Titanic

Titanic is a 1997 disaster film directed, written, co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS Titanic. I personally think the movie turned out extremely well for one person to oversee all of these aspects of it. It is still considered one of the greatest movies of all time today. As I am writing this blog, I am listening to the Titanic soundtrack, and it reinforces my opinion of why I think Titanic is the greatest movie to represent an extraordinary piece of art. To begin with, the music itself can evoke a very strong emotion out of an individual, which most true art does. James Horner is a true professional by creating the rhythm, tone, notes, and being able to relate it to the screen, so it moves concurrently with the action of the movie. I personally think that the music would still be a very powerful tool to tell a story on its own, even if there were no screen shots involved. Imagine all the trials and errors that went into creating the piece and then recording it with the orchestra.

Next, if one has seen the movie, one might agree that the actors portray the people so realistically that the audience can’t help but feel attached to the victims when the tragedy happens. I spend the entire second half in worrying and feeling very sorry for the people in the movie. The movies made me think of how the actual event occurred and what type of a horrifying experience that must have really been. People were forced to forsake some of their loved ones and friends, the way the safe boats were divided by class.

In some movies, like the Scorpion King, or Dooms Day, I could tell when someone was over acting and pushing too hard. In Titanic, the lines and actions seemed to come naturally to all the actors. Obviously, I knew they were all acting, but I think there is a level when the viewer starts to feel as if he is peeking into the past and watching the event unfold in front of his own eyes, rather than the television screen.

Titanic was filmed in the late 1990’s, and I believe back then the film studios were not as advanced technology wise as they are now. I think Titanic surpassed its limitations concerning special affects in its time. Granted, sometimes I could tell which parts were fake. For example, in the beginning when the camera spans over the entire ship, I could tell it was a ship model, but when I was younger, I didn’t know that because the people were still moving on top of it. Also, they filmed it so well that the ship looked very realistic against the water. The ocean looked very authentic. Another reason why I think, the audience might have an easier way of forgetting that it is a movie and feel like they are actually there.

Overall, Titanic is a love story that is tied into a very well known historical tragedy. It encompasses all the areas true art does. It evokes emotion and also shows an incredible amount of thought that was put into it. Titanic embodies the best of a film’s music, special affects, acting, directing, screenwriting, etc.