Nothing on Earth Could Come Between Them.

Rating: 9/10 (1 July 2018)

Titanic, the largest moving object of her time hit an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage leaving untold stories behind. When she was found on the ocean floor she was still facing west. The china have never been used, the sheets have never been slept in. Titanic was called the ship of dreams. It set sail on 10 April 1912 from Southampton and sank on 14 April 1912 hitting an iceberg. James Cameron took an interest in this story because of his passion for shipwrecks. He calls Titanic as "Mount Everest of shipwrecks." In the film, treasure hunter Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) shares the very same passion for a different reason. He is searching for a priceless diamond called "Heart of the Ocean" in the wreck of Titanic. During this search he discovers a drawing of a young woman wearing nothing but that diamond. This woman turns out to be still alive at the age of 101 and has a different story to tell about the ill-fated ship.
Back in its time Titanic was the most expensive film that has ever been made. Its budget was estimated $200 million. It grossed worldwide $1.84 billion which made Titanic the first film to hit billion-dollar mark. We all know how the film is going to end and yet again we watch. Even more important, James Cameron convinces the production company to invest $200 Million in a film which is about a ship that is going to sink and a sequel is not even possible. One logical explanation to all this madness is, he really believed in Titanic and his own talents as a director, writer and producer. Of course, I haven't forgotten his high-rated films like The Terminator, The Terminator II, Aliens and The Abyss. All those films were a great reference for Titanic, but I believe with a possible failure, his career would have ended forever. He took the risk and it worked. Faith in Titanic made him the king of the world. He is still one of the most successful directors of all time. Titanic won 11 Oscars out of 14 nominations making it the film with the most Oscars won by a single film.
James Cameron used latest cinema technology to make Titanic. He even waited for years for this film to be possible. But the story he is telling is a simple one. It is a love story between two people from different social classes. What makes this classic drama a special one is that it is happening in a ship which is going to sink and a lot of people will die including the boy. He wanted his audience to really feel what it was really like to be on Titanic. He took a turn from the story and showed us some powerful scenes to reflect that tragedy to its limits. This is one of the strongest points of Titanic. In 195 minutes, audience feels every human emotion possible. In the film, James Cameron uses the power of soundtracks, intelligent conversations and non-verbal scenes to bring us where he wants us to be.
The love between Rose (Kate Winslet) and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) happens within four days but echoes to the eternity. This is why one of the taglines of the film is "Nothing on Earth Could Come Between Them." You can still see the love and passion in the eyes of old Rose while telling her story after 84 years like it happened yesterday. In this point of view the transmission of all the emotions through Rose to the audience is another strong point of the film. It makes people believe and show sympathy in her story. This makes sinking the ship even harder but it must happen. Drama is the main genre of Titanic. After drama it comes romance because there is a great love, acting and chemistry between Rose and Jack. These extraordinary performances helped Titanic become one of the greatest films of cinema history. The success of the film opened the way to stardom both for Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
While knitting his story inch by inch, James Cameron takes a moment to point out how rotten our society is with its gaps between social classes. In the night of the accident 1503 recorded passengers lost their lives. This number could have been much less if the lifeboats would have been filled up to its limits. It is shown that some of the lifeboats sailed with little people because the comfort of first-class people was still a priority.
Showing real scenes from the Titanic and combining them with the film was brilliant. I have also enjoyed the shooting of the iconic scene where Jack holds Rose from behind at the edge of the ship opening their hands. We see them from different camera angles. If you pay attention there are quite a few scenes that gave the audience goosebumps and this is only possible with a good cinematography. So here is a special thanks to Russell Carpenter.
Casting to the soundtracks, Titanic is a work of passion. It is one of the few films that combines a real story with a work of fiction in an artistic way. Films like this can be made but they can't be made perfect. James Cameron managed to make it perfect.