipwrecks of all time. To turn this event into a movie can be done several ways. Cameron is able to take what could be a 20-minute scene into a 3-hour masterpiece. The story begins in the present where a researcher Captain Smith (Bill Paxton) is searching for a diamond known as the heart of the ocean. As he peruses the ocean depths and the wreck of the Titanic, he comes across some drawings of a woman wearing this jewel. He soon gets a call from a woman claiming to be the lady in the drawing which would put her at 101 years of age.

Although dubious Captain Smith and his crew, let Rose Bukater (Gloria Stuart) tell the tale of the ships ultimate demise. She begins the tale as a spoiled rich girl who takes life for granted. Kate Winslet is Rose in the past, and she is on the verge of being married to a wealthy industrialist Cal (Billy Zane). She does not love him, but is under the social pressures to make the marriage work and secure her and her mother's financial future. These pressures put her on the verge of suicide, until she comes across a young man Jack Dawson (Leonardo Dicaprio) who talks her out of it. The two begin courting each other despite her being an aristocrat, and he being a third-class passenger. Cameron attempts to encapsulate every aspect of what would be happening on the ship at the time. This includes the classes, the luxury, and social status of everyone on board. The attention to detail is astounding as it's hard not believe it was 1912. The hubris of the crew, first class passengers, and captain led to the ship's demise. Nearly attempts you to fall in love with the characters and the ship, so you become all the more remorseful when the ship befalls its tragic end.

The focal point of the film really is a budding romance between Jack and Rose. Cameron tries to demonstrate that true love can happen regardless of circumstances, class, or wealth. The decision to cast the once then heart-throb DiCaprio had countless teenage girls gushing over this film. Although this may one of the weaker aspects of the film, this gave Titanic a bad reputation that is not particularly deserving. The allure in the film is the attention to detail with the costumes, setting, and sets and it cost a whopping 200 million which was an enormous budget for 1997. The film has an excellent supporting cast, as Rose's mother and her fiancé are both detestable. Kathy Bates does a good job providing comic relief in the stuff first class scene. The last half of the film or so is the ship's collision with the iceberg and its eventual sinking. The way this was done was simply breathtaking, and is a complete opposite of the calm and cool first half. The special effects done to wreck the Titanic were top notch, and believable. Its these aspects of the film that warrant the film winning 11 Oscars including best picture, director, editing, costumes, and effects. Titanic truly is a great film for taking the audience on a journey to 1912 and to witness and feel like a part of one of the most tragic events in ship history.

-11.5.2016.