Tender Love Story With a Dramatic Historical Background

Rating: 10/10 (26 January 2006)

When someone mentions 90s blockbuster movies, one of the first things said is always Titanic.
The 1997 movie, staring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, broke box-office records both in the USA and internationally, still holding the record as the highest box-office grossing movie internationally by $482,400,000, leading over Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. It won 11 Academy Awards, tying it with Ben-Hur for the most one by any single movie. It was nominated for 14 Oscars. It had another 76 wins and 47 nominations.
The acting was great; not wonderful; but still very good in every sense of the word. Not only by Kate and Leonardo, but many people on the cast that were overshadowed by the stars. Gloria Stuart gives a heart-breaking performance in her return to the screen. Victor Garber portrayed Thomas Andrews, and did a magnificent job, his best scene being the meeting between Ismay, EJ Smith, and himself; Andrews declaring Titanic will founder.
The main story in itself is one that has been told a million times over. A poor boy and a rich girl meet by chance and soon fall in love, but her parents will not allow it because of social order. Titanic has one thing going for it as it tells this story, the backdrop of history and tragedy tied into one as the lovers meet on the ill-fated ship Titanic. We are introduced to Rose De-Witt Bukater, a young woman of society who is engaged to Caledon Hockley, the son of a rich steel tycoon. We find ourselves on Rose's side as she rebels against her mother and Cal, ultimately resulting in a suicide attempt. Fate steps in there, bringing her a savior by the name of Jack Dawson, an artist who wins third class tickets aboard Titanic in a poker match. He persuades Rose not to jump off the back of the ship; telling her that if she jumps, he'll have to go after her.
The story is being narrated by Rose Calvert, a woman of 100, who upon seeing a drawing on television decides to contact Brock Lovett, a salvager who is exploring the Titanic. He is the one who found the drawing, and kept it only because he noticed that the woman in the picture is wearing a diamond necklace. Rose and her granddaughter Lizzy are brought upon Brock's ship, where she tells the crew she is the woman in the picture. Brock then tells them the diamond is said to have gone down with the ship, and would be worth more than the Hope Diamond if discovered. Rose says nothing, but starts into her account of what happened during her experience with Titanic.
Jack and Rose continue to grow to love after he saves her from death. Rose tries to deny her feelings for him, but can't help herself, despite threats made by both her fiancée and mother. She longs to be like Jack, free and independent; something she has never done before. She tries her hardest to do this, by having Jack draw her nude, wearing only the blue diamond necklace her fiancée Cal bought for her. This is the drawing Brock finds 84 years later. But fate has a twisted hand of cards, making Cal frame Jack into stealing the diamond, and having him being locked away. Rose chooses to believe Cal, but not for long. She soon comes back for him, saving him from being drowned.
They continue their race for survival, staying on the ship until the bitter end, despite a gun chase by Cal and his manservant Lovejoy, and Rose choosing to jump off the lifeboat and back onto Titanic for she can't leave Jack behind. It is at this point Rose realizes that she does love Jack, greeting him with the words, "You jump, I jump, right?" Subsequently they continue trying to stay alive as the glorious ship is destroyed. The band is shown playing their final song, "Nearer My God To Thee," making for a emotional montage.
Finally, as the ship goes under, Jack ushers Rose to a broken door. It can only hold one of them, and he offers it to her. They listen to the screams until it gets quiet, and Jack realizes that he will die soon. His final words tell Rose to keep on living, not to let herself die. He makes her promise never to give up, and not to let go of that promise. She agrees, saying that she'll never let go. A light appears out of the darkness, and Rose, barely clinging to life, tries to awaken Jack to tell him there's a boat coming back, but there's no use. As she is shocked by his death, she remembers her promise to keep on living, so leaves him there in the ocean, saying once more she'll never let go.
Old Rose then speaks of how the 700 saved people floating in lifeboats were waiting, to die, to live, and for an absolution that would never come. It then shows her walking on the deck of Brock's research ship, standing on the railing, to show that she had the diamond Brock had spent three years searching for. Another flashback is here, showing young Rose feeling the pocket of the jacket Cal put on her, feeling in the pocket and pulling out the diamond. Old Rose then looks at the deep blue diamond one more time, then tosses it into the ocean.
There are many ways to interpret the ending of the movie. In my opinion, she passes away. Old Rose is seen going to sleep, then cutting to a dream sequence where Young Rose and Jack are reunited on Titanic and then a cut to a bright light. On the DVD, the name of that scene is called A Promise Kept.