Immortal romance on the doomed ocean liner

Rating: 9/10 (13 March 2006)

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful tale of forbidden love set on history's most famous ocean liner, and believe both the film and its engaging and sympathetic young lovers will go down in the annals of screen legend. All the hype turned out to be a prediction of the movie's calibre, as far as I'm concerned, though some have described it as the movie "many love to hate".
Of course the film chronicles the tragically brief shipboard romance between Rose, a beautiful, confused young socialite (traveling First Class of course), who is engaged to a suitable but nasty fiancé of her social status, and Jack, the penniless, free spirited young artist traveling in steerage, Third Class. The lead roles are brilliantly portrayed, with electric chemistry, by the lovely Kate Winslet and the dashing young Leonardo diCaprio, both made famous by their roles here. (Pity diCaprio went on to do that foolish modern Romeo + Juliet, a desecration.)
As for the romance...yes, it's a moving tale that will endure along with other screen legends. The weaving of the tale of the diamond necklace, the Heart of the Ocean, and Jack's sketch of Rose are interesting story lines. When disaster strikes the ill fated ship, the struggles of Rose and Jack to stay alive are truly gripping. The film's romantic song, "My Heart Will Go On", is of course legendary, though I personally am not a tremendous fan of Celine Dion.
This movie is not, from my perspective, a historical documentary and I don't take it as such. My knowledge of Titanic history is pretty sketchy, and it wouldn't surprise me if the film contains a few, some, or even many inaccuracies. Still, for me the picture brought to life the spectacle of the extravagant luxury aboard this liner (decor, dining, passengers' attire etc.), the smug, complacent assurance that the ship was unsinkable, the tragedy and surely, eventual terror as the passengers struggled with the inadequate life boats provided and the great White Star liner sank... albeit despite the early refusal to contemplate such a fate, and the band eventually bravely playing on. The final scenes are haunting, hardly a dry eye in the theatre. I feel the fictional romance is interwoven well with the historical details to produce a film that elicits compassion for the unfortunate real victims back in 1912 and would not offend them, were they able to watch it today.
The class distinctions are also wonderfully conveyed. One reviewer has complained that the film belabors the greater integrity and friendliness of the lower class, casting the upper class generally in a less flattering light. However, historically let us remember that the lower class passengers were the primary victims, so they would naturally tend to elicit the film makers' (and viewers') sympathies.
All in all, an amazing modern spectacle based on a tragic historical event, a touching love story, and overall, a fantastic film.