The film Titanic 1997 is a one-of-a-kind phenomenon that occurred in human history and ultimately set a gruesome record of a sinking ship in matters of human casualties and deaths reported on a cruise ship. The movie is based on a real-life experience where the Titanic Cruise Ship got to hit an iceberg while crossing the North Atlantic Ocean on its way to the United States of America, specifically New York, as it made its first journey from Southampton to England. Additionally, it is essential to acknowledge that the Titanic had the wealthiest people worldwide. With a record death of over 1500 deaths (Munson., 2023), a significant portion of the world’s one percent met their untimely demise. Together with other nationalities from Europe who sought to get to the United States of America and Canada, the historical R.M.S. Titanic got to set a divergent view of the rich versus the poor.
The story ends with the romantic intertwining of the two classes of people, i.e., the upper class and the lower socioeconomic classes (Alius et al., 2022), and the undying love between Jack and Rose gets the audience more intrigued with the film. Nevertheless, there is the demise of Jack, a member of the poor social and economic class of people, who succumbs to hypothermia. In contrast, Rose, a member of the rich and wealthy class of people, is saved by a lifeboat. Regardless, Rose’s love for Jack is undying. All the audiences worldwide enjoy the theatrical performance, especially because Rose is romantically tied to Cal, who is from her social and economic class, but their love is not as authentic. The issue of economic resources makes the film Titanic 1997 more captivating to the audience (Alius et al., 2022). Therefore, it is examined that the movie is relatable and more enticing to the general audience because of the romanticism and the array of facts surrounding the ship. First, it was considered “unsinkable” as it was the largest and most luxurious. The romantic story between Jack and Rose has facilitated the audience’s imagination, which humanizes the entire story as their love is forbidden (Tyler., 2022). More so, given the standards of the ship and the mystery of the iceberg, which is tied to the sunken ship, most of the audiences are examined to be interested in the specific reason why it sank, given the standards and prestige of the R.M.S. Titanic. In actuality, the audience is left in suspense about whether the “accident” was planned (MENAI., 2021), making the film more captivating, especially considering that Computer Generated Images have been utilized to make the film more relevant to its target audience.
The heartbreaking tragedy is one of the most significant reasons why the film Titanic is compelling to the audience’s interest (He., 2021). The story of Jack and Rose is a humanization of what happened on the cruise ship, as many couples had gone vacationing and honeymooning but got to meet their untimely demise. The audience is captivated through persuasion and entertainment as the forbidden love between the two classes thrills the viewer with Jack being a “low life” who gets the attention of an actual life princess who has known no hard life (Tyler., 2022). The theatrical performance by Jack and Rose makes it possible for the director to “tie” the audience with the storyline, mainly because people traveled from Southampton to New York City to enjoy their courtship, some to enjoy the cruise, whereas others were on a business trip. As it is in the instance of Rose and Cal, there were couples, as it was in the case of the wealthy J.J. Astor, who had traveled with his wife, but the former got to meet his untimely demise. Nevertheless, his wife and child got to survive. The likes of JP Morgan got to “luckily” not board the Titanic while many millionaires died, raising suspicion (MENAI., 2021).
The story of the Titanic through the theatrical lens of the romantic affair between Rose and Jack is captivating to the audience as it personifies what most lovers want to die in the horrific incident; die together in the deep sea. When Rose and Jack get to know one another, the audience is tied and interested in the film. The heartbreaking tragedy makes the movie more interesting as the typical audience will expect a happy ever after between Rose and Jack. However, there is suspense (Sartika et al., 2021). Rose gets to survive, whereas Jack dies of hypothermia, and she is left love-sick for the rest of her life as she relives the short time and romantic moments, they shared whereas on the R.M.S. Titanic.
Additionally, there is the emotional connection that is established between the narrative and the target audience, mainly because the story is examined to be given based on Rose’s personalized account and not on a historical recording, making the story more humane and organic to the audience (Heigl., 2015). The perspective makes the film more connected with the audience as it becomes realistic per the situation the R.M.S. Titanic created. The secondary story of a pauper and a rich socialite woman meeting on an ill-fated ship (He., 2021) intrigues the audience more with the entire storyline. On typical occurrences, it would have been that Rose and Cal have a good time while on board, but the director introduces an illegal romantic affair between Jack and Rose as they cruise across the North Atlantic Ocean. The romance between the rich and the poor makes the film more captivating to the audience, especially because Jack and Rose have to keep their affair a secret throughout the entire voyage.
