Titanic review
On April 14th 1912, one of the greatest tragedies in history occurred. On her maiden voyage to New York, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Despite the best efforts of the ship's crew, they ultimately failed to save her, and in the early hours of the following morning, after a long night of terror and panic, Titanic sank to her watery grave and claimed the lives of more than half of her twenty two hundred passengers. In her day the ship was known for her vast size and strength, but her tragic fate was ultimately what sealed her place in history. To this day she remains at the bottom of the ocean, slowly crumbling away. Naturally the story has been recreated on the big screen numerous times, with by far the most famous being the 1997 epic blockbuster Titanic. James Cameron's depiction of the event swept the Academy Awards, earning a then record eleven wins and even reigned as the most successful film ever made for over a decade. Though it was subjected to much mockery for a time due to its overwhelming popularity, it still has a large number of fans to this day, myself included. Titanic is an epic masterpiece that guides the viewer through an incredible experience in such an amazing fashion that it leaves a lasting impression. It's one of those films that stays with you after watching it. To this day, Titanic remains both a superb depiction of the disaster and an outstanding film in its own right.
James Cameron writes an excellent script for the film. It already had some pretty big pressure on top of it, as it was telling the story of one of the greatest disasters in the world, but Cameron gave himself an extra challenge during the writing process. Titanic isn't purely a dramatisation of the sinking; it's primarily a love story that uses the great ocean liner as its setting. It's an approach that so easily could have been the film's downfall; if the love story was given too much focus, then there would have been no reason for this to be a film about the Titanic. I've heard this criticism a few times from the film's detractors, and I completely understand why they feel that way. It's a totally legitimate reason to dislike it. Personally I think Cameron creates a good balance between the two. Jack and Rose are the main focus, yes, but the film still finds time to focus on the crew and passengers of the ship, cutting back to them quite regularly and naming the vast majority of the ship's officers, which both gives the audience a clear picture of who these people are and also ensures that the film never loses sight of its roots. The sinking sequence in particular often deviates from Rose and Jack to focus on the historical figures and their actions on that night; but at the same time it never forgets about its two lead characters and often intertwines them with the factual events, something it does throughout the whole film. In fact I think having the film follow two fictional characters is a good way of delivering exposition to the audience about these historical figures, such as Rose explaining to Jack that John Jacob Astor was the richest man on board the ship and had a significantly younger wife. I can't imagine how else the film could have conveyed that without having a character not privy to that information. On another level, I think it was a good decision on Cameron's part to have a very clear storyline throughout the film rather than just having it be a day in the life story about the Titanic with little in the way of actual plot. Those kinds of films don't really work for me personally; if it's just people walking around and talking for the whole movie with no clear narrative, I get bored very easily. Having a clear story prevents Titanic from falling into that trap. Generally it's a successful blend between fiction and fact.
An element of Cameron's script that really has to be admired is its attention to detail. The story of the Titanic is full of so many details that compressing even just a few of them into a script would be a challenge, yet Cameron does it quite well. He doesn't overload the audience with details at any point, and incorporates them into the scenes in a way that feels very fluid and organic. The entire sinking sequence is full of so many details, and yet it doesn't feel cluttered. Each one's inclusion feels very natural. My favourite details are the explanations of everything that played a part in the ship sinking. The script makes reference to the moonless night, calm ocean and the pair of binoculars they had been left behind prior to departing, all of which resulted in the lookouts failing to notice the iceberg in time. These are very small but still integral details that most people probably wouldn't even think about, but I'm really happy Cameron included them. They add a great level of authenticity and reality to the film, and help to give the audience an understanding of everything that led to the ship sinking. It's Cameron's attention to detail that really makes the film feel as believable a depiction of the tragedy as it is.
