COMM 380:  Media Criticism

Titanic:  A Tragic Love Story.

 

by Victoria Cordova, '15

Major:  Communication, Public Relations 

 

The movie industry has become a major component of how a society interprets a concept, event, or idea. In 1997, Titanic, was released in theaters. The film was written and directed by James Cameron. This film conveyed the story behind the tragic event of the Titanic which occurred on April 15, 1912 (“Titanic sinks”). The film concentrated around the love connection between the two main characters, Jack and Rose. The production of this movie was first thought to be foolish because it was one of the only films that Hollywood had produced that the audience

already knew the ending of. There was a great risk to hope that people would invest time and money to come to see a movie that the ending was already known. James Cameron creates the perfect components, such as actual footage of the ship, to keep the audience engaged and wanting more. Although the sinking of the Titanic was tragic, the film focuses more on the romance, the division of class status, and depicts an almost fantasy lifestyle to appeal to the audience more effectively.

 

Prior to this film, the Titanic story was known for the tragic loss of passengers and crew members because of an unexpected collision with an iceberg. However, James Cameron used the relationship between Rose and Jack as a focal point. The romance between these two lovers seemed to be the typical forbidden, Romeo and Juliet like love story. The explicit meaning of this love story depicts a rebelling young women as she pursues what she believes her heart truly wants and the consequences that proceed abandoning a parent’s wish. The consequence being the loss of Jack entirely. The audience becomes emotionally involved in their relationship rather than the dramatic and tragedy of the ship sinking.Additionally, Cameron takes the relationship a step further when he includes the real Rose as the storyteller in the film. This gives more validation to the love story. The audience is more likely to believe the embellished love story because it is being told by Rose herself.

 

James Cameron construes the two story lines and effectively intertwines them into one.  The first story, being the sinking of the Titanic. The second is the love story that involves Jack and Rose. The Titanic was a ship that had the world’s most superior technological advancements in 1912. Cameron incorporates the excitement and astonishment that people shared about the Titanic’s first voyage. In the beginning of the movie, the Titanic’s sendoff is elegant and depicts the monstrous ship for the first time. There are banners, music, and hundreds of people watching the ship as it departs from the docks. The historical significance of the boat is portrayed.  Cameron uses the historical context and the notion that the audience already knows how the story ends as he decides to involve a strong and emotional love story to further involve the audience. This decision made Titanic the memorable and strong film that it is known for today.

 

The love story appeals to the emotions of the audience and gives a personal touch to the storyline

making it relatable for the audience. Titanic also explains the context and background of what

occurred on the ship before it sunk into the sea forever. There is a perfect balance of emotional

and informative material within the film.

 

The love connection between Jack and Rose is introduced early on in the film.  Throughout the film, the couple defy particular obstacles such as the difference in social class that lies between them. Rose’s mother does not approve of Jack because he is of a lower class and has no family money. The couple must sneak around her in order to be happy. This division of class in the film is mentioned several times. The symptomatic meaning of class status reflects on the difference of time periods from 1912 to when the film was released in 1997. James Cameron made class status a focal point to convey the differences in the society and how class status effected not only the relationship between Rose and Jack, but the sinking of the Titanic as well. Once it was determined that the Titanic was sinking indefinitely, the personnel and staff on board were ordered to help the first class passengers first. The lower class individuals were ordered to stay in their rooms in the bottom level of the ship. Furthermore, when Rose was discussing how everyone was going to go down with the ship, her supposed to be fiancé Cal responded with, “Not the better half” (“Titanic”). This reiterates the concept of class status. A deeper evaluation of class status suggests that James Cameron was hinting that society still struggles with class status even in today’s society.

 

Not only does Cameron distinguish the difference between classes he also shows the interaction between the different social classes. For example, there is a scene where Jack and Rose are in the lower part of the ship. Jack and Rose are surrounded by people drinking, dancing, and laughing. This interaction was not only a turning point for Jack and Rose’s romantic relationship but it changed how a higher class individual, Rose, interpreted lower class individuals. For the remainder of the film, Rose is more aware of the social class differences among the people on the ship. By the end of the movie, she realizes how social status can be disturbing. This realization furthermore develops a deeper and more insightful aspect for Rose’s character.

