Heart of The Ocean

Human life is a conglomeration of opaline mirth and melancholy. Death and tragedies form those darker fields of life, where one’s thoughts seldom tread. All of us accept life’s brighter aspects, but shiver to open up the locked rooms of death and sorrow. Certain movies reach deep into our consciousness and bring out those memories. James Cameroon’s TITANIC is one of those movies. Based on one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century, it depicts the fate of all those 1500 people who were lost forever beneath the ice-cold waters of the Atlantic. Entwined within the pages of this tragedy, is the immortal love story of Jack and Rose. A love that transcends the forces of Nature, a love that will live on forever.

Cameroon’s story develops around this love. It is the life-story of Rose, the love-story of Rose, the story of how she found and lost her only love in the TITANIC. Cameroon takes time to develop his script and bring out the three-dimensionality of each character. Some critics have severely complained about the length of the movie. Their complaint also seems to be in regards of historical inaccuracies. The chief thing to consider is that this is a story of love, tragedy and despair; NOT a Discovery channel documentary. The Slow Pacing, as referred to by critics, is extremely necessary, as you can identify your thoughts with the feelings of each character. TITANIC was the Ship of Dreams. To be able to be on it was something to pride on. This joy, this very feeling of happiness and pleasure, is reflected in the first half of the movie. Cameroon also clearly introduces the aspect of Class-difference in those days. Whereas aristocracy found its pleasure in traditional dining and conversation, the lower class had a free spirit and found its own happiness in group dances and celebration. Each such detail is duly scrutinized by Cameroon.

The Sinking has been termed as too-long. But, then again, you get to see, to feel the despair, the fear and the hope to live. This is a movie where one cannot hope for fast-pace and quality both at the same time. Fans of action-movies, WWE or fast-paced comedies will certainly not find this movie to their taste. One requires that certain depth of the heart to merge with each character, to feel their desperation and sense of loss.

Reviewers have pointed out minor technical faults and exaggerated them to a point of defaming the movie. Certainly, there are flaws. But if one sits with the remote control of the DVD player in the hand with a view of finding flaws, I am sure that he/she will succeed in finding flaws even with the best of classics. TITANIC’s technical faults are definitely there, but they are very minute, and when they are compared to the excellent direction, the minute precision of cinematography and the in-depth analysis of the feelings of the characters, those flaws indeed seem like a droplet of water in the vast ocean. The photography and special-effects are so realistic that one starts pondering on the veritability of the sequences. The Iceberg and the scenes at Southampton look astoundingly authentic. The word Titanic inscribed on each plate, linen and kerchief all contribute to create the atmosphere of credibility. Even the Breaking of the Ship during sinking maintains the realistic degree of technicality. When the bodies freeze in the water, the scene looks so sorrowfully real. The bluish faces of the people, the look of fear frozen in their eyes makes one shiver with sorrow.

The performances have also been the subject of much criticism. True, Leonardo’s acting leaves a little room for improvement, but only a little. Winslet’s performance as Rose is very strong. Her caged torment, longing for freedom, discovery of true love and his loss; each aspect is duly brought to life by Kate Winslet. “There is a boat Jack, Jack ……Jack”, makes you hope that he is alive, hope that he will open his eyes; but she realizes he is no more; her voice cracks from a strong and hopeful Jack to a choked cry of pain Jack. The very veritability of the performance owes itself to the talents of Miss Winslet. Billy Zane is good as the anti-hero Cale Hockley. He is everything a sophisticated, pig-headed and egoistic man should be.

The two most powerful performances are those of Kathy Bates as Molly Brown and Gloria Stuart as Old Rose. The former, in her short role, really creates an impression. “I don’t understand the one of ya. Its your men out there.” Her very character is the pillar of strength and hope, and Bates portrays it marvelously. Even at the age of ninety-two, Stuart’s performance is stunning. Her expressions and throw of words are very moving and evokes a feeling deep within the heart. In the end, when she climbs up the ship’s railing and lets go of the diamond, the sound of “Ah” escapes her throat. That very sound sends chills of sorrow down the spine. There is so much depth, so much emotion and pain in that one sound. How reviewers could criticize performances as excellent as these is totally beyond me! Minor faults in the acting of the two protagonists are masked by the wonderful direction and are hardly noticeable. But then again, if one sits with the wish of only finding the flaws, that’s another story.

Even James Horner’s soul-searching score has been the subject of criticism. I acknowledge its similarity to BRAVEHEART, but the themes of TITANIC are a lot more haunting, deep and meaningful. The due credit for this goes to Sissel Kyrkjebo. Horner’s magic and Sissel’s voice add so much emotion, depth and character to the score. The music haunts you, mesmerizes you and makes you cry.

What has been branded as Cheap Emotion by critics, I call the beauty and chastity of human love. Subtle touches of sentiments give the movie a divine grace. The yearning, the desperation and the sorrow makes the audience spell-bound. A Poor Mother brings her Frozen Child and asks the Captain, “Sir, what shall I do with him?” An old man and woman are lying on the bed. He embraces her lovingly as the water engulfs them. They are happy to die side-by-side. The musicians keep playing, (amongst them, a little boy included) because it is their duty to keep the people merry. They play even when they know that within some time they will die. The tear-bringing depth of each of these moments is the actual highlight and show what a wonderful movie TITANIC indeed is.

The Love-Story seems to be the point where the reviewers have addressed the most criticism. Again, I say the tale of blooming ethereal love is the movie’s main theme, NOT the Documentary of how TITANIC sank. “What is true love?” the movie depicts that. Rose promised Jack that she would live her life, make lots of babies, watch them grow and die an old woman, warm in her bed. “I’ll never let go, Jack”, was her promise. And she keeps it. Even as her spirit longs to be one with him, she endures her worldly life, only because that had been her promise to her love. The strength of her LOVE lies in her SACRIFICE. After the tragedy, she calls herself ‘Rose Dawson’. She does not embrace death, but endures the pains of the worldly life; she keeps the LAST WORD she had given to her true love, her only love. “A Woman’s Heart is a Deep Ocean of Secrets.”

Cameroon explores various aspects of love in this movie; a Mother’s love for her Child, the love between an old man and woman; but he highlights the love of Jack and Rose as a symbol of everlasting love. This forms the theme of TITANIC.

Most critics have also misinterpreted The Ending. As Old Rose throws the diamond into the Ocean, she lets go of all the memories of her material life. In the end, she lies DEAD on her bed (just as she had promised Jack she would die) and after her death, her spirit goes and unites with her beloved in the TITANIC; with all those who had drowned; with the smiling little girl who had died. Her spirit, which had suffered at being apart from her one true love, finally re-unites with him in the Ship of Dreams.

The reviewers, who have been so hard-hearted with their ratings of the movie, I am certain that even they had been nail-biting in the hope that Carpathia would come and rescue the few who survived; that somehow, Jack and Rose would live. But Cameroon refrains from giving us a fairy-tale ending and instead, depicts that True Love is Everlasting. So my final statement to all critics (some of who are Painters) is instead of trying to judge the realism of the Surviving Charcoal sketch, to explore and understand the imploring depth and meaning of this unique masterpiece.