But easily the best part of the script is the love story between Jack and Rose. Their romance is the film's most pivotal aspect, its emotional core, and if it hadn't been handled well, the whole film wouldn't have worked. Thankfully, it's written so well that it makes for the film's greatest emotional element. It works for a number of reasons, one being that it feels like a realistic depiction of love rather than an idealised one. It's a gradual build-up rather than having them fall in love the second they look at each other, and their interactions feel very real. At first Rose refuses to admit that she likes him, playfully insults him and tells him to get lost, with Jack taking it all in good humor. They genuinely feel like two young people head over heels in love with each other, and their interactions match that feeling of reality, especially during the second act. There's a scene of them running away from Cal's valet, and they continue running even after they've lost him, laughing like a couple of kids as they do so; and this is followed by a really cute scene of them goofing around in the back of a car. Both of these scenes have a great feeling of reality to them, which can be said of the love story overall. A lot of people slam it for being cheesy and melodramatic, but I personally don't think it ever feels that way. To me it feels very realistic and believable.
Another factor in the love story's quality is that the characters themselves are so brilliantly written. Jack and Rose have depth to them and are not bland one note figures. Rose is a wealthy socialite who feels trapped and suffocated by her way of living, whereas Jack is a poor artist who has a great love of life, sees it as a gift and embraces the little that he has. The two of them make for a great foil to one another, and that contrast makes it very believable that they would fall in love with each other. Jack falls for Rose's spirit, and Rose falls for Jack's free way of living and his determination to make each day count. Cameron reinforces that throughout the film many times, often contrasting Jack with Rose's fiancé Cal, the latter of whom shows disdain for Rose's collection of finger paintings, whereas Jack is excited by them. The film constantly juxtaposes the energy and free spirited nature of the Third Class that Jack embodies with the snooty, haughty, stiff upper lip nature of the First Class which is represented by both Cal and Rose's mother Ruth, cutting between the two of them during the Third Class party scene to reinforce that point. All of that makes the audience buy that these two would fall in love, and when they do, their relationship provides the film with some of its most memorable, touching and heartwarming moments. You really do get behind these characters and genuinely want them to be happy together, which of course makes it incredibly sad at the end when Jack dies. It would be easy to dismiss this scene because it's become so famous and has been parodied so many times, but it still has a really devastating emotional impact. We spent almost three hours falling in love with Rose and Jack, so it really is extremely sad when their short lived relationship comes to a premature end. To this day, Cameron still won't reveal the meaning behind the final scene of Jack and Rose reuniting on the ship; maybe it's a dream or maybe Rose has died and joined Jack in the afterlife. Regardless of which one is the truth, the ending is incredibly emotionally powerful, and I like that it's left up to one's own interpretation. I'm not usually a fan of love stories, but I have to admit that Titanic probably wouldn't have been the same without the romantic angle. In a way, its addition serves as a great reinforcement of just how tragic the whole disaster was. Their relationship really is the film's heart and centre. I have to applaud Cameron not just for writing a script so different from his previous work, which consisted of science fiction and action films, but also for doing it as well as he did. It really shows that he is a versatile writer, especially in regards to the romantic side of the story. It's a strong rival with Terminator 2 as Cameron's best script of his career.
Cameron does an equally excellent job at directing the film as well as writing it. I already mentioned his attention to detail when discussing the script, but his direction takes it one step further. Cameron doesn't just set his film on the Titanic; he straight up recreates it. The production values in the film are outstanding, leading to an amazing recreation of 1912. The attention to detail in both the set and the costume design is superb, transporting the audience back to that time period. Each costume in the film is extremely convincing and believable thanks to the high level of detail put into them. Cameron's determination to make the film as authentic as possible is even more impressive when you consider the lengths he went to to achieve that. When the ship docked in Southampton, it docked on the port side, but the replica used for that scene had only been built on the starboard side. So how did Cameron resolve this? By filming the scene in reverse. Every single thing in the scene, from the costumes to the lettering on the buildings and uniforms had to be applied backwards, and then the scene was mirrored in post-production. Wow. Cameron really didn't need to do this; it really would have just been a very minor anachronism, but the fact that he went to such lengths to ensure accuracy is a truly impressive and admirable display of his dedication.
