Titanic (1997)

VHS CASE/SIDE

Length of film:  195 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Romance

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates

IMDB Rank: 7.8/10

Part 1 Time: 108 Minutes

Part 2 Time: 87 Minutes

Where does the first part end? Captain Smith, Bruce Ismay, Thomas Andrews, and 1st Officer Murdoch discuss the damage of the Titanic. Mr. Andrews warns that because of a design flaw, the water will spill over the tops of the bulkheads at E Deck, causing the ship to sink.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: Captain Smith speaks to Bruce Ismay, “Ah, I believe you’ll get your headlines Mr. Ismay.”

First line of dialogue on the second part:  Cal stares at Rose in their suite, slowly walks towards Rose and slaps her on the face “It is a little slut isn’t it, look at me when I’m talking to you!”

How jarring is it when the first part ends? Very little, anyone who knows the history of Titanic knows the ship is going to sink. Mr. Andrews also confirms this in part one’s final scene. We know Rose survives since she is the one telling the story. The only wonders some may have is what will happen to Jack.

Which part is better?  Part one focuses on building relationships between characters especially the love and passion shared by Jack and Rose. The second part focuses on the Titanic sinking and its aftermath. Even by todays standard the sinking scenes of Titanic look very realistic and allow the audience to experience the terror of that frightful night. For this reason part two gets the tip of the hat.

Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing, Best Effects, Visual Effects, Best Music, Original Song, Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, Best Actress (Nominated- Kate Winslet), Best Supporting Actress (Nominated- Gloria Stuart), Best Makeup (Nominated)

National Film Registry: 2017