Introduction
by Monroe Hayden
Since this podcast was my idea, it seemed only right for me to start things off, and what better way than to start off with the most popular movie of all time? Yes, even more popular than Endgame because, believe it or not, not everyone knows Endgame, not everyone has seen Endgame but our first film that we’ll be discussing, everyone has heard of it, and the majority of the people on earth have seen this movie. You may not like it, but there’s no denying it! It’s the blockbuster of all blockbusters- you know it’s true! It doesn’t get any bigger than James Cameron’s Titanic.
The actual Titanic may have struck an iceberg and sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic back in 1912, but the 1997 film was a big Hollywood-hit and did everything but sink. It was the first movie to ever reach over 1 billion dollars in ticket sales. Its record was broken by James Cameron’s Avatar, which was released in 2009, 12 years after his romantic epic. The film launched the careers of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, who portray the fictional characters that would become one of the most popular love stories, worthy of being on the same shelf as Romeo and Juliet, but if you think about it- it’s sort of the same story. Winslet plays Rose Dewitt Bukater, a first-class socialite who falls in love with penny-less artist Jack Dawson played by DiCaprio, on the ship’s ill-fated maiden voyage. The film also stars Bill Paxton, who plays Brock Lovett, a treasure hunter who is exploring the shipwreck 84 years later, in search of a prized artifact which was originally bought by Caledon Hockley, played by Billy Zane, who gave it to Rose, his fiancé. Yup, did I mention this was a drama? Historical characters are Kathy Bates, who plays the unsinkable Molly Brown; Victor Garber, who plays the ship’s builder Thomas Andrews; and Bernard Hill, who plays Titanic’s captain, Captain Smith, amongst many others.
Personal Experience
Images Courtesy of Associated Press
Now you know the ‘who’ and the’ what.’ Let me tell you the ‘why.’ Personally, this is my number two. It’s my second favorite film of all time. Some are for obvious reasons and others, not so much, but by telling you why this movie changed my life, I’ll actually be telling you a bit more about myself, which is the hazard of discussing the films that changed our lives. So, please be kind.
I’m a sentimental person and this film has sentimental value for me. My grandparents don’t go to the movies. Even before I was born, going to the movie theater wasn’t really their thing, but they went out to see this film, and maybe two weeks later, my grandmother took me to see it again. That’s how big this movie was! At that time, every generation went out to see this movie, something that Endgame was not able to do.
Continuing on, it was her second time watching the film and probably my seventh time, if we’re being realistic. She wanted to share the experience of this movie with me. Now, my grandma doesn’t really spend one-on-one time with us. She spends time with us as a group but rarely one-on-one time, so this was special, but after we saw the movie, we talked about it. We talked about it during lunch, on the car ride back, and even continued to talk about it at home.
My family is a very typical Filipino family, and the older generation has a hard time being tender and comforting, but this memory of my grandma is probably one of the sweetest memories I have of her. It’s a memory I hope I never forget, even if I should reach 101 years old like Rose did. Not to mention all the memories that came after of me talking with my friends about Leonardo DiCaprio, singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at the top of my lungs, and all the times my friends and cousins would imitate the infamous hand-print on every window we came across- which, speaking of, pissed my grandma off to no end because all our windows had handprints that she had to consistently wipe down. Why? Because all these damn kids saw Titanic!
I also enjoy studying history, particularly historical events, and this film introduced me to the first event that would ignite that passion. I’m not claiming to be a Titanic expert, but I would consider myself a nerd about it. I memorized blueprints! I can tell you exactly what was on the menu on its first night, all the way down to what the blankets looked like. There’s a second ship that was remodeled after the original, called Titanic II, which will set sail in the exact route the original did over a century ago, coming next year. If it is, in fact, an exact replica, then I would be able to navigate my way around the ship without a map. That’s how nerdy I am about it. I study it in my off-time.
