Incredible Movie Making

Rating: 10/10 (7 December 2019)

An absolutely spellbinding film that still holds up over 20 years later. I first saw this as a 12-year-old in 1997 and recall being utterly captivated by the story, the imagery, the characters, the score and the sheer spectacle of it all. 'Titanic' was an event, not just a film. There was nothing like it before, and there has been nothing like it since.
Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet, both relatively unknown actors at the time of the film's original release, shine as Jack and Rose, two young people from opposite ends of the social spectrum who are brought together by fate against the backdrop of one of history's greatest tragedies. Winslet steals every scene with her portrayal of a deeply unhappy woman thrust into an engagement of convenience at the behest of her domineering mother, only finding happiness and her true self when she crosses paths with di Caprio's Jack Dawson. Tragedy inevitably strikes however, and it becomes a fight for survival as the great ship Titanic founders. For all of the special effects, it is the chemistry between Winslet and di Caprio that drives the film. If you have ever become infatuated with someone in a very short space of time, then it is very easy to relate to the relationship between Jack and Rose. They perfectly capture the intensity of infatuation and the recklessness of youth. Other excellent characters include Billy Zane's charming but abrasive Cal Hockley, Frances Fisher's sneering Ruth Dewitt Bukater and Kathy Bates' bolshy Molly Brown. Finally, the great Gloria Stewart portrays 'old' Rose with such sincerity and heart that it is difficult to believe she didn't live through all of this in real life.