But where this aspect of Cameron's direction really excels is in its presentation of the Titanic itself. He didn't just use models or CGI; he actually went and built a full scale replica of the ship, in a water tank, and even got access to the original blueprints. Now that is some impressive dedication. The ship is recreated in spectacular detail, which really makes the audience feel like they've gone back to 1912. Everything from the rooms to the props has so much attention and effort put into it that it's mind blowing. It's done so brilliantly that rather than just watching a movie set on the ship, the audience really feels like they're actually on the Titanic. The transition from the modern day scenes to the period setting is one of the best moments of the film; the camera pans from old Rose starting the story to a screen showing the wreck of the ship; which then fades into a shot of the ship docked in Southampton in all its glory. In just one transition, Cameron transports us into a totally different world. The audience applauded at this moment when the film premiered, and it's very easy to see why.
Cameron's eye for authenticity is immediately apparent; the film opens with an expedition to the wreck of the ship, and instead of just using models, Cameron actually dived to the wreck itself and filmed footage of it to use for this opening. This was one of the best decisions he made regarding this film; seeing the real wreck adds legitimacy and authenticity to it, along with a very strong haunting quality. There are also some shots of a model of the wreck, which are seamlessly blended with the shots showing the real thing. You can say a lot of things about this film, but you can't deny that the fact they went to this much effort to make the film as believable as possible is really commendable.
The word titanic means "exceptional strength, size and power", so it's quite appropriate that Cameron's direction be very high scale. This film truly lives up to its name; it is a film of considerable size. Cameron's direction is full of epic scale, especially with how the film is photographed. Along with director of photography Russell Carpenter, Cameron makes the film look and seem, for want of a better word, titanic. The cinematography is stunning, in particular the shots of the ship itself. The camera is often placed at a distance from the ship in some instances, or looking up at it in others, and by doing so, it really shows off the sheer size of the Titanic. It looks and feels just as massive as it must have seemed back in 1912. In many ways, Cameron treats the ship as if it were an actual character. It gets just as much focus as the humans do, reinforced by many of the characters referring to the ship as "her" or "she", another area where the title is justified. This film does not just use the Titanic as its setting; it is a love letter to the ship and truly honours just how amazing it was. I think that's a big factor in why there haven't been any major films about the Titanic since this one, because Cameron depicted it so perfectly in his film that nobody else could possibly top it or even come close.
Prior to Titanic's debut, there was a lot of doubt in the media that it would work, and a reason for that was audiences already knew the ship would sink. How could the film possibly be good if everyone already knows the ending going in? Rather than being a detriment to the film, I think it actually works very well in its favour. The fact that we know that the ship is going to sink adds an underlying sense of tragedy to the whole film. Every time there's an uplifting or romantic moment, it's juxtaposed with the knowledge that a great tragedy is coming. Cameron sets this up from the very beginning, opening the film with faux newsreel, sepia tone footage of the ship's departure, juxtaposing the happy nature of the cheery looking passengers with the emotional score playing over it. It's a really nice way to emphasise the tragedy of the sinking, and that undercurrent is constantly beneath the surface for the rest of the film. My favourite instance is when Jack and Rose have their first kiss. The camera pans around them on the bow of the ship, with a glorious sunset behind them, the Titanic and their romance both at their absolute peak; and then it fades to a shot of the wreck underwater, a powerful reinforcement that the ship is doomed and their love cannot last. That knowledge also adds a heavy sense of futility to the scene of the crew trying to avoid the iceberg, since we know their efforts will be in vain. But the film isn't all doom and gloom though, since it does implement some great humour. Cameron displays a good sense of judgement in regards to the tone by largely keeping the film's tragic elements limited to just the second half, and having the first act be quite light hearted and sometimes even jovial in tone. Cameron is smart enough to know that the tragic side will only work if we care about the characters and the ship beforehand, so it was a great decision on his part to balance these two tones in such a way.
