A modern old-fashioned classic

Rating: 9/10 (29 November 2006)

This film shares a lot of parallels with the legendary Gone With the Wind. It is a romantic spectacle set against the backdrop of historical events and became both a huge Oscar-winning success and the surprise box office behemoth of its era. Another similarity it shares with the former is that following the success it is now considered "hip" to be derogatory and dismiss it as a Hollywood film. It is a Hollywood film, but not in the insulting manner that detractors would indicate. It is a sublime demonstration of what can happen when a visionary director puts his reputation on the line and uses the limits of what Hollywood has to offer to bring it to the screen.
The film opens in present day with a group of scientific treasure hunters exploring the remains of the sunken Titanic in an effort to locate a priceless necklace. Instead, they find a preserved portrait of a young woman. The elderly woman, Rose (Gloria Stuart), is located and brought to the site to relate her story of the last days of the Titanic and the film unfolds. It is a familiar romantic tale with rich-in-name-only Rose (now played by Kate Winslet) betrothed against her will to a boorish millionaire. In a fit of pique, she contemplates suicide and is talked out of it by charming penniless artist Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio). During the remainder of the ill-fated voyage, they fall in love and incur the wrath of her fiancÃ© and her mother, until the fateful iceberg and destiny in the icy waters of the North Atlantic intervene.
There are so many ways that the film could have gone wrong, but director James Cameron wisely sidesteps them. Much of the fuel used by the detractors of the film would have turned it into an infinitely weaker production. Evidence of Cameron's sure narrative hand can be found in numerous spots. Starting the film with the treasure hunters provides for a brilliant moment which allows them to recreate on a computer the death throes of the Titanic so that when the final 90 minutes begin the viewer is completely aware of why certain things are occurring as they do. It also offers a wonderful opportunity for 1930s film star Gloria Stuart to show her acting chops as the latter day Rose.
Cameron also gives us a strong scope of the immensity of the great ship herself, as well as the class differentiation in the status of the clientele traveling therein. Much has been made of centering the film on the two characters of Jack and Rose, while having the remainder of the cast play support rather than spread the wealth around more. One could and has done that: it is called The Poseidon Adventure. The reason why this film works on so many levels is because it is far more than the standard disaster epic. The fact that the action is basically consolidated through the eyes of young lovers streamlines the film and keeps the action focused, and Cameron comes up with increasingly inventive ways to move them through different parts of the ship to cover as much action as possible. The fact that they are young lovers experiencing their first romance provides a vitality and sense of urgency that may have been missing from older protagonists. Many have sneered over much the "Jack" "Rose" "Jack" dialog interaction in the climactic moments as a lack of good writing, but given that we are talking about teenage lovers in serious peril, one wonders if people expected them to quote intellectual diatribes back and forth. Instead, what comes from their mouths is far more likely and believable, if repetitive. Further, look at how often Cameron takes the narrative high road. When Jack is invited by the rich people to join them for dinner for saving Rose early in the film, he could have punctured the egos of the rich and wowed Rose with his coarseness. Instead, he behaves in a totally mature fashion and ends up charming the majority of those at their table. The film is brimming with memorable sequences, including the highly sensual moment when Rose invites Jack to draw her portrait or the (much parodied) scene of the two lovers embracing at the front of the ship as it skims the water. For detractors that claim that the special effects involving the sinking of the Titanic save the film, it makes their argument untenable when so many audiences have already been won over long before the sinking begins. The climactic moments are intense, heart-breaking and unforgettable.
The majority of the film's success (aside from Cameron) must be attributed to the leads. I would never have previously cast them as a couple, but DiCaprio and Winslet have chemistry. Not just any chemistry, but the chemistry of which cinematic legends are made. Winslet provides a warm, sympathetic and resonant presence throughout the film portraying a character that proves much stronger than even she initially believes. She draws you into the action and her final moments rank as some of her best acting. Conversely, although I admit DiCaprio is a good actor, I am not usually much of a fan. Here, I cannot see anyone else in this role. It is a distinct departure from anything else that he has attempted and he has no acting "hook" on which to hinge his work. Playing a larger-than-life character that clicks with the audience is one of the trickiest obstacles, but when Rose declares that "he saved me in every way that a person can be saved" DiCaprio makes you believe it. The fact that he makes it appear so effortless probably resulted in his Oscar nomination snub, but the truth is that he is definitely the worthy Gable to Winslet's Leigh.