MovieChat Forums > Titanic (1997) Discussion > My thoughts on common objections.

My thoughts on common objections.

posted a year ago by lukaskm (37)
11 replies | jump to latest

Don't get me wrong. I think disliking this movie is completely justifiable. If you're one of those people who gets turned off by teenage romances and likes historical fiction movies with a documentary feel to them like Gods and Generals, you better stay away from Titanic. (1997)

That being said, I don't think a teenage romance is always a bad thing...if it's well written. Rose is a flawed but sympathetic protagonist. Sometimes she can make scatterbrained decisions because she's young and human but I still found myself caring about her to the end. I especially liked the scene where she hesitates before going back to the floor where Jack is trapped with the axe when she sees the water is deeper. It illustrated how courage is being afraid but facing your fear, nonetheless. She knew she was partly to blame since her juvenile provoking of Cal with the drawing and note set Jack's imprisonment in motion, so she faced up to the consequences and risked her life for him instead of only thinking about her own safety.

As for common objections. Here's how I feel.

1. "That damn door!!!"

In real life, they could probably have both fit on the door. But judging from that scene, it kept flipping over because it couldn't hold both their weight. So Jack gave it up to Rose so she could dry off since that was the chivalrous thing to do. It's easy to speculate about what you'd do in a life threatening situation but you really don't know what you'd do until you found yourself faced with that situation.

2. "There are starving children in Africa and you toss a priceless gem in the ocean!!!"

Well technically, the naysayers have a point but who's to say Rose DIDN'T do philanthropic work? The casting of the necklace in the ocean was symbolic of how she has finally made peace with the past. Now that she has told her story, she doesn't have to be haunted by any of those memories anymore.

3. "Gee...I feel sorry for Rose's husband at the end."

We never see Rose breathe her last or hold an object in bed and let it fall. So we don't know if she died in her sleep at the end even if she was 101. She could have lived for another two or three years for all we know. She could have just been dreaming at the end of being reunited on the ship with all the others.

Rose didn't stay stuck after Titanic. She changed her name, started her life over and learned to love again and that is exactly what Jack would have wanted for her.

There's a really great fanfiction story out there called "Absolution" which serves as a sequel to Titanic. It tells how Rose fended for herself in New York City, how she makes sense of her relationships, flashbacks, how she recovers from the trauma, the new friends she makes and the man who became her husband. Every Titanic fan ought to check it out. I felt, I got to know more about Rose in this story than in the actual movie!

https://bbb101.tripod.com/absolution.htm

[–] blindfolded (1618) a year ago

My quibble is your #2.

It really doesn't matter how philanthropic she was (and there is really no indication that she really was).

That's a fortune that could have helped even more people and not to mention her descendents.

That's like saying "whelp I've donated to charity enough to be satisfied, so I'm going to light this gigantic pile of money on fire as a symobic resolution of my past and completely snuffing out any good this wealth could have brought others."

[–] PaladinNJ (21509) a year ago

Trouble is the minute she sold it, she gives up her anonymity. And then they drag her back to the life she fled from.

[–] blindfolded (1618) a year ago

In 1997 as a 101 year old who was no longer being forced into marriage by family...I doubt it.

She'd have to commit to some ribbon cuttings and some dinners and make a couple one minute speeches, but that's it.

And even then she always has the "Im too old and fragile" excuse in her handbag ready to go.

[–] PaladinNJ (21509) a year ago

But at 1010, she no longer needs it and her family has done fine without it. This gives her closure. She returns it to where she got it from and no one is the wiser.

The alternate ending would have just been plain dumb. They'd have tackled her to stop her from throwing it away, 101 be damned.

[–] blindfolded (1618) a year ago

Yeah, it wouldn't be about her, its made clear whatever the case she didnt need it.

That's a significant amount of money that makes the world better. I think Rose would consider that closure, helping as many people who are fortunate enough to be living their lives

And I don't care about the alternate ending. All they really needed to do was show she still had it. Hell, she could have even been on the deck with an ambiguous look about her holding the stone. There was no need to toss it, even story wise, it seems a little too ham fisted.

[–] Lancecam88 (82) 2 months ago

How exactly would that happen? How can they drag her back against her will?

[–] Lancecam88 (82) 2 months ago

How exactly would that happen? How can they drag her back against her will?

[–] Lancecam88 (82) 2 months ago

How exactly would that happen? How can they drag her back against her will?

[–] Lancecam88 (82) 2 months ago

How exactly would that happen? How can they drag her back against her will?

[–] blue1981 (7735) a year ago

1. The movie was Romeo and Juliet on the Titanic and someone had to die. I guess it had to be Jack.
2. Ive never heard that complaint before. Either way Rose didn't want the diamond Necklace because it came from Cal and she wasn't going to give it to Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) either.
3. Rose was a widow by that point so who cares.

[–] blindfolded (1618) a year ago

2. "Well, my options are just those two people. Oh well."

[–] samoanjoes (56645) a year ago

#2. Entering a pawn shop and selling off the necklace doesn't have the same effect. You're supposed to yell, "no, don't throw it in the water!"

[–] yg (38) 5 months ago

As for the common objections on the list:

1. "That damn door!!!"

In real life, it's fair to say that many people, if not most, are not going to sacrifice their lives to save a stranger they've only known for a couple of days. As a wise man would have said in this scenario, "I don't want anybody to die. But if I gotta get on that door, and you're in my way, one way or the other, you're gettin' outta my way."

2. "There are starving children in Africa and you toss a priceless gem in the ocean!!!"

While starving children in Africa and starving people in general are pretty much irrelevant to many of us, assuming Rose felt the same way (and even if she didn't), there is still the issue of her family which typically comes first to many people. The symbolic gesture itself was rather mawkish to inane degree and even sillier when you factor in her family. After making peace with her past, she could have just as easily tossed that priceless gem to an heir, physically or in a will, contributing to the financial security of her progeny.