The film also taught me a few things apart from history, like how to properly set up a dinner table through Jack’s experience in the First-Class Dining Saloon, what class-systems even are and why they’re important, how “a woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets,” and of course, the only things I really need are “fresh air in my lungs and a few blank sheets of paper” to make each day count. However, the most important thing the film taught me, and probably everyone who watched it, was the importance of human life no matter how poor or rich and no matter what gender or race. Whether you have access to the Grand Staircase or the Poop Deck, every life deserves the chance to live.
The movie depicts a historical event that showcases how the world works in the event of a disaster. We’re currently going through a pandemic. Like Titanic, the world has too much momentum; our leaders (the people in power) don’t want to give up that momentum because that means relinquishing power. So what happens? We’re going too fast, and it’s too late to turn away from the iceberg, and then we hit it. Covid-19. And once we hit, it's the third class, the poor, the steerage- that’s affected the most. And who’s a part of the third class? I think that goes without saying. A higher percentage of the third class community will and has died while the majority of the first class survive. The wealthy will continue to have access to safety. They will be the ones to survive, while the poor don’t really stand a chance; they’re locked below deck, and I feel like that’s why I’m not too surprised with how everything regarding this pandemic has played out, but at the same time, I believe that’s one of the reasons this movie resonates with so many people because we often ask ourselves while watching the film, “What was it like?” Or, “I can’t imagine the fear and the suffering these people went through.” And then realize we kind of can. In a post 9/11 world and barely getting through a pandemic, we put ourselves in those people’s shoes because the film immerses us back to that night, and by doing that, we start to think outside of ourselves and start thinking of other people. That’s the power of film.
Lastly, it helped pave the way for that magic to do its thing in me that would eventually lead me to become a filmmaker. From the scale of the shots and sets to the commitment to historical accuracy, Titanic’s storytelling made a really big impression on me. Those who know me, like really know me, will see bits of Titanic in all my films or shows. There’s always something that gives a little nod to it, at the very least.
In the next few paragraphs, I won’t delve deep into everything I want, but I do want to mention the key things that make it so important to me but beware, there are spoilers!
Image Courtesy of © Paramount Pictures and © 20th Century Fox
The Sound
The sound effects are amazing! Use your best speakers to watch this movie or, at the very least, the sinking and play it as loud as you’re permitted to because it really puts you there with those people. If you don’t have amazing speakers, watch the sinking with your headphones on to really appreciate the attention to detail the artists put into it: The creaking sounds of the ship almost sound like Titanic’s last breaths, as if she, herself, is struggling to stay alive. The screams of the people paint an eerie soundscape of the horror that went down that night. Some of these sounds were the last things people heard before they died. And finally, the unmeasurable force of nature, tearing apart a brand new ship as the crashes, roars, and droplets of water slowly swallow the Titanic, almost like a sea monster. The sound of this movie is something that often goes under-appreciated.
Image Courtesy of © Paramount Pictures and © 20th Century Fox
The Visual Effects
The visual effects also hold up! Now, there are a few inaccuracies, the main one being the splitting of the ship. In 2012, it was discovered that the ship split around the 19 to 23-degree angle, rather than the high angle in the film. There are also other things, some visual effects apart from the sinking that are a bit questionable, but unlike the rest of us filmmakers- I’ve done this too, James Cameron decided not to go back and update the visual effects with Titanic regarding the sinking, which he could have done considering how much power he has. I don’t recommend this with every cut or version of a film- especially if the version originally released is not the best of works, and you’re given the opportunity and funding to improve it, but there are cases like this, like Titanic, where I think it's best to leave it alone.
The Colors
I try to focus on colors as much as I can. Season 2 of Fox has gotten some flack and some praises for my bold use of color. Although I’ve since toned it down a bit, I still have a tendency to focus on color as a main tool for storytelling. Obviously, many filmmakers do, but there are some who tend to not focus on it as much, respectively. Sometimes, the lack of color can also tell your story more accurately. So I tend to notice these things in detail when I watch a movie and even more so when I love a movie.
