Great Moments From Cinema - 25

Some Enchanted Evening
Movie: Titanic (20th Century Fox, Paramount Pict. & Lighthouse Entertainment; 1997)
Director: James Cameron
Screenplay: James Cameron
Major Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Billy Zane

Film Synopsis: A romantic tale against the backdrop of the great maritime disaster.

My Favorite Moment: DiCaprio and Winslet on the deck at sunset.

Why I Like It: Officially it is the highest grossing film at the box-office. Its worldwide success is unparalleld. It won 11 Academy awards including ‘Best picture’. But besides that, it is also one of the finest made movies ever. A superlative effort, James Cameron has not directed a full-length feature since then. Not surprising, since this is the crowning achievement of his career and can hardly be topped. I often feel that people belittle its success and fail to give the movie its rightful due. However, make no mistake, the ship make not have been unsinkable, but this movie will definitely live forever.

Prior to the film, everyone had either read or heard about the fateful voyage of ‘Titanic’ and could imagine the horror which the passengers might have felt as they waited to die. But Cameron re-creates that moment with chilling realism. He spends almost 90 minutes from the time of the ships impact with the iceberg to its eventual demise, showing the panic, the heroism as well as the sad acceptance of many who know that they were going to drown. At the same time, Cameroon also tells a love story of two people who meet by chance but are doomed by fate. However, his mark as a great director is in making sure that this fictional story never supersedes the real star of the film, which is the ship itself. Yes, the ship is almost a living thing and its presence can be felt in each and every scene. Right from the opening where we first see its ghostly presence, resting at the bottom of the Atlantic, to its grandiose beauty on the day it was launched, ‘Titanic’, the ship has an overwhelming effect on the audience. It is literally a stage on which the rest of the events take place. Even after the collision, as the ship starts sinking, more than the loss of people, one can feel that Cameron is lamenting the death of a beautiful lady made of iron.

Cameron also finds the right note in the romantic plot and it helps that in DiCaprio and Winslet, he has two of the finest actors of this generation. The scene is on the evening of the tragedy. DiCaprio and Winslet share a tender moment where he tells her to step on the ship’s bow, close her eyes, spread her hands apart and then as he holds her from behind and tells her to look, she is over water, gliding, as the ship surges forward with her leading the way. The sky has a surreal color of sunset and the music by James Horner is a heavenly bliss. Winslet expressions as she looks at him convey more of her love than any words could. As they kiss the camera pans across the ship slowly and through CGI, we see transformation to the decay of the present age on the sides. It is one of the most romantic moments from movies, and yet Cameron makes the ship the pivotal thing in the scene and reminds us of the tragedy to follow. Oh, what a great film this is. Too often we let our prejudice against a hugely successful venture cloud our judgment. Leave aside the bias, open your mind and see the masterpiece within. While this is not the greatest movie of all time, with the risk of incurring the wrath of millions, I am going out on a limb and naming this the ‘Best made film of all time’; yes even in a list that includes The Lord of the Rings, The Godfather and Citizen Kane.