Titanic Review
by Thomas Glebe (glebe AT hotmail DOT com)March 25th, 1998
TITANIC
A review by Thomas Glebe
For the first time in a long time, I was literally blown away by a movie. I don't actually see movies in theaters that often, for various reasons, and it's actually been over a year since I saw a film on the big screen. I had heard for months all the hype about this movie, and I'm not much for hype in general, but ALL the hype about this particular film is justified. It is simply put, a stunning cinematic masterpiece.
The last time I had such overwhelmingly positive emotions (and a lot of intellectual ones also) about a film was when I saw "Forrest Gump" for the first time, although the "experience" of seeing "Titanic" went much further. I recall feeling so strongly positive towards only two other films in my life after seeing them initially, and those moments were after seeing "Apocalypse Now" back in 1980 and "Close Encounters" back in 1977. "Titanic" is an instant top-ten for me, and that's saying a lot, since my list of all time favorites numbers somewhere near 1000 films. I had to fight tears several times during this movie, and the end was simply overwhelming. In a weird sort of way, though I had no idea exactly how the film WOULD end, it lived up to my actual hopes of how it SHOULD end. In fact, the last few moments of "Titanic" are probably the most poignant and fervent ones I've ever experienced in ANY film.
I would be shocked that anyone could watch the end, and NOT have an extremely moving personal reaction, unless perhaps their blood was indeed pure Vulcan, and "emotion" was a concept they did not understand. What's so amazing about the end, and other such moments throughout the film, is that for all of its budget (over $200 million) and hype, in many ways, this is a very "personal" film from director James Cameron (Terminator 2, The Abyss, Aliens, etc.), and never do the eye-popping special effects (of which there are plenty) get in the way of the very special "love story" being told. That utterly and unashamedly romantic aspect, despite what some may think of such a blockbuster "disaster" movie, is at the heart of "Titanic," and it is as powerful, convincing, and passionate, as the actual representation of the sinking of the ship, which only begins halfway through the movie itself. One may think that the real pleasures to be had are in seeing some of that (well spent) money up there on screen in the form of such state-of-the-art effects, and that one might feel a bit bored or cheated UNTIL those parts come. But the truth is, the first half of the movie, which has nothing to do with the sinking, is JUST as hypnotic and gripping, as the latter half. In fact, even if the ship had not sank, and Cameron had simply told us the love story of Jack ((Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet), completely uninterrupted by the tragedy which we all know beforehand IS coming, this STILL would've been a great film. In other words, for all the power and spectacle of the film after the ship hits the iceberg (the second half), the first half is no less compelling and involving for the viewer. Add the two together, and what you've basically got is over three hours of absolutely spellbinding entertainment. To see "Titanic" in a way, is not so much like watching a movie, as it is to "experience" the best that cinema can possibly offer. "Suspension of disbelief" kicks easily in some 10 minutes into the film, and for over three hours, one is literally "experiencing" a whole other reality. The length of the movie seems quite short, in this respect. It is THAT good.
I will not attempt to summarize the plot here (ship sails, ship sinks, okay?), to list various technical aspects of the production, nor even dwell on the historical event this fictional film uses as a backdrop for the story it tells. Such information can be found elsewhere. What I would like to do is simply share my own individual feelings and reactions, after having been so astonished by a movie. As it has already won so many awards and plaudits, and has already become the most popular film ever made (at least in terms of money earned), I know that my own reaction is not an isolated one. It has been said that a helluva lot of money went into advertising this movie, but this could've easily been saved. For in all ways, this is a word-of-mouth film if there ever were one. Once you've seen it, once you've been blown away by it, you can't wait to share that reaction with others. THIS is what made "Titanic" so popular, why it has earned so much money and applause. I am certain that millions were/are enthusiastically saying basically the same thing to their friends and family, after seeing the film for the first time. "I've just seen one of the most wonderful films ever, let me tell you about it…"
I went in expecting to be kind of disappointed, but left in a daze. The movie was a real thrill on so many levels. At this length, it was consistently fascinating and moving, never a lapse of interest at any time. The technical qualities are impossible to describe. Cameron takes the viewer ON the ship. Everything is as real and detailed as one could get, and the final hour and a half of the ship's sinking is really just as frightening and real as if you were there. The film's techniques are just so extraordinary. There are at least a dozen different little points which are totally unexpected, and done so fluidly and beautifully. For instance, during the middle of this extended scene of havoc and confusion near the end when the ship is going down, Cameron throws in this short little ten second snip which shows the ship very tiny all alone on the dark ocean, with the stars shining above, in totally calm waters, and it shoots off this little meaningless flare. For all its glory and mammoth proportions, at that moment, this technological wonder (even by today's standards) of man's creative abilities, is seen as totally impotent and meaningless when compared to nature. Then there's another short scene where the camera does this massive and continuous sweep from a close up of the front of the ship, all the way above and down the length of it, past it, and behind it. How this was done, one can only guess. Computers and money? Still, the overall effect, given the sweeping romantic moment this one single shot deals with, is simply staggering.
