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Titanic, 1997
A modern-day group of explorers investigating the wreckage of the Titanic are thrilled when they are contacted by a woman, Rose (Gloria Stewart), who was actually aboard the fateful voyage. Rose tells them the story of her journey on the ship as a young woman (Kate Winslet) who is engaged to a terrible (and terribly wealthy) man named Cal (Billy Zane). Overwhelmed by her future prospects, Rose finds a whirlwind romance with Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), a lower-class passenger who is traveling to America in hopes of a better future.
Truly full of spectacle, the story loses some momentum in its modern day sequences.
There’s something a bit challenging about approaching a film that has been so pop-culture saturated that it basically has a life of its own before the opening credits even roll. I was a teenager when this movie came out, deeply uninterested in a historical romance, and enduring the special torture of “My Heart Will Go On” playing non-stop on the radio. (I forged a hate-based intimacy with this song, to the point that when it would be playing on two stations at the same time, I could tell which one would be over sooner). Quotes from the film, uncountable parodies of the film, and people shouting “I’m the king of the world!!!!” . . . and let’s not forget how much dudes everywhere love saying “paint me like one of your French ladies.”
I did my best to disregard my feelings about the phenomenon of the film itself, and for the most part I enjoyed it.
I’m not really much of a spectacle person. Not to look down on anyone’s hard work or coordination, but when someone says “And they built a full-scale replica of . . . “ or “They got 10,000 extras to . . . “ that kind of stuff doesn’t really move me. But I could definitely appreciate the work that went into creating the different set-pieces and populating the film with set design and costuming that gives the large-scale scenes a sense of realism. There’s a depth of knowledge on display about the Titanic that is impressive.
I also for the most part thought that the performances were strong. Winslet was the standout for me, as a young woman who is facing down a future under the controlling thumb of someone who clearly doesn’t love her so much as he wants to possess her. Her despair feels very real, and staves off “poor little rich girl” feelings. (Because despite being shoved into a loveless marriage, her life circumstances are probably better than 90% of the other people aboard the ship). This is bolstered by Zane’s perfectly repulsive turn as Cal, a man whose wealth gets him whatever he wants. DiCaprio is a good match for Winslet, bringing enthusiasm and empathy to bear on his newfound romance with Rose. There are also strong supporting turns from Kathy Bates as Molly Brown and a nicely understated performance from Victor Garber as the man who built the Titanic.
What I didn’t enjoy so much were the modern day scenes. They are, in my opinion, not good at all. Just way too much talking, too many exposition heavy moments explaining the mechanics of the disaster to the audience, and cringe-y “old people talking about sex is always funny, right?!”. Every time we came back to the interview I was like “Noooooooo!”. Just absolute momentum-killers.
All in all, an enjoyable and epic-scale romance.
Titanic, 1997
A modern-day group of explorers investigating the wreckage of the Titanic are thrilled when they are contacted by a woman, Rose (Gloria Stewart), who was actually aboard the fateful voyage. Rose tells them the story of her journey on the ship as a young woman (Kate Winslet) who is engaged to a terrible (and terribly wealthy) man named Cal (Billy Zane). Overwhelmed by her future prospects, Rose finds a whirlwind romance with Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), a lower-class passenger who is traveling to America in hopes of a better future.
Truly full of spectacle, the story loses some momentum in its modern day sequences.
There’s something a bit challenging about approaching a film that has been so pop-culture saturated that it basically has a life of its own before the opening credits even roll. I was a teenager when this movie came out, deeply uninterested in a historical romance, and enduring the special torture of “My Heart Will Go On” playing non-stop on the radio. (I forged a hate-based intimacy with this song, to the point that when it would be playing on two stations at the same time, I could tell which one would be over sooner). Quotes from the film, uncountable parodies of the film, and people shouting “I’m the king of the world!!!!” . . . and let’s not forget how much dudes everywhere love saying “paint me like one of your French ladies.”
I did my best to disregard my feelings about the phenomenon of the film itself, and for the most part I enjoyed it.
I’m not really much of a spectacle person. Not to look down on anyone’s hard work or coordination, but when someone says “And they built a full-scale replica of . . . “ or “They got 10,000 extras to . . . “ that kind of stuff doesn’t really move me. But I could definitely appreciate the work that went into creating the different set-pieces and populating the film with set design and costuming that gives the large-scale scenes a sense of realism. There’s a depth of knowledge on display about the Titanic that is impressive.
I also for the most part thought that the performances were strong. Winslet was the standout for me, as a young woman who is facing down a future under the controlling thumb of someone who clearly doesn’t love her so much as he wants to possess her. Her despair feels very real, and staves off “poor little rich girl” feelings. (Because despite being shoved into a loveless marriage, her life circumstances are probably better than 90% of the other people aboard the ship). This is bolstered by Zane’s perfectly repulsive turn as Cal, a man whose wealth gets him whatever he wants. DiCaprio is a good match for Winslet, bringing enthusiasm and empathy to bear on his newfound romance with Rose. There are also strong supporting turns from Kathy Bates as Molly Brown and a nicely understated performance from Victor Garber as the man who built the Titanic.
What I didn’t enjoy so much were the modern day scenes. They are, in my opinion, not good at all. Just way too much talking, too many exposition heavy moments explaining the mechanics of the disaster to the audience, and cringe-y “old people talking about sex is always funny, right?!”. Every time we came back to the interview I was like “Noooooooo!”. Just absolute momentum-killers.
All in all, an enjoyable and epic-scale romance.