Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Titanic
Some months ago, Ben expressed the desire to watch James Cameron’s Titanic. I’m not sure why, but he definitely wanted to, and since it’s difficult to get him to watch new movies, we looked for a good opportunity. A couple of weeks ago, the HD version became available for download on DirecTV so I downloaded it and we watched it on a Sunday night.
I’ve seen the movie many times but not for a few years. What struck me most this time was how unbelievably hackneyed the dialogue was in the modern day framing scenes. These are the scenes where Bill Paxton leads an expedition to recover the fabled lost blue diamond believed to be in the wreckage of the Titanic, bringing an elder Rose to the ship to tell her tale. As a device to frame the story, it’s brilliant and crucial to the understanding of what’s happening in the flashbacks. But the dialogue is so cliché and Bill Paxton so portentous, it was painful and a little embarrassing to watch.
The 1912 scenes are great, however, if a little bit too “perils of Pauline” as Rose and Jack keep escaping the lower decks only to find themselves right back there and having to escape time and again. The drama works, and the fate of the ship and passengers is harrowing, tragic and poignant. The scene at the end where (recently departed) Rose joins Jack, the passengers and crew on the grand staircase gets me very time.
Ben liked it and watched all three hours of it without getting bored. That right there is a huge testament.
But I still feel like old-lady Rose was kind of a dick at the end for throwing a priceless historical artifact into the ocean.
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3 comments:
Thank you! I like this movie probably more than I should, but Rose could've ensured the well-being of her family for generations with that rock. Instead...dick move.
Heck, she could have ensured the well-being of quite a few small towns!
What I appreciate about the movie is that Cameron didn't forget the human moments in all the spectacle. There's three shots I really love.
The first comes when the lookouts, while joking with each other, slowly start to notice the iceberg looming ahead. The slow dawn of comprehension and fear is really well shot and acted.
The second is a moment from Michael Ensign who has the small role of Benjamin Guggenheim. Having (bravely) determined to go down with the ship like a gentleman, he sits (with his hapless manservant, who was, I hope, given a choice in the matter) near the grand staircase. There's a quick tightening shot of him looking on in astonishment and fear as the water rushes in, as if he's just realizing his fate.
Finally, Kathy Bates as Molly Brown sits in one of the lifeboats and watches the Titanic lift to vertical in the water. "God almighty" she says, a very human acknowledgement of what would have been an incredible sight.
These moments are, for me, why the movie works.
Luckily, that astronaut went down and got that necklace for Britney, so all is well!
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