There are moments such as these throughout the picture however. When the 101 year old woman (Rose, who tells her story via flashback) is first shown video of the sunken ship's remains by the crew of a salvage ship in present day, her aged, feeble hand reaches out to the television monitor, and she gasps with emotion. The crew of this salvage ship, who are basically greedy and unsympathetic to the plight of the ship's passengers and their real ordeal, do not really understand the emotion Rose feels. They show her a brief computer simulation of how the ship sank, and are all quite casual and flippant about her experiences and memories. At one point, the captain of the ship asks her to tell them her own story, then interrupts her almost immediately. She sternly looks at him, and says something like, "Do you want to hear my story or not?" As if being scolded by an elder, the captain and the rest remain quiet, and Rose begins reminiscing. Cameron does a slow zoom into the very eye of the woman, and soon we are transported back to England, in 1912, at the launching of the ship. Surely, this technique has been used before, but never so powerfully and effectively.
When the ship does finally get under way, the scenes of the interior of the engine room, are equally remarkable. Though nature will eventually have her way with this technological invention, one easily gets the feeling that, at the time, this ship was the height of mankind's industrial age achievement. Massive gears and pistons of iron and steel move and roar on multi-leveled decks, and white-hot boiler rooms filled with sweating, muscular men shoveling coals, give the viewer the clear impression that the notion of this, mankind's most intricate and complicated mechanical accomplishment, was truly "unsinkable." These interior engine scenes are quite powerful, as they immediately establish a sense of the immense nature of the ship with the audience, and at the same time, create an empathetic and identifying camaraderie with the characters and their state of mind throughout the rest of the film. The opulent and lavish sets onboard and the marvelous camera techniques sweeping gloriously and continuously throughout the film, also add to this instant audience identification and sympathy. For at all times, Cameron is totally successful at creating a totally realistic atmosphere. So much so, that when the ship does finally start to flounder, the shock and disbelief which must have bewildered and traumatized those onboard, is equally shared by the viewer. By this time however, there is an added element, the love story between Jack and Rose. We are caught up so totally in that also, that the coming, inevitable catastrophe seems all that more effective. I fully believe this was Cameron's intent all along, in devoting so much of the movie to the romantic allegory. Great care was obviously taken to make this aspect as mesmerizing as possible, so that the audience would feel that they were not just watching a demonstration of the physical disaster itself, but a very personal glimpse into the real lives of real people who lost their lives so unexpectedly. In this sense, for all the praise and acclaim the special effects of "Titanic" has received (all fully deserved), without the extra care and touches Cameron devotes to the story and characters, this film would've easily sunk at the box office more quickly than the ship itself. Throughout, Cameron's techniques seem flawless. It really does seem as if every piece of film, every scene, was carefully shot and edited in as stirring a manner as possible. In addition, James Horner's brilliant music (in many different styles to boot) gives virtually every scene, regardless of the content, extra depth, feeling, and romance.
