AFB – Titanic

An Auto-Film-Biography that follows the movies that create someone who loves movies.

If I’m honest my journey that follows the films that made me love films ends with Titanic. At the time I didn’t know it was uncool or unmanly to like Titanic. And I love it.

I remember in university going to see Training Day with a few people. A few were drama majors. Afterwards I was talking about how much I enjoyed it. I’m a sucker for phrases like “I’mma get that gun and then I’m gonna get that money.” And those many scenes where we only see Denzel Washington’s and Ethan Hawke’s eyes to tell us how what they say isn’t necessarily how they feel; and that we must constantly consider perception from truth.

The drama majors hated it. My friend said: “They just don’t like things that make money.” It’s the foundation behind people who may hate things simply because they are popular. “Haters gonna hate.” Similarly, do bands that go mainstream and make money stop making good music? Are James Cameron’s movies bad because they’re popular?

In my world lovers are gonna love.

For those unaware Titanic was the largest ship built (at the time in 1912) touted as “unsinkable.” But on her first trip she hit an iceberg and sank resulting in the death of 1500 passengers. People were so convinced Titanic was invincible that in one survivor account they said that people were standing against the railings of the ships watching, even as half the bow was underwater because they were sure the ship was unsinkable. It was only when the ship snapped in half that they panicked.

The movie Titanic begins with grainy re-shot footage of the real Titanic leaving port. Writer/Director James Cameron approached the film with five years of research and unfurls Titanic a bit like a manipulative teacher. There’s even a brief CG lecture of how the Titanic sank with technical details. But we begin Titanic in the present. We first meet treasure hunter Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) a treasure hunter who is investigating Titanic’s wreckage for a diamond called “The Heart of the Ocean.” The footage we see is of the actual Titanic which Cameron once quipped, “secretly, what I wanted to do was I wanted to dive to the real wreck of Titanic – that’s why I made the movie.” 101-year old survivor Rose (Gloria Stuart) is Brock’s best link to the diamond necklace because she was wearing it the day the Titanic sank. The movie is basically her survivor story.

I remember in 1997 people saying “why would I want to go see the movie? I already know the ship sinks.” Rose tells us why: “Of course, the experience of it was somewhat different.” Cameron’s trick is to invest us in being there. And a survivor’s story of monumental tragedy is something people like to hear. That and a good love story.

I’ve read that Steven Spielberg and James Cameron are directors who can tap into the collective unconscious of the mass moviegoing audience. Steven’s approach has more warmth to it; we feel like we’re all kids sitting in a sandbox telling stories with sun-stained figurines. Cameron’s approach seems more scientific. As though he dissected a brain and did psychological testing to come to his understanding of moviegoers. Maybe that’s why he’s reportedly so dictatorish on sets – psychology is a tricky thing to navigate even if you have a map. And Cameron knows exactly what each turn should be. But don’t misunderstand me: Jim can put his hands on my brain ANY TIME.

And part of of Cameron’s map includes lovers from different worlds overcoming barriers (think Romeo and Juliet). Jack (Leonardo Dicaprio) is a handsome, poor, talented, and brave young man. Rose (Kate Winslet) is a beautiful, assertive woman who is marrying into the kind of wealth you’d equate with royalty (the cost of the most expensive Titanic suites adjusted for inflation would be $75,000 today). Jack can’t have her. Not only is she taken she’s literally out of his class. Rose must choose between security and happiness. Ian Hodder wrote that men like Titanic because “we cheer as he courts a girl who was out of his league. We admire how he suggests nude modeling as an excuse to get naked.” Personally, I’ve always felt that the repeat viewings that accompanied Titanic‘s 1.8 billion dollar gross is that (SPOILER) people connected with the love story so strongly that, once one of the lovers died, people went back so they can see them alive and together again. (END SPOILER).

There’s this scene in the movie where a camera flows through the sea of characters and finishes by panning up into bright ceiling lights. I’d been getting a bit choked up before that, but fought it off. I was in a public theatre and with a few people I’d only just met. As that light hit the screen I cried. I’d not been overcome quite like that before, and not since.

When Titanic came out on VHS I bought it the first day it came out. I watched it over and over. No one told me that it wasn’t cool to do so, but I don’t care. I’d loved and re-watched Forrest Gump, Mortal Kombat, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, King Kong, Short Circuit, Hook, Terminator 2, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Princess Bride, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Roxanne, The Goonies, Condorman, and Pretty Woman many times. But not since Three Amigos did I watch any with tireless repetition. Titanic brought me back to that first love of movies and created a new plateau that acts as a springboard into every movie I’ve seen since.

This is the last Auto-Film-Biography post. I know a few have been reading since the beginning and I really appreciate your time and your comments. I told my friend that this was the last and he seemed sad. Don’t worry. I’m going to switch over into doing weekly reviews of new movies using of some of the things I learned here with your help and feedback. It’s been a great project. I’m glad my Mom suggested it (thanks Mom). Thanks also to 2 Guys 1 Movie for letting me get this done faster by posting with them for one week. That was the highlight of this project for me. And of course, thanks for reading.