Where Cameron's direction really comes into great effect is during the extended sequence of the ship sinking. It's a very long sequence, but it's worth the length, every single second of it. The whole sequence fires on all cylinders and is generally perfect in every way. This is where the decision to build a full scale replica of the ship really pays off, as it allows for a very impressive recreation of the sinking. The replica was rigged so that it could be tilted at an angle and lowered into the water tank, and many of the interior sets were flooded with water, with some amazing results that add further to the film's authenticity. It makes the sinking feel like something that's actually happening rather than something that's been faked. The shots from outside showing the ship slowly sinking look so convincing that you could be forgiven for forgetting that it's not actually real. The cinematography helps a great deal, with many of the shots tilted at an angle to further that believability. You feel like you're actually there on the ship as it founders. The whole sequence is full of intensity due to many factors. The sound design throughout it is especially chilling, with the unnerving creaking sounds adding a whole layer of tension and a constant sense of danger and urgency. The most haunting sound effect comes just before the ship splits in half; this loud, low groaning sound from the strain of so much of the ship's weight in the air. The sound cuts through the relative quiet like a warm knife through butter, and almost makes the ship seem like a living thing that is dying. It's hands down the most chilling moment in the entire film.
The sequence's use of lighting is one of its greatest aspects. As Rose runs around trying to save Jack, there's a very chilling moment where the lights go out briefly before coming back on. This very brief moment is so haunting and full of atmosphere, putting the audience on edge in a very unnerving manner. The best instance of lighting comes when Jack and Rose are trapped in a flooding corridor behind a locked gate. The lighting is quite dark and constantly flashing, with the light cutting in and out, adding so much tension to an already nerve racking scene.
Lastly, I'd like to mention the score. For most of the sequence, it's played to a very intense score, but the scene of Rose trying to save Jack is played to no music at all. I think this was a really good decision, as it allows this bit to have a very unique sense of tension by relying on just the sound effects and Kate Winslet's performance. The absence of music actually helps to draw the audience into the scene and gives it a further sense of reality. All three of these elements are huge contributing factors in this sequence working as well as it does.
One thing that this sequence really shows off is the film's fantastic special effects. It's been twenty-five years since Titanic came out, and the effects throughout the sinking still look spectacular. It had a $200 million budget, making it the most expensive film ever at the time, and every cent is on screen. As previously mentioned, the life size replica being lowered into the water tank looks incredible and totally convincing, but what's really impressive is the model work. Once the ship's stern rises into the air, in many of the shots it's a model, which you probably wouldn't know if I didn't tell you. It looks amazing, especially when the ship breaks in half. It honestly looks real; the shots are largely taken from a distance, so the sense of scale is almost never given away. There is the odd shot where it does look like a model, but for the most part it's as close to being real as it can without actually being real. The shots are just breathtaking, and they hold up extremely well today, even in high definition. My personal favourite is the shot of the stern falling towards camera. It honestly looks real, and it perfectly conveys the sheer size and weight of the ship. The model looks just as big as the life size replica, and the transition between the two, as well as the inclusion of CGI, is totally seamless. It's some of the best special effects work I've ever seen in any film.
But like any good director should, Cameron never once lets the story get too wrapped up in the spectacle and keeps the focus on his characters. He constantly cuts back to Rose and Jack throughout the entire sequence, ensuring that the film never forgets about them, or the other people on board the ship. Cameron stays true to the tragedy of the sinking, following it up with a very disturbing scene where a boat returns to look for survivors and finds many of the people in the water already frozen to death, including a mother and her baby. I really admire Cameron for including the sight of a dead infant; it's really disturbing and upsetting but is essential at conveying the devastation of the disaster. It never loses sight of the fact that this is a story about the Titanic and its tragic demise, and the spectacle is there to compliment that. This entire film shows exactly how you blend story with spectacle, and it demonstrates that Cameron can do more than just make action films, the sign of a good director. I cannot commend James Cameron enough for doing such an outstanding job at both writing and directing this film, and I wouldn't hesitate to declare it one of the best films of his career.