The movie is fascinating and completely involving from start to finish and even its three hour plus length is something almost unnoticed, unless one has to go to the bathroom half way into it. In this sense, since there is no intermission, I suggest all DO this before entering the theater. Only a few minutes in however, one is easily caught up in the characters, the suspense, the beauty of the cinematography and sets, and the lavish and achingly romantic theme throughout. One can use all the premium adjectives--"extraordinary," "spectacular," "breathtaking," and so forth to discuss the sinking, which is virtually done in real time (another achievement of the film), but mere words can ever come close to explicitly describing the awesome visuals of watching the Titanic take its final plunge. The effects utilized to depict this seem totally real, virtually indistinguishable from the scenes on board in various interior locations. As is typical from beginning to end, Cameron obviously took great care to interweave various shots into an almost seamless whole, imparting upon nearly each shot a balance and semiotic completeness which only adds gloriously to the story, the motivations and emotions of the various characters, and the true meaning of the historical event itself. Though the story of Jack and Rose is undoubtedly almost entirely fictional, Cameron's film is a tribute to the real survivors in a very real way, for by concentrating so much on the characters in addition to the technical aspects, he has beautifully ingrained in the viewer that this tragedy involved more than just this technological behemoth's collapse, it involved real people. By its end, we have come to care for such people as almost real, not just as fictional movie characters.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the movie, which previous films on the subject have seemed to overlook, is the plight of those who found themselves swimming about in the icy Atlantic after the ship finally disappears beneath the surface. Cameron is smart not to simply end the film at the sinking or very shortly afterwards, which I pretty much expected. He shows us clearly and in a devastatingly effective manner, the horrible, albeit short-lived fate of those unfortunates who were not lucky enough to make it into a boat, but found themselves very much alive and suffering in the icy waters for their last minutes of life. After all that we have already seen and experienced, once the ship does sink, one might feel some sort of a letdown coming, but amazingly the film again soars in various little, quite subtle but powerful ways. Other films on the event have often basically ended the film quite abruptly after the sinking, and have paid basically cursory attention to this mini-story within a larger one. Not so at all with this version. For example, and there are just so many, when Rose and Jack "go down with the ship," they suddenly find themselves under the murky water, desperately trying to hold onto each other's hands, which nature itself and the violence of the churning ocean makes impossible. For example, Cameron throws in a short shot of these hundreds of people flailing away at each other and the sea from high above, making them all appear as a huge school of hopeless fish caught in some fishing trawler boat's net. For example, as Rose releases Jack, who has frozen to death, his body slowly sinks into the darkness of the ocean beneath, filmed in a strange way not as if he were sinking, but as if he were "fading." For example, as Rose, half alive and dying from the cold, lays on a piece of driftwood, she gazes up at a crystal clear, starry sky, the Milky Way itself quite evident, and for a moment, we get the feeling that the cold and the horror of her impending death has suddenly become almost trivial, next to the wonder and mysterious universe above her. For example, as one of the surviving life boats comes back to the dying survivors and the masses of already dead bodies, they pass by a still barely alive Rose, who summons up some sort of last ditch strength to whimper "Come back, come back." When this occurs, she is still holding onto a dead Jack, but releases him (based upon her promise to him that she would try to survive), and swims with all of her remaining life-force to find a whistle hanging on the neck of a floating corpse, blowing it with her last breath to summon the life boat. There are so many examples such as these, and the truly amazing thing about the film, is that so many such brilliant, evocative, and magical moments are just too numerous and frequent to mention. They surprisingly and exquisitely appear in almost each shot and scene.
The most astounding thing about the film however, is the power and almost cosmic taste Cameron gives to what amounts to a simple, old-fashioned (and done before), "love story." Imparting a positive, life-affirming attitude on the whole concept of romantic love itself, which is something sorely lacking in so many "modern" movies, the film often takes on an almost surreal tone on passion and desire many times throughout. None of it however, comes off in any way as "preachy" or sugary-sweet and phony. True love and its mysterious veneration for the mundane and ordinary, is treated with reverence, understanding, and subtlety by Cameron in so many small ways. For example, at one point, as the upper class Rose is "instructed" by the lower class Jack on the finer points of "spitting," what is essentially a rather revolting piece of behavior, is given a quirky, fun, and "living for the moment" feel to the budding romance. In this sense, romance itself is seen and presented as an adventure in its own right, which it most certainly can be. Few films today seem to impart such wisdom however. "Titanic" revels in this whole sentiment. It also seems to demand its audience do the same, in scene after scene.
At one point, for instance, upper class Rose sneaks down to a raucous third class party which Jack is at. Free spirited music, laughter, drinking and games abound, and Rose reservedly (at first) watches Jack dancing wildly with a little girl. Sensing that "little adventurous girl" in Rose, Jack takes her hand at one point for the next song and dance, but gently tells the small child "You're still my best girl." This mix of innocence and the blooming of romantic, sensual love, in just this one short scene, is what the entire movie seems full of. Cameron's discerning touch is everywhere when it comes to the romantic and sexual aspects however. For instance, when Jack and Rose first meet, Jack describes his artistic, earthy adventures in Paris drawing the portrait of a prostitute, and the repressed and uptight Rose immediately jumps to the conclusion that Jack's experience was a sexual one. He then describes the prostitute, who had only one leg, and imparts to her that his interest was art, not sex. Later, while drawing a nude Rose, Cameron skillfully conveys the romantic aspect of sexual tension with a beauty and grace I've rarely seen in any other film. Likewise, the innocence of the pair and the consummation of their love is demonstrated by their behavior shortly before and after the act itself, in delicate and playful scenes of the two who have found in each other, the adult-child which each actually is. By showing us the birth of this love affair, and within context of the tragedy which is about to befall it, the film soars time and time again into this almost unworldly area, which is rather hard to describe. It all invokes a reverence for love and sex, and the two seem quite inseparable in a way. As in earlier scenes where Jack and a friend thrill to the adventure they have embarked upon by boarding the magnificent liner, romance/sex in "Titanic" is seen as an "adventure" in its own right, and one not too distant from the innocence and exuberance of inexperienced youth itself.