Additionally, one concept that makes the film Titanic 1997 more captivating to the audience is that the ship hit an iceberg. In contrast, it had all the relevant technology to ensure that such instances were avoided with the help of the radar (https://titanictourbelfast.com/post/4-theories-for-how-the-titanic-could-have-survived). Being an “unsinkable” ship, it is quite strange that the captain steering the ship did not notice they were approaching an iceberg. In relevance to the film, it is almost assumable that the Titanic steered right towards the iceberg, which made the entire ship capsize. More so, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, it realized that the Titanic had a better chance of hitting the iceberg straight on rather than scratching the side of the hull, which became a weak point for the water to ‘sip’ inside and made the ship capsize within hours (N.I.S.T., 2019). Therefore, integrating historical, fictionalized, and theatrical performance makes the film more captivating to the general audience. The director has integrated them so that the audience feels as if they are reliving the ship’s actual sinking, making the audience emotionally connect with the film. With the makers stating that the ship is unsinkable. The attention to detail in the exact moments where the ship was capsizing creates an intensive connection with the audience as all people are typically anxious and want to actually “acknowledge” how the ship sunk as some findings say there is no gash made by the iceberg (Rensberger, The Washington Post 1986). As the sinking is recorded in historical documents, personalized accounts have been integrated with the script and have ensured that the film is more relevant and hence more captivating to the audience. The action of the R.M.S. Titanic sinking was made in a manner that was so accurate, and the attention to detail makes the film even more captivating to the viewer. The accident was recreated to give an insight into how the actual situation happened.
Furthermore, one of the significant reasons why Titanic 1997 is a famous film that connects with the audience is that some people view the accident as a planned incident. First, it is recognized that most of the wealthiest and most influential people were on board, and the death toll was reported to be over 1500 (Munson., 2023), with most of the bodies at sea. The hit of the iceberg and how the accident was managed, especially in managing evacuation, was examined to be shoddy and left many people dead as the audience experiences the climax of the film, which is the actual sinking. The actual sinking makes the audience more interested in the film, especially because the “world’s most luxurious and large ship,” which is unsinkable, was ill-equipped for its maiden voyage across the North Atlantic Ocean. The reputation of being unsinkable was attributed to the water-tight compartments in the hull and the water-tight doors, which could be controlled remotely.
Additionally, the Titanic could carry up to 48 lifeboats. Nevertheless, during the actual sinking, the audience sees that the water-tight compartments and doors are futile, and the total number of lifeboats with accessibility is 20 (Royal Museums Greenwich., nd). What makes the situation more intriguing to the audience is that the collapsible lifeboats were proving hard to launch. The 20 lifeboats could rescue half of the total number of passengers (Royal Museums Greenwich., nd). However, it is examined that most people who reached the lifeboats were the wealthy who were booked for the first class. The rescue was messy, and the audience got to experience how life was lost, making the film more intriguing, as the lifeboats were not filled with people when the ship finally sunk and got submerged by water.
To ensure that Titanic is a captivating movie for its audience, it is examined that other features have been manipulated in the film production and have entirely changed the aesthetics of the film as it has enhanced the entertainment aspect of the film. The film is more captivating to its audience, especially because of the Computer Generated Imagery, which has been used by the director, James Cameron. Interestingly, the entire ship in Titanic 1997 is entirely made out of CGI for the specific details (Robinson ., 2023). For a film to be entirely captivating, it is examined that the movie’s audio and visuals must evoke feelings and responses from the audience who get to “experience” a disaster that has many critical moments which must feel real. In the case of Titanic 1997, it is examined that the studios have been utilized to make the audience feel as if they are experiencing what happened when the mixed reality was created (Rokhsaritalemi et al., 2020).
Special effects generated technologically have been extensively used in filmmaking as the digital attributes made the ship’s sinking more accurate, and the representation of the sinking is given a realistic depiction through technological 3-D effects (Eppel et al., 2022). The director James Cameron is fascinated with shipwrecks and, through the inspiration of the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic, got to recreate what actually happened in a manner that conveys emotional impact on the audience based on the human loss experienced. Specifically, the scenes of the sinking had to be recreated so that the audience would “experience” how a cruise ship sunk, with technology providing room for model tests (Robinson ., 2023). In the use of Computer Generated Imagery, it is examined that the forbidden cross-class love is “brought to life,” especially because Rose and Jack experience gruesome and hostile conditions while in water as they try to find each other to save both their lives. It is examined that Jack goes through thick and thin in an attempt to save Rose, and through CGI’s facilitation, the audience’s emotional aspect is swayed by the experiences both go through, whereas the ship is sinking.
Titanic 1997 is a captivating and intriguing movie that banks its storyline on a historical international shipwreck tragedy and a cross-class forbidden love to ensure the audience remains entertained. The storyline comprises various elements that make the film’s narrative realistic and have an “active interaction” with the audience (Sartika et al., 2021). The significant attributes synthesized and critiqued are critical in ensuring that the audio and visual aspects of the film are interactive with the audience as the facilitation of a heartbreaking tragedy, a forbidden inter-class love, the sinking of an “unsinkable” ship, the possibility of the accident not being an actual accident as it is proven that the iceberg could be avoided given the features of the R.M.S. Titanic, including the number of people who perished, the number of wealthy and elites that died (Dib et al., 2022), and the manipulation of Computer Generated Imagery to recreate the mid-ocean tragedy, are all integral factors as to why the Titanic 1997 has a captivating storyline which is relevant to the audience. Therefore, through the film Titanic 1997, it is examined that the humanistic elements of a story and the integration of technology are important in ensuring that the audience is entertained as the narrative becomes more relatable and interactive to the viewer.
References:
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