Friday 2 March 2012

Titanic (1997) - ★★★★★

Director: James Cameron
Writer: James Cameron
Stars: Leonardo Dicaprio, Kate Winslet, Gloria Stuart, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Bill Paxton

Titanic is a movie that has been described by many people as an epic, heart-wrenching, beautiful masterpiece. I for one absolutely agree with them. This movie is one of the finest crafted cinematic experiences that has ever been created.

The film starts with a shot of the ocean swaying in the moonlight to the beautiful theme of the movie. We then see the real Titanic submerged underwater which is an experience worth the price of a movie ticket in itself. The eerie yet beautiful shots of the halls and bedrooms of the former passengers are a sight to behold.

Throughout the movie we follow a young woman named Rose and a young man named Jack. Rose looks like a refined woman yet she's not afraid to ask questions or get her hands dirty. She's engaged to Caledon Hockley, a chauvinistic, snobby heir to a steel fortune that at first seems to try to love Rose. Jack is a man that Rose describes as having "limited means." He travels with his friend Fabrizio from country to country, barely scraping by. He has an impeccable talent for drawing and an admirable outlook on life.

The story turns into a classic forbidden love triangle between Jack, Rose and Cal which while it may not be an original plot, it is acted with such purity and fluidity that it's as if we're sucked right into the situation with them. With incredible CGI affects of the ship and outstanding hand built replicates of parts of the ship, The Titanic is recreated breathtakingly. Iconic moments such as the 'flying' scene during a pink and orange sunset with Jack and Rose are upon the most recognizable scenes in movie history, and arguably the most beautiful.

When the ship hits the ice-berg and begins to sink, Cameron's true genius shines as the panic sets in among the passengers. The most incredible thing about the sinking scene is that they actually built half of the ship so it could be used for the part when the ships rises and falls. Seeing all of the passengers, some we've seen throughout the movie, run for their lives to the railings of the ship as it starts tilting truly make your heart race.

It is scenes like these that make this movie saw raw and powerful. There have been previous movies made about the Titanic, all legendary in their own right, but none of them displayed the panic of the sinking as honestly and brutally as James Cameron's version of events. Once the ship has been submerged and the screams of the those freezing have all but died, Jack and Rose's love affair is over, and we are all left gutted even though we knew that the story ends with tragedy.

However that is not how the story ends for Jack and Rose, for the true end to their story can only be described as one of the most divine movie endings I have ever seen. Truly, this movie had me fascinated from start to finish. With brilliant performances from Kate Winslet, Leonardo Dicaprio, Billy Zane and Gloria Stuart, Titanic is a movie for the ages and will forever be one of the all time greatest movies ever made. Let's face it, this movie is almost guaranteed to make anyone tear up.

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