The highlight of the film is Kate Winslet's incredible performance as Rose. I was stunned when I heard critic Gene Siskel say she came off as flat to him. She holds many scenes together by herself and does an amazing job at conveying Rose's deep seated resentment of her lifestyle, oftentimes without dialogue and solely with her facial expressions. Purely from the look on her face, you can tell precisely what Rose is thinking.Winslet is also one of the few British actors I've seen capable of doing a convincing American accent. I know that she herself considers her accent in this film horrible, but it fooled me for a really long time. I genuinely couldn't believe that it wasn't her natural accent when I found out, so I'd call it a successful attempt. Indeed Winslet's voice and the way she uses it is one of the best parts of her entire performance. Whenever Rose is interacting with First Class society, she speaks with a posh voice and a more sophisticated and elegant manner of speech; and then when she's with Jack, her voice and speech become much more casual and laid back. It's a great detail on Winslet's part that adds so much believability to Rose that makes her feel like a real person. Winslet has a great emotional side to her performance, especially after Rose has lost Jack, where she looks so lost and broken. Of course, DiCaprio and Winslet have an incredible and delightful chemistry with each other. They were great friends on set, and this really shines through. These two work so well together, and their chemistry really is what gives the movie its heart and its emotional center. DiCaprio and Winslet completely sell the idea that Jack and Rose are in love, which is what is most important. Were it not for these two, the love story may not have worked. It was incredible casting on Cameron's part, and both actors provide superb performances.
Speaking of Rose, special mention must be given to Gloria Stuart, who plays Rose in the modern day scenes. Stuart was a star from the Golden Age of Hollywood and was eighty-six years old at the time of filming. In spite of her age and minimal screen time, she provides one of the film's best performances. She captures the essence of Rose's spirit, which makes her feel like a natural continuation of how Rose would be after her experience with Jack. Stuart is full of energy, along with a slight mischievousness. I think it's a shame she was only nominated for a Best Supporting Actress award rather than actually winning it. It's rare for two actors to play the same character in a single film and have it feel like they're both the same person, especially when they are so far apart in age, and Titanic is one of those rare instances where it's done seamlessly.
Billy Zane does a great job in the role of Cal. He makes for a really good villain, bringing this smug sliminess to the character that makes him such a repulsive presence. I think my favourite scene of his is when he gives Rose the Heart of the Ocean. Zane's performance here is so slimy that he really makes your skin crawl. He makes Cal this vile, utterly hateable character that you desperately want Rose to get away from, and if an actor is able to provoke such feelings in the viewer, then that's a sign he did a great job.
When it comes to the supporting cast, Cameron did a superb job at finding actors to play the historical figures on board the ship. Comparing them to their real life counterparts, the resemblance between many of them is uncanny, particularly Edward Fox as Captain Smith and Victor Garber as Thomas Andrews. Both actors do a splendid job at capturing the personalities of their characters; Fox has the warm, kindly grandfather feel of Smith, and Garber is great at embodying the modest nature of Andrews. Both actors really shine during the sinking sequence, where you can really get a sense of how deeply the event is affecting them. Fox in particular looks very lost and confused as he roams around the ship, which is his best bit of acting in the whole film. It's an outstanding cast and is essential to the film's quality.
The late James Horner provides not just one of his own best scores, but also one of the greatest scores in the history of motion pictures. This is actually the highest selling orchestral soundtrack of all time, and deservedly so. It's the perfect score for the film, in large part due to the various emotions and styles of music that it encompasses and successfully weaves into one coherent score. In keeping with the size of the film and the ship, the score has this large, epic musical style and is full of the awe and wonder one would associate with the Titanic. The theme that plays as the ship is first revealed in Southampton is the perfect musical encapsulation of its sheer magnificence. Very fittingly, the score has a tragic undertone to it, largely through the use of vocals performed by Sissel Kyrkjebø, who delivers them in a way that is very beautiful but also desperately sad at the same time. One of the best usage of the vocals comes at the very beginning of the film as the expedition team explores the wreck of the ship; the vocals are very faint during this sequence, which makes the music feel somewhat ghostly and ethereal sounding. It sets a very appropriate atmosphere for the scene as the wreck is essentially a massive graveyard. The score's famous use of Nearer My God to Thee is a perfect accompaniment to the montage it is utilised in, really selling the sheer tragedy of the events unfolding on screen.