 

The atmosphere of the ship gives an unreal depiction of one’s typical lifestyle. There was dancing, gourmet dinners, passengers dressed up elegantly, live shows and music. The lifestyle on board the Titanic is conveyed as a fantasy. This type of depiction gives light to the foolishness and arrogance that the crew and passengers aboard the Titanic had. The captain, along with the crew, believed that the Titanic was invincible, thus leading to the climatic ending where passengers are jumping off the sides of the ship as it plummets into the water. The foolishness and arrogance is shown also in Rose and Jack as they remain calm when the news of the ship

striking the iceberg first is revealed. As the situation become worse, only then are the passengers and crew members realizing that the Titanic is not what it seemed to be.

 

A deeper analysis of this suggests that the people aboard placed too much trust with the Titanic and lost sight of reality.  Not to mention that previous to this voyage the Titanic was given a strong reputation. This reputation is what led to the downfall of the both the crew and the passengers. The lifestyle on board had consumed them and by the time reality had sunk in, it was too late.

 

Jack and Rose’s relationship is the central theme in the movie to distract the audience.  Because the love story is so dramatic, beautiful, and enriching to watch, the audience does not pay mind to the events that are occurring around the relationship. One being the fact that the Titanic strikes an iceberg. Cameron develops such a strong relationship that the audience cares more about what will happen to Rose and Jack then to the actual ship and passengers. In the last scenes of the film, Rose is shown floating on top of a door as Jack hangs on to the end of the door half way lowered in the water. This a crucial part of the movie because there is the realization that Jack will not make it.

 

As previously mentioned, the two story lines are conveyed into one. This meaning that as the Titanic sinks so does Jack and Rose’s relationship. Cameron maintains both of the storylines on the same pathway and at the end of the movie any hope of the Titanic being saved is destroyed. The aftermath of ship, leads to the death of Jack. At the very end, Rose is shown in what was considered present day, and is telling the last pieces to her love story. This correlation that was constructed throughout the film makes the story that much more noteworthy. The realization that both the ship and the love shared between Jack and Rose will not last effects the audience greatly. The sadness and heartbroken feeling overcomes the audience as you watch Rose lift Jack’s frozen hands off the door and he sinks into the sea.

 

As for historical context and accuracy, Cameron does depict actual footage of the Titanic that he filmed himself for the movie. This provides a deeper appreciation for the film. However, the storyline being surrounded by the love story between Jack and Rose diminishes the effect that the sinking of the Titanic had. James Cameron fails to capture the significance and aftermath that the sinking caused. For instance, the significance of the sinking was that the technology of the ship and the preparedness that the crew had for emergencies was not enough to sustain a ship with that many people. There were not enough lifeboats on board for the passengers thus leaving numerous people without a hope of surviving. The construction of the boat did not take into account what would happen for emergencies and the crew did not have well enough training to handle the situation of the ship striking the iceberg. Cameron does capture the panic that the passengers felt but the underlying reasons for why the ship was not prepared for this crisis is barely portrayed. Overall, the film includes factual imaging of the ship but does not provide a deeper understanding for how the situation should have been handled and to what extent the crew should have been held responsible for dealing with the issue.

 

James Cameron’s production of Titanic was nominated for several academy awards. It won best picture and is one of the most popular films known today. Cameron was successful in intertwining two storylines, the sinking of the Titanic and the relationship between Jack and Rose. In this film, class status portrayed what life was life upon the ship and the time period in which the ship sank. This gave the film a different tone to the movie and allowed the audience to have a deeper understanding of the time period and how society operated. Cameron’s main focus of the movie was to display the love connection between the two main characters. The audience

falls in love with the two characters as they continue to overcome obstacles and love each other until the last moment. This tragic film gives a new identity to the sinking of the Titanic and represents a Romeo and Juliet like affair that captured audiences worldwide.

 

Works Cited

Titanic sinks. (n.d.). History.com. Retrieved June 25, 2014, from http://www.history.com/this-

day-in-history/titanic-sinks

 

Cameron, J. (Director). (1997). Titanic : Discovery Channel