Titanic

In April of this year, Titanic will splash back into theaters. Hehe, get it? Splash? Apparently work has taken it's toll today....no more coffee for me.

Anyway, in light of Titanic making it's glorious encore into theaters (and our hearts...last one, I promise) I decided to reminisce on the last time I watched Titanic a few months ago.

The time I saw Titanic last (before this time I mean), I was a child. I'll be honest. I was sad because Leo died. That's pretty much all I took from the movie. My crush fell to the bottom of the sea after that heartless bitch told him she'd never let go (some say verbal irony, I say "go to hell, kate!"). As you can no doubt see, I had a very broad appreciation for the arts back then.

Oh Leo-

This time around, my perception is a little different. Don't get me wrong. It still tugs at my heart strings to see Leo drift slowly out of Kate's cold, vindictive, betraying hands.......I'm sorry, I might have some unresolved anger. But this time around, it struck me just how tragic and terrifying this event was. Now, with every amount possible of respect to the victims of the actual event, I wish to use this space to simply analyze the film right now.

I believe that the precision of character in this is spot on. The way they depict the loyalty of the captain and the ship's creator to the ship itself is remarkable. I feel the ship creator's pride for his creation, his shame that it wasn't good enough for Rose and the other passengers. I feel that the captain needs to do the noble thing and go down with the ship. The character development between Jack and Rose is beautifully done. The love they share is so pure.

A quick nod here to the moment where Rose tells Jack that she loves him. It's right before he dies. He never says it back. It is the only time either of them says it, and yet it's so clear to the audience the whole time.

The most moving part of the film for me was watching the elderly couple spooning in bed as the water rushes in below them. There is no hope for survival only for the strength they will find from each other and the peace of a life lived with love. No image was more powerful to me.

A few more highlights:

The makeup for the corpses in the water in the end was haunting.

The moment when the symphony band decides to keep playing even as people are dying.

Slight comedy moment "A band to welcome death. Now I know I'm in first class."

An finally, that moment when Rose realizes Jack has frozen to death. It's equal parts heartbreaking, and hopeful. You can see the resolve in her eyes that she knows she will go on without him. Like she says, she'll never let go (although the eleven year old in me is still shouting "bitch!"....sorry, I can't help it.)