Drew Rhea
Professor Corna
MFS 222
July 2022
Film Analysis
Titanic is a 1997 romance based on the true story of the tragic crash and sinking of the R. M. S. Titanic in 1912. Titanic was a passenger ship that carried over 2,240 people. When she struck an iceberg and sank, 1,504 of those passengers were killed. The film follows the story of two fictional passengers, Jack and Rose, and shows their romance unfold and end in disaster.
The first act shows divers dedicated to exploring the wreckage of the Titanic are aboard a tiny boat, navigating a small submarine in the waters deep below them. The remote-controlled submarine has a camera that shows real footage of the wreckage, including shattered glass, intact dining areas, and countless sealife enjoying what they have made their new home. The divers are on the hunt for the coveted Heart of the Ocean, a necklace worn by a first-class passenger. The necklace has a rare blue diamond in it that is worth millions of dollars. They find a safe and believe that they have found the jewel, but are surprised when they crack it open and find a drawing of a nude woman instead. News channels who are covering the story show the picture on national TV, asking the public if anyone recognizes the person in the drawing. Rose Dawson, an elderly woman, sees this and can hardly believe it. She calls the tipline provided and tells the divers that she is the woman in the photo, much to their excitement.
The second act begins with Rose running away from Cal and Ruth, distraught. She climbs over the railing on the back of the ship, prepared to jump and end her life. Jack appears and tries to talk her out of it. He is successful, but, while Rose is climbing back onto the deck, she slips and is left dangling. Jack rushes to help her and pulls her back onto the deck. Rose is quickly collected by staff and taken away to first class to be cared for. Later, Rose thanks him and invites him to a first-class dinner as a way to pay him back. He attends and the disdain from Cal and Ruth is apparent. He seems unfazed and remains happy as he enjoys his food and the conversation. Later, Jack and Rose sneak off to third class together and Rose has an incredible time. She and Jack begin to fall in love despite Rose’s engaged status and their difference in finances. Rose is seen happy for the first time. Cal has Rose followed and she is soon found out, scolded by her mother and Cal. She is banished from seeing Jack again. Soon, tragedy strikes as the Titanic hits an iceberg and acquires fatal damage. The ship is sinking, and everyone is ordered to follow emergency protocol. Cal and Jack have a confrontation. Cal handcuffs Jack to a steel pole in the lower deck, trapping him in the freezing waters as they flood the boat. Rose refuses to board a lifeboat until Cal reveals where Jack is. She runs away from Cal and her mother and finds Jack. They make a plan to escape the ship together.
The third and final act is the most tragic. The RMS Titanic sinks and Rose and Jack are stranded in the icy water. Rose is on a floating door in a life jacket while Jack is hanging onto the door while submerged in the freezing water. He dies, and Rose releases his hand and lets him sink. She gets off of the door and swims to a deceased man in a life jacket who is wearing a whistle. She removes the whistle from his corpse and begins blowing it, desperate to capture the attention of one of the lifeboats. She faintly yells for help and blows the whistle until she is rescued. She arrives on land and is transported to her location. The camera then shows her again as an elderly woman lying peacefully in a warm bed. Photos of her and her loved ones surround the bed, and she has a calm and relaxed look on her face. As she dies, she imagines the Titanic, back in its original pristine condition. She is young again and dressed her best, descending the elegant main staircase. As she makes her way down the stairs, a young Jack Dawson turns toward her, extending his hand. They embrace each other and kiss. Rose dies.
Throughout the film, Rose and Jack want terribly to be together. Due to their difference in social status and rigid opposition by Rose’s party, they are unable to.
Plot point 1 is shown when Rose is at the front of the boat contemplating jumping off. She climbs over the railing in preparation to jump. Jack approaches and begins speaking to her, attempting to talk her out of it. He tells her that if she jumps, he’s going to jump in after her. Rose is defiant and emotional and threatens that if Jack gets any closer, she’ll do it. They continue talking and eventually Rose calms down and Jack successfully convinces her to not kill herself and to climb back onto the deck. Rose turns and attempts to climb back on, but loses her grip and slips. She is now dangling off the back of the ship. She begins screaming as Jack rushes to pull her up, assuring her repeatedly that he won't let her fall. He successfully lifts her back onto the boat as multiple crew members arrive in response to Rose’s screams. They see a first class woman breathless, shoeless, and in tears, and they see a third class male with his arms on her, and they assume the worst. The crew shoos Jack away and the scene ends.
Plot point 2 is shown when Rose stands up against Cal and her mother and proclaims that she wants to be with Jack. They run off together, excited to enjoy the rest of the journey to New York, only to be interrupted by the ship crashing.
Rose Calvert is the main protagonist. She is introduced in the beginning of the film as an elderly woman. She is seen watching the news on a television in her home, and she spots herself on the screen, portrayed in a drawing done in ink. We see her place a phone call and tell the people, who discovered the drawing, that that’s her in the drawing. Jack Dawson is another protagonist, introduced in the first act, shown playing poker with a group of men. He wins a ticket to the Titanic and rushes to the ship where he is sent to the bottom level, third class.
Our antagonists include Cal Hockley, Rose’s fiancee. He is introduced to us early in the film having already boarded the ship. He appears looking very clean cut, wearing a nice suit and drinking a short glass of liquor. He stands in Rose’s doorway and verbally criticizes the art that Rose chose to bring and put on the walls of her suite. Rose’s mother, Ruth is another antagonist in the film, seen adamantly scrutinizing Rose’s every move and life choice.
One plant in the film is Jack winning a game of poker with a third class ticket to the R. M. S. Titanic as one of the prizes. The payoff is that he gets to board the ship and make his way back home to the United States. Another plant is the drawing Jack does of Rose while they are aboard the ship. The payoff is the picture miraculously being discovered intact over 80 years later, allowing Rose to reclaim one of her most valuable belongings and share her and Jack’s story.
The main confrontation occurs when Rose verbally proclaims that she no longer wants to be engaged to Cal because she is in love with Jack. She tells her mother that she no longer wishes to live the life she is living, regardless of how much money is at her disposal.
The dramatic irony of the film is that Rose and Jack finally end up together, in love. They are free from Cal and Ruth and able to be a couple. Then, the ship sinks and Jack dies in the icy waters, gone forever.