Horner writes a beautiful theme for Rose that is both romantic and tragic. The vocals used in it are breathtaking in their sheer beauty, and the way they are performed brings to the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean. Its most apparent usage is in the scene where Rose and Jack have their first kiss. It's a perfect complement to the scene in terms of both the feelings it conveys and also the way the scene is presented to the audience with those incredible sweeping shots of the ship. My favourite usage of the theme is when Jack draws Rose wearing the Heart of the Ocean. It's so beautifully orchestrated with the use of a piano that perfectly retains its romantic sound, along with helping to represent Rose coming out of her shell, which is what the whole scene is about. Listening to this track by itself, it's so atmospheric that everything around you just melts away as the music washes over you. The music throughout the film really does help to reinforce the love between Rose and Jack, particularly at the moment when Rose jumps back onto the ship as it's sinking, which is the emotional peak of the entire score. Horner's themes really are such a perfect accompaniment to the film's central romance.
Once the sinking sequence hits, the score appropriately becomes extremely intense and horrific. It starts from the second the iceberg is spotted, where the music seamlessly transitions from the love theme to a very dark bit of music as the iceberg comes into view. There's this great little punctuation to the score at that particular moment, making it a very chilling reveal. Then it transitions to some of the most intense and heart pounding music of the entire score as the crew desperately try to avoid the iceberg, which continues as the ship's compartments are flooded and the crew desperately try to escape. The music largely stays this way for the rest of the sequence, perfectly capturing the sheer horror and terror of the sinking. It becomes relentlessly intense at many points, and just like the sequence itself, it never forgets about Jack and rose and perfectly incorporates their love theme at each appropriate moment. I really love how the vocals are used throughout this part of the score; they convey not just the tragedy of the sinking, but also the beauty of the spectacle unfolding before our eyes. It almost sounds like the music itself is in awe of the visuals. As the ship splits in half, it's one of the most effective bits of score throughout the entire sequence; it brilliantly encompasses both the scale and the horror of what is happening. Once the lifeboat returns to look for survivors, the music is very low, ominous and unsettling in a fitting reflection of the scene's tone. This is easily James Horner's best soundtrack. He's done many great scores throughout his career, but I don't think any of them rival his work here. It earned him his well deserved first Academy Award, and it's easy to see why. The score to Titanic is a perfect blend of romance, spectacle and tragedy, which makes it the perfect soundtrack for the film and the best of the late James Horner's career.
Of course there is also the film's theme song My Heart will Go On by Celine Dion. The song has become a bit of a punching bag over the years and has been parodied to death, so it can be a bit hard to take it seriously. Pushing that aside though, I think the song is still really good. James Horner writes the instrumental, which is both romantic and tragic at the same time, having a sense of both great love and sorrow. With it immediately following the final scene of Jack and Rose apparently reuniting, it makes for a good punctuation to the ending. The lyrics by Will Jennings serve as a great personification of Jack and Rose's love, and in a way feel like elderly Rose's thoughts. The true highlight is Celine Dion's voice, which is a perfect fit for both the lyrics and the instrumental. It's both incredibly passionate and yet extremely emotional at the same time. All of these factors come together to make this a great song and a terrific accompaniment to the film.
Titanic does have a few minor issues though and isn't all perfect. Like many other films about the disaster, it depicts J. Bruce Ismay, the then chairman of the White Star Line, in a negative manner, showing him encouraging Smith to push the ship at full speed to arrive in New York early and generally portrays him as a snobbish twat. I don't know much about the real Ismay, but I do know that Cameron's depiction of him is completely inaccurate. There is no evidence to suggest that he did push Smith for an early arrival, and in the aftermath of the sinking he was vilified by the press and the public for surviving. His reputation was tarnished for the rest of his life thanks to this and many films about the sinking have thus depicted him as a villain. There are two things that make Cameron's depiction of Ismay in this manner especially irritating. 1: By the time of this film's release, this image of Ismay had long since been disproven, and the only reason Cameron depicted him in this way was because he knew audiences would be expecting it. A very poor reason for portraying him inaccurately.
