THE UNSINKABLE TITANIC
Written By: Zehra
Nasirali
Date: 23rd March, 1998
For: Ms. Houslander
Course: ENG-2AI
An 'unsinkable' ship, or supposed to be,
transports a large number of people of different classes, to the wealthy
country of USA. It is on this ship that a true love affair takes place. The
problem is that the heroine is of a higher standard than the hero and she is
engaged to be married - engaged to a stern, stuck-up, rich fellow. This ship is
called the 'Titanic'.
An important element in every movie
is the reality of the characters' acting. Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate
Winsett had great potential in acting; being nominated for 14 academy awards
aces through this element. Leonardo, the poor guy, drew lots of attention
towards himself in the movie. Apart from his looks, his freedom and passion for
Kate was very well indeed played; the role of Kate's fiance was no less.
Moreover, Kate, the lover of two men, was the beauty of the film. Besides her
physical actions, her facial expressions said a lot; you could tell that she
felt what she said, not just merely act out her part. As a character, it's Kate
that I can relate to the most; always being forced to do one thing but pursuing
what I feel is right in my heart is what we both have in common. However, when
it comes to lovers, Kate and I definitely have different shoe sizes. Overall,
the main characters and even the passer-byes in the story were very
realistic.
In my opinion, the most memorable scene is when Kate floats on the
shaft of wood while Leonardo's in the water hanging on to her and the shaft at
the very end. This particular scene is most touching of all. Especially, when
he made her promise to survive while he himself allowed his soul to escape;
when she realized that he was dead, her expression was such that it made
me feel so heartbroken and
sorry for her as she had no choice but to submit the love of her life to the
bottom of the sea and that's when the theater almost drowned its viewers with
tears. Furthermore, this particular scene stands out in my mind.
In the making of every movie a lot of touches must come into
consideration; props, set, costumes, music, and special effects. Without these
the reality and capturing excitement of the movie subsides. Since 'Titanic'
occurred in earlier times where the high class acted superior towards the low
class, the set and costumes must befit the scenes. Because there were different
areas for the three classes, the set was either simple and spartan or lavish
and luxurious. Costumes also said a lot about your personality and class. It's
astonishing to how people ignored Leonardo in his normal shabby clothes but
once he was in that smart, confident suit, every pair of eyes there were in the
ship admired him. Apart from costumes, one main prop that brought the story
into being was the massive, blue sapphire isolated by diamonds in a heart
shape. So even though minor, it comes into great importance, just like music.
You never notice the background music because it is very well coordinated. However,
if they were to play hip hop music at a romantic scene, it would be very
awkward. This is where Celine Dion's hit song- 'My heart will go on' becomes
the theme song of the movie. It suited all scenes especially the scene in which
the Titanic sinks. This brings about the importance of special effects. Without
this the flickering of lights, water gushing through the base of the ship and
overall the splitting of the ship in half, wouldn't be possible which means
that there would be no aggravation for the viewer's excitement and fear. This
is where the importance of these tiny elements come into being.
In every movie there is at least
one message hidden. But in the Titanic, more than one moral is embedded within.
Firstly, royalty cannot buy love, that is the priceless massive locket Kate received
from her fiance. Secondly, there is nothing in this world that can guarantee to
save you life. Whether it be a lifeboat, an airplane or even medicine; there is
always one thing to trigger
it-Lastly,
true love can only happen once and it can last for a lifetime; the lyrics of
the theme song expands on this last moral.
The movie 'Titanic' has captured many
hearts and has filled them with love, romance and fear. The characters are very
well played, and they are the ones who helped achieve its success. Overall,
this movie makes me ponder over many things and I owe it all to the playwright,
also my hats are off to the producer for producing a great movie.