Jack and Rose's brief love affair is also the allegory and metaphor behind the larger story itself, both real and fictional. For in a sense, the sinking of this "unsinkable" ship, was also the end of a kind of innocence and an age and the beginning of a deeper realization about life, love, and what "it's all about." From beginning to end however, the film seems to shake an angry fist at any negative connotations of the enduring, healing, and magical power of life and love. This despite the tragedy and horrible loss of life (and love). A neat trick, and I can honestly say I've never seen another film even attempt such a thing, let alone pull it off so brilliantly and convincingly. For all the loss of life, for all the horror explicitly shown in so many outstanding ways, "Titanic" is one of the most positive comments on life I've ever seen. Like any great film, its various components and ideas stay with you long after you've left the theater. There is so much real food for thought and contemplation here about so many related themes and ideas, that it is no wonder so many feel compelled to see it again and again. In this movie's case, once is clearly not enough.
The feeling I got mostly from my "experience" of seeing this wonderful film however, is that of a real confirmation that we, as human beings, are somehow "more" than just these bodies, these pieces of matter and chemicals all interacting and that there definitely is "meaning" in our lives, or can be. It seems like something that must be taken and accepted however, more in a spiritual kind of "faith" than reason. This very dualistic concept is mentioned more than a few times in the film itself, and is especially evident in the personality of Jack and the strength and courage which he eventually brings out in Rose. I think the subject matter, this horrible death of so many, was a perfect vehicle in a way, upon which to tell this particular "love" story, which is almost entirely fictional. In sum and substance, it's sort of a more generalist love story, which I can't imagine anyone being left untouched in some way by (unless their heart is made of stone). At its core, "Titanic" is a love of LIFE story, and not necessarily in the way one might think. Sure, when the ship is sinking, Cameron shows us that all aboard desperately want to hang onto life. It's much more than this however. At one point, Rose is being safely lowered in a life boat, her future seemingly assured. But she struggles like hell to get OUT of that vessel of safety and security, to go search for and try to help her love, Jack, who is chained beneath by villains to die like some drowning rat. Cameron knows, and we know by watching his film, that life is much more (or should be) than mere "survival." At another point, near the end, the aged Rose (played flawlessly by Gloria Stuart), calmly, casually, and quite assuredly, tosses a diamond necklace worth millions, into the sea. It is meaningless, physical, material. It has nothing to do with her experiences, with her love, and with her life. Strangely enough, for all the money and hype, the film's "heart" is squarely in the right place, and this is the film's ultimate promise and revelation, magnificently realized.
I have a feeling it will be many more years before we see such cinematic gold like this again from the studio system. However, I do hope that if and when Hollywood (as it inevitably must) tries something like this again, it will remember that the real power behind this particular film, has little to do with the effects or the money. For "Titanic" is nothing without the story, and without the real meaning and importance Cameron lovingly devotes, in almost every scene, to using uniquely filmic techniques to tell such a story in the way only the art of cinema still seems capable of doing. "Titanic" is, in the highest sense of the word, not merely great entertainment, but great art. In a strange sort of way, the director of this utter masterpiece has essentially shot himself in the foot. It's almost unimaginable that he, or any other director, could "top" this. It will be quite interesting however, to see if he can. I wish him all the best, for in a very deep sense, with "Titanic," he has unmistakably given the audience a piece of his own heart, openly and unselfishly inviting the viewer to dwell not only in the magic of filmmaking, which he obviously loves with a passion seen in a scarce number of other industry directors, but in the unsinkable human spirit which dwells deep within us all. It is well known, or should be, what a "gamble" this film was for him personally, and this movie could've easily went the way of other such mega-epics like "Heaven's Gate" and "Waterworld." But in so many ways I've hardly even touched upon, Cameron's "gamble" has paid off in spades, not so much monetarily for himself or those involved in the production, but in the sense that film audiences everywhere have been given a treasured gem in this transcendent, immediate classic, one which has already been and will surely in the future, be placed close to people's hearts for years to come, and deservedly so.
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
