Titanic | Teen Ink

Titanic

March 16, 2009
By JaySwag GOLD, Lindenwold, New Jersey
JaySwag GOLD, Lindenwold, New Jersey
10 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all"


The Titanic could have been so much more if the director chose to incorporate more of the seriousness of the event and all the lives lost. Instead, he chose to create a normal 'Cinderella' type love story where a simple man, Jack, falls in love with someone who is in a higher class than him. By creating such a love story the director feels that he is connecting the viewers to the event. He is wrong. In truth, the love story takes away from the emotional impact that the viewer should feel. According to Titanic-Facts.com Over 1500 lives were lost in the true event of the titanic, we, as viewers, only notice no more than two.

With all this said the Titanic is not a complete disaster. They succeed in showing everything on such a large scale. By creating an actual replica of the ship you get a clear picture of how large the ship. At one point in the movie, when the Titanic is sinking, the cameras go back to show that even a flare was barely noticeable. The crew had the ability to flood the set multiple times. They also incorporated facts from the actual event, which was nice. According to Titanic-Facts.com, the crew received information about ice in the vicinity and this was incorporated into the film. In an interview with the Director of Photography, he said that they tried to work with as much real materials they could, meaning they tried to stay away from computer effects. It should also be noted that the actors and actresses did a great job. They put themselves back in the time and learned how to walk, eat, and act, as the victims of the titanic would have done. The back-up actors and actresses seemed to be able to portray the true event better than the two main characters. There was one particular section in the movie where the actors where able to display the natural chaos, fear, and sadness of the event.

This was when they water began to come in at a rapid rate and death was inevitable. There was a scene in this section when an elderly couple lay down together in bed and hugged each other as the water burst through their window. There was also another when two small children and their mom did the same thing and the mother told them stories about how they would be happy and that they would always be together. Some of the upper class also chose to stay. They said, 'We are dressed in our best clothes and ready to go down as gentlemen.' These scenes showed the sadness that the whole movie should have show. Chaos and fear were also portrayed well in one scene. Both the crew and the passengers had become scared and were willing to do anything for life. In one scene a crewmember shoots a passenger and then himself.

In a whole, I was disappointed with the Titanic. The directors distort the history and take away from the true sadness of the event by attempting to make us sympathize with Rose and Jack. It may have worked on most but it did not work on me. Some may feel that a two star rating is harsh and that it is unsympathetic; however the movie itself is unsympathetic. The only time the Titanic succeeded in making me feel sad for the victims was the scenes I mentioned, but every time Jack and Rose stepped on the scene the film was ruined. The Titanic is nothing more than a two star love story with a true disaster coming second, while in reality the disaster should be first. Overall the Titanic is a sad attempt at recreating the disaster and the only thing it does succeed at is making a mockery of the real event.


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This article has 2 comments.


_naomi_ said...
on Oct. 1 2009 at 9:04 pm
I think that the Titanic was a great movie! If the director wouldn't have incorporated the main characters and love story the movie, it would have been just another history show. If there was no love story in this movie, it wouldn't be interesting and you would not be able to connect to the setting and strong emotions displayed. By watching this movie, you feel what it would be like to be a guest aboard the Titanic, wealthy or in poverty. When you said, "...take away from the true sadness of the event by attempting to make us sympathize with Rose and Jack." This is a false statement because by doing this the director shows us what it would really be like to be there, freezing to death, watching the one you love dying in your arms. How else would he portray the sad loss of this event without showing you the grief of each person individually.

on Jun. 5 2009 at 8:31 pm
E.L.W. PLATINUM, Glen Allen, Virginia
31 articles 0 photos 59 comments

Favorite Quote:
Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels.
The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes -
the ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo.
They push the human race forward.

I felt the same way about this movie -- it was unrealistic and love-y dove-y as opposed to historical and devastating. It was sappy and showed little accuracy. YOu just about summed it up!