Movie Review: Titanic
By Emma Paek
This article was originally published on January 22nd, 2021.
To start off this series of film reviews, I wanted to review a classic movie that people should definitely make time for during the pandemic — Titanic. Winning 11 Academy Award nominations, James Cameron’s Titanic is both a movie about romance and history. While portraying an accurate depiction of the chaos during the actual Titanic sinking in April of 1912, the story also focuses on the fictitious yet passionate love story of Jack and Rose, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
Hitting theaters on December 19, 1997, this film made cinematic history. The editors used special effects that were ahead of the film’s time to create a realistic impression of the once largest moving object in the world. This 195 minute blockbuster is one of the highest grossing films of all time, bringing in 2.195 billion dollars. The film was written and directed by the famous James Cameron, who is known for Avatar and Terminator. Cameron also produced it alongside John Landau, who is also known for Avatar.
Told through flashback, 101 year old Rose Dawson (Gloria Stuart) tells her story to a fortune hunter Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) who is looking for a jewel Rose once knew as the Heart of the Ocean.
17 year old Rose Dewitt-Bukater (Kate Winslet) was boarding the Titanic along with her mother and her rich but toxic fiance, Cal Hockley. Meanwhile, 20 year old Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a freelance artist, wins his boarding tickets in a lucky game of poker, ending his several year voyage around the world, returning him home to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
Rose realizes that she is not fit for the caged and stuffy life of a housewife. Her mother pays no attention to Rose’s wants or needs as she only cares for nothing but her image. Rose and Jack meet and instantly fall in love with each other despite their different backgrounds.
The Titanic cast also includes the highest demand actors in Hollywood, some of whom made their big break with this film. The cast list starts with one of the highest paid actors in the world, Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Jack Dawson. Kate Winslet plays our leading lady, Rose Dewitt Bukater. She has won numerous awards for her films such as seven Oscars and three Golden Globes. Kathy Bates, another well-known actress of Hollywood, plays The Unsinkable Margaret Brown. She is known for her performance in the hit sitcom, The Office and is a recipient of an Oscar, two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as two Golden Globes.
Titanic has marked history with its outstanding production, fine detail, a spectacular cast, and special effects. It also depicted what the Titanic would have looked like to watchers with a painstakingly detailed replica of the ship. Lastly, James Horner’s superb musical score and Celine Dion’s famous song My Heart Will Go On piece this movie together to help create one of the most renowned films in history.
