Titanic: Why Does The Movie Is Still Successful In Society, Even 25 Years Later?

It’s been 25 years…

The legendary history of the ill-fated voyage of the luxurious R.M.S.Titanic named “the ship of dreams” and a timeless love story was released twenty-five years ago, written and directed by the visionary director James Cameron. Even after all these years, Titanic still is the world’s most beloved and acclaimed film. 

Throughout the movie, Cameron takes the viewer aboard the ship 84 years after his fateful journey in 1912, from the perspective and memories of a 100 years old lady named Rose Dawson Calvert (Gloria Stuart). Based on the real-life sinking, the vessel was the fanciest and safest already made by White Star Line. But, unfortunately, it tragically sank on it´s way to the United States in the early hours of 15 April 1912. 

Returning to Titanic in 1912, the viewer follows the journey of seventeen years old Rose (Kate Winslet), who belongs to an aristocratic family, and the artist Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio). They fall hard for each other while aboard the ship, but the tragic sinking of the vessel awaits them. Thus was born the most popular cinematography romance of all time. 

Some of Titanic’s scenes are especially timeless for those movie lovers, such as the passionately innocent romance scenes between the couple, like the iconic “I’m flying, Jack!” and many others throughout the three hours and fourteen minutes of the film. 

To celebrate the movie 25^th anniversary, it was re-released in theaters for a limited time on February 10, 2023, remastered in 4K digital 3D HDR with Dolby Atmos sound. In a promotional video, the cast and filmmakers reflect on the epic cinematographic experience of Titanic. 

“There’s only one Titanic. I knew I had to do this movie, but what’s my hook? And then it popped into my head, it’s a love story. I walked into the studio and I said Romeo and Juliet on that ship’. And the rest is history”, said Cameron. 

For the producer Jon Landau, “people associate Titanic with a great love story. Jim wrote a story that is timeless. The issues that it deals with, the cross-class love story, it’s still relevant today”. 

In a review made by Rotten Tomatoes, an American review-aggregation website for film and television, the film received 88% Tomatometer (this score represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show) and 69% audience score. Critic´s consensus says the movie is “a mostly unqualified triumph for James Cameron, who offers a dizzying blend of spectacular visuals and old-fashioned melodrama”. 

The American musician and composer James Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was responsible for the Titanic’s iconic and emotional soundtrack. “My Heart Will Go On”, the film’s signature song co-writer by Will Jennings, was immortalized in the voice of Céline Dion and ended up winning the Oscar for Best Original Song and two Golden Globe Awards. Horner also received the Oscar for Best Original Dramatic Score and three Grammy Awards. 

The worldwide phenomenon was rewarded with fourteen Oscar’s nominations and eleven wins; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score and Best Original Song. Titanic It is one of the three most awarded films at this ceremony, and the other two are Ben-Hur (1959) and The Lord of the Rings- The Return of the King (2003). All of them won eleven statues. Cameron’s film is also on the list of the ten biggest box office hits in cinema, occupying the fourth position with a lifetime gross of $2,255,734,210. 

According to the director, it’s the tragedy that draws attention. “It is the beauty of love that ends tragically. There is something so much more powerful about a love story that contains loss.”

Titanic’s simplicity is what makes it last all these years. The film’s beauty is in your sentimentalism, sometimes kind of corny, a simple love story. 

“You jump, I jump, remember?”

It is eternal. 

Facts about the film

• The Titanic crew had one take to capture the famous scene of water crashing through the grand staircase because the entire set was going to be destroyed. Luckily, the shot was nailed.

• Throughout the movie, Rose says “Jack” eighty times (including Kate and Gloria’s lines). In contrast, Jack says “Rose” fifty times.  

• The actress Gloria Stuart (old Rose) was the only person on set alive when Titanic sank in 1912. She was only two at the time. 

• The film cost $200 million to make. In contrast, the cost to construct the ship between 1910-1912 was about $7.5 million, which averaged between $120 to $150 million in 1997. 

• James Cameron was the skilled artist behind Jack’s drawing of Rose. 

• Jack Dawson was almost played by Jeremy Sisto (Clueless), Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise and even Brad Pitt. But obviously , no one can fit Jack better than Leo, thank goodness! 

• Kate and Leo’s first interaction on set was kind of awkward (It wasn’t intentional). “I was having my makeup put on – with nothing on – and there was Leo. He saw me and went, ‘Whooa!’ and I said, ‘We’re going to spend the whole day like this; we might as well get over it now.’ That broke the ice”, Kate told PEOPLE in 1998. 

• The scene in which Jack taught Rose how to spit “like a man” was improvised after James Cameron encouraged the cast to add their personal touches to the script. 

Where to watch?

Star+ (recommended for age 12+)

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The article above was edited by Lorena Lindenberg.

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