2: Now here's the big issue; this version of Titanic has become so ingrained in pop culture that a lot of people take its depiction of the historical figures as solid fact. This means that no matter how he is depicted in future, J. Bruce Ismay will be remembered as a villain, which I think is an insult to his memory. Of course Cameron couldn't have possibly predicted how successful this film would be or that it would become the definitive Titanic portrayal for many people, but it's still frustrating that his depiction of Ismay has forever solidified the false image of him as a villain.
There are two major plot elements in the third act that I take issue with. The first is the subplot of Cal framing Jack for stealing the diamond necklace. This plot line feels like a really unnecessary bit of drama when the movie is about the Titanic sinking; that's drama enough. It's a distraction from the main dramatic hook of the story. But it gets worse with the sequence of Cal chasing and shooting at Jack and Rose. Not only is it an out of place action scene, but it's also just so over the top. Cal's reaction to Rose choosing Jack over him is to literally try to kill the both of them. How did Cameron conceive of this without laughing his arse off? It turns Cal into a really cartoony villain. I much preferred it when his antagonism was more subtle, with the film portraying him as a domineering, controlling and downright abusive fiance to Rose. That kind of villainy is something that is unfortunately still faced by many people even today, which made it more scary to me than him running around with a gun. It comes off as a cheap way to get Rose and Jack into the flooding section of the ship for some more tension. I can't complain too much since it does lead to one of the most intense scenes in the movie, but the way it gets to that scene is unintentionally funny. Just like the framing subplot, this pointless action scene is nothing more than a distraction from the event it depicts.
My next criticism is more of a nitpick than anything else. There are two scenes depicting some events from both the night of the sinking and the morning after that were unfortunately deleted from the final cut. The first scene details the fact that the SS Californian was close to the ship during the sinking, but had turned its radio off for the night and didn't hear Titanic's SOS calls. Cameron's reason for cutting this scene was that he wanted the sinking to be told from the victims' point of view and feel more claustrophobic. That does work for the film as it is in its current form, but the removal of this scene does mean it loses some of the tragedy surrounding the sinking. At an inquiry following the disaster, it was determined that Californian could have saved most if not all of the passengers had it responded to Titanic's distress signals, so it's a shame to have that extra level of sadness absent from the final cut.
The second victim of the cutting room is an extended sequence showing the survivors being picked up by the Carpathia. The extra footage includes Rose being brought onto the ship, women inquiring for the whereabouts of their husbands and many of the survivors glaring at Ismay. This scene is included on the DVDs and Blu-Rays, which I'm so thankful for. I think it's one of the most beautiful scenes from the film; it doesn't feature any dialogue, with the heartbreaking vocals completely carrying it and giving it an extra level of power, and is directed in a very dreamlike, almost detached way to reflect the mindset of the survivors and Rose particularly. I think it's a huge shame that this was cut; it's so beautifully directed, acted and scored. In the audio commentary for the scene, Cameron says he deleted it because he didn't want to distract the audience from the emotion of just having lost Jack. I understand that reason, but I think Cameron's judgment was a little off when he made that decision. Yes this film is primarily about Jack and Rose's love, but it's also about the Titanic. The ship itself is treated like a character, and I think it deserved to be mourned by the audience just as much as Jack. It's a shame the film doesn't really allow the audience to do much of that. I really wish this scene had been left in the film.
Titanic is a masterpiece. It's a rare film that I can honestly say works on every level. It works as a compelling love story and it works as an excellent depiction of one of the greatest tragedies in human history. After I finished watching it, I legitimately had to pause for a moment and take a breath because I genuinely felt like I'd just been on this incredible journey. No matter how overexposed it was, no matter how many times it's been parodied, no matter how many times it's been bashed, none of that will ever diminish its astounding quality. It doesn't just depict the disaster; it straight up transports you onto the ship and puts you through the experience with the people on board. I can't imagine any future depictions of the ship doing even half as good a job as this one did. Titanic is one of James Cameron's best movies and a loving tribute to the ship of dreams.
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