Image Courtesy of © Paramount Pictures and © 20th Century Fox
In the beginning, the film focuses on the cooler tones. Titanic is old, a wreck and slowly deteriorating at the bottom of the Atlantic with nothing but memories of the souls it took with her. Rose is also old, gray, deteriorating, and depending on how you view the ending, dying. She begins to tell you her story with images of the wreck behind her. The colors suggest perhaps she is telling you a ghost story, and in many ways, she is.
Image Courtesy of © Paramount Pictures and © 20th Century Fox
When we dissolve from the wreck to a brand new Titanic back in 1912, the colors are enriched with warmer hues: the reds, the browns, and yellows. You can’t help but feel the life of the ship and the people on board. Rose is also young, vibrant, and has what we know for sure, a full life ahead of her. Perhaps it's also a reflection of the warm feelings one gets while falling in love? Every time we flash forward to Old Rose telling her story in the present, the colors shift to the cooler tones again. The only time we use the cooler tones in the 1912 scenes is during the sinking, particularly when the lights shut off forever and the only speck of light people had came from the stars above. Perhaps the colors are used as another reflection for death?
This really speaks to me on a filmmaking level because the average viewer probably won’t notice these things. I can’t help but believe this is one of the many reasons why the film did so well because the use of color helped tell the story in very important ways. And colors speak to us in ways most aren’t even aware of.
The Setups
Image Courtesy of © Paramount Pictures and © 20th Century Fox
There are so many in this film that I could probably write an entire article on it, but for the sake of time, I’ll share the most important setup to me. While Jack is having dinner with the first-class crowd, he goes on to talk about his philosophy and lifestyle. This is the part where he says, “Make each day count.” In response, the table raises their glasses and say, “Make it count.” Jack then later proceeds to give Rose a note that says, “Make it count. Meet me at the clock.” He bids her farewell and goes on to make his way to the clock in hopes she’ll shortly follow, which she does.
This phrase and clock motif can be pulled apart, and anyone could find many meanings behind it, but for me, it means that we have only so much time alive. Although in real life, few passengers had premonitions that the ship would sink, most of them truly did not know they were sailing to their deaths. I don’t mean to get morbid and apologize if this triggers anyone; that is not my intention. Before Jack, Rose was mainly doing things to appease the people around her, and the people around her only cared about her if she did what they wanted her to. Her hopes and dreams didn’t really matter to them. What mattered was what role she could play in their lives. It got to the point where she was willing to take her own life because she felt she didn’t matter and wasn’t seen. Then comes Jack, and the rest is history.
Image Courtesy of © Paramount Pictures and © 20th Century Fox
Before he died, Rose promised Jack that she wouldn’t give up that night. She promised she would go on, live a full life and that she would have lots of babies and watch them grow, and most importantly, that she would die an old lady, warm in her bed. And I’ll be goddamned if she did just that. At the end of the film, in either Titanic heaven or in a dream sequence, Rose returns to the same clock to meet Jack. Time had passed, but one thing remained the same: her love for him. She returned almost to say, “We didn’t get enough time together, but I made it count.” She did not just make each day of her life count, she also made his life and death count. Of course, this can be extended. If you’ve seen the film, which I hope you have, you may remember that when she returns to the clock, those who perished in the sinking are also waiting for her. Different classes of people, familiar faces and new ones are intertwined together, welcoming her with open and warm smiles, almost as if they were proud of her because I’m sure, if they had a second chance at life, they’d also make it count.
In conclusion, everything still holds up. The flaws, the things they got right- it holds up in 2021, and it does not take away anything from the film, and the film, as cliche as it is to say, is a masterpiece. Everything from the costumes, sound, music, acting, writing, set pieces, visual effects- all of it, is a testament to why movies are so magical and so important. For a few hours, you’re on that ship. There’s no doubt in my mind that people will be watching this movie 50 years from now and possibly another 50 years after that. Until the next movie I share, stay healthy, love hard and remember… make it count.
Be sure to check out The Films That Changed Our Lives anywhere you listen to podcasts!
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