Movie review 2- Titanic
The movie, Titanic, is a fictional story following the events of the real ship wreck of the Titanic in April 1912. The story follows Jack- a poor, artist, drifter- and Rose- a wealthy young women on the ship with her mother and her fiance. Their relationship is frowned upon by the wealthy, high class, citizens aboard the R.M.S Titanic, due to Jack’s social status (or lack thereof). The movie shows Rose telling the story of their time on the ship and the ship wreck that followed to her granddaughter and the people looking for the necklace Rose wore that sunk with the ship. The necklace is worth millions of dollars which is why it is important that Rose tells the story correctly. To some of her audience, the story is about finding the necklace. But, to her, it is the story of her truest love. Jack and Rose met when Rose was contemplating jumping off the ship, because she was unhappy in her impending marriage and felt forced into it by social pressures. Jack rescued her, making it so her fiance Cal would invite Jack to the high class events on the ship and so that he didn’t think as much as he should have about the time Jack and Rose were spending together. She eventually give up her status and her fiance to be with Jack, but then mother nature takes over as the ship hits an iceberg and begins to sink.
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I love this movie. The first thing about the movie that was good was the casting. Leonardo DiCaprio (Jack) and Billy Zane (Cam) being the two men romantically involved with Kate Winslet (Rose) set the stage for the movie. At the time this movie was made (1997), DiCaprio was young and playful- an appealing male costar for Winslet- whereas Zane was older and much more uptight looking. From the beginning, I was rooting for Jack and Rose. Another thing that stands out in Titanic is it’s soundtrack- the sound effects mimic natural disasters and the ocean alongside music that truly lifts or darkens the mood.
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One of my favorite scenes (cinematically) is the fancy dinner Jack attends. The background noise and motion is out of focus and the conversation is made suspenseful. When Jack rubs his nose during the conversation it makes it seem causal and represents his personality and how he doesn’t fit in so simply. The camera shifts back and forth from people at the table, gradually getting closer in on Jack and the conversation is directed at him more closely. I think the use of close shots in this scene worked well.
During the dancing scene, the camera follows them making it feel like when you’re watching, you’re dancing alongside them.
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I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes drama, romance, or a good thriller. There are multiple story lines within the overall plot of the movie making it appeal to multiple audiences. It has a historical aspect (based off of a true event), artistic (jack’s drawing), dramatic (love triangle and controlling mom), thriller/ action (shipwreck/ violence on board), and most prevalent- romance between Rose and Jack.
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