Member review

We all know the story of the Titanic. How it sank in the early morning of April 15 1912, taking over 1,500 people down with it. James Cameron directed the movie Titanic. It was a love story set on the ship itself. The movie starred Leornardo DiCaprio (Jack) and Kate Winslet (Rose) and is targeted at older children and adults. The film is over 3 hours long, it was made in 1998 and is sure to pull at your heartstrings as it is a rollercoaster of emotions.

Leornardo DiCaprio started his acting career as a child in 1989. He had only starred in a few television shows in the early 90s, when in 1991 he made his film debut. He acted in 7 films including Romeo and Juliet and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. As for Kate Winslet, she began her acting career later. She studied drama, and in 1991, she had her first screen appearance on the television series Dark Season. She then starred in Heavenly Creatures and Sense and Sensibility, before they both became well known actors globally. In my opinion that they did a great job, showing the fear and emotion. As a result I got caught up in their story. And if they cried or laughed I would too.

I found the film moving in many ways, including the film’s choice of music, how it triggers certain emotions that help tell the story and move along each scene. My favourite scene of the film is at the ending, when old Rose dies in her sleep and dreams that she is with everyone who died that night, including Jack. The way that the scene is filmed adds to the emotion, as it shows Rose’s point of view, and they lead her to the grand staircase where everyone is waiting for her and cheer her on, I found that very moving as it shows that everyone is still there, just in memory and heart.

However, I believe that James Cameron made a minor mistake on one of the scenes, which was when Jack and Rose were stranded in the Atlantic ocean. They found a piece of debris, possibly a door. Only Rose climbed on and Jack didn’t, and that lead to his tragic death in the freezing Atlantic Ocean. However the door may have not been able to carry his weight. Maybe James Cameron could have used a smaller piece of debris, so it wouldn’t be a question needed to ask.

In conclusion, I believe that Titanic is a very well made film. Yes it is long but that is because it is a very important story, about the loss of over 1,500 people and needs to be told right to show the importance of it, and also needs to tell the love story of Jack and Rose (which is what the film is all about). They use great transitions into each time (young Rose to old Rose) and the music helps to tell the story. They don’t just tell Jack and Rose’s story, but the stories of people who really died on the ship including Ida and Isidor Straus, who gave up their spaces on the lifeboat for the other women and children and for each other so they could live and die together. Also the Irish children in bed being told a bedtime story by their mother who knew they were going to die but wanted them to be asleep and die feeling safe and loved. I found that very beautiful as it gives respect to those who really lost their lives that night. Yes, in my opinion James Cameron made the mistake of using a big sturdy door for Rose to lie on, which probably could have carried Jack aswell, but apart from that I believe that this film is perfect.