Ephemeris of the Mind (Film Review) Titanic
Time to read: 2 min read
Movie Cover
I'm the king of the world!
Past James Cameron reviews:
Review
I can’t believe I’ve never seen this film before but I'm glad I finally saw it. The film follows Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), a poor young artist who wins a third-class ticket aboard the RMS Titanic. Aboard the ship, Jack befriends Rose (Kate Winslet), an unhappy 17-year-old forced to marry a much older wealthy man. The two’s friendship quickly develops into something more.
The story of the Titanic is one of the most prolific peacetime naval tragedies and Cameron captures the many details of the event. While the film contains many elements of fiction (such as the protagonists Jack and Rose), the film also contains many truthful details, such as real-life characters who were aboard the ship. Some of my favourite scenes were the ones where the crew and passengers display heroism and resilience in the face of the tragedy, such as the band who stayed to play and the captain who willingly went down with the ship. The cinematography, as with all Cameron films, is dramatic and makes good use of special effects. The soundtrack, by James Horner, is commercial but very good. The movie does feel dated but only a little.
The chemistry between DiCaprio’s Jack and Winslet’s Rose is one of the highlights for me (the other highlight being the engineering details of the ship). Jack and Rose's passion and youthfulness really made them very captivating characters. The film has a massive supporting cast, highlights include Billy Zane’s Cal Hockley, Rose’s arrogant fiancé, Frances Fisher’s Ruth, Rose’s elitist mother, and Kathy Bates’ Molly Brown, the friendly real-life socialite who survived the Titanic.
Conclusion
Truly an iconic film.