Titanic (1997) * * * *

 

Directed by:  James Cameron

Starring:  Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Frances Fisher, Billy Zane, Bill Paxton, Gloria Stuart, Kathy Bates, Bernard Hill, Victor Garber, David Warner, Jonathan Hyde

James Cameron's legendary epic Titanic beautifully meshes a technically superior action movie with a romance between people we care about.   In many cases, the latter is usually forfeited in favor of the visuals.   The first half of Titanic sets up a doomed love between Jack (DiCaprio) and Rose (Winslet), both of whom had the unfortunate fate of sailing on the Titanic.   Even before the iceberg made its grand entrance, Jack and Rose have to endure obstacles to their happily ever after, including their differences in wealth, social status, and the fact that Rose is engaged to marry the snooty Cal Hockley (Zane).   The engagement is more of a business transaction, but there are times when we realize Cal may love Rose after all. Naturally, Rose's mother (Fisher) disapproves for reasons other than Jack being poor. 

We hear of how Titanic is unsinkable.   The captain removed lifeboats in order to ensure more deck space.  In his mind, why would they need all those lifeboats if the ship won't sink?   Anyone associated with the design, manufacturing, and the sailing of Titanic was tempting fate.   The captain orders the ship to sail full steam ahead at the urging of the ship's builder.   When icebergs are sighted, it is already too late.  Titanic doesn't open in the past, but the present.  The wreckage of the Titanic is examined by an undersea exploring team led by Brock Lovett (Paxton) on the ocean floor, as are the treasures locked inside.   A drawing of a naked woman wearing a priceless diamond necklace is found in a watertight safe.  The drawing is of Rose, who is now close to 100 years old, but still living an active life in Arizona.   Rose sees the drawing on television and soon is aboard the underwater vessel seeing the wreckage for herself and telling her story to Brock.   The rest of the story is told in flashback from Rose's memory as crisp as if it happened yesterday.

Rose described Titanic as "the ship of dreams,", but to her it was a "slave ship" which was taking her from England to New York where she is to marry the loathsome Cal.   Jack wins a steerage ticket on Titanic in a poker game which is both the best and worst thing that could've happened to him.   Jack saves Rose from a suicide attempt when she threatens to throw herself overboard.   From there on, the two people from different worlds find common ground and soon fall in love.   Their love is passionate and fleeting.   Maybe they would've made it if the Titanic reached New York safely, but we will never know. 

Cameron captures the awe-inspiring scope of the ship down to its last detail without overshadowing the characters.   When the Titanic strikes the iceberg, the ship's architect Andrews (Garber) must break the bad news to ship builder Ismay (Hyde) and the crew Titanic will sink.   This goes against all Ismay believes and, as legend has it, he doesn't go down with the ship.   With more people aboard than the lifeboats can handle, Titanic builds suspense as the people race against time to escape before the ship plunges into the icy North Atlantic.   The mathematics are clear:   Many will die.   We watch this all unfold with precision and efficiency, even at a three-plus-hour running time.   DiCaprio and Winslet became mega-stars following the success of Titanic.  Their chemistry is a huge part of what makes Titanic more than just steel and visual effects, but a movie with a real heart and stirring emotions.