How Hearts Go On - Titanic, a Film Review

By Aica Dominic L Pamintuan

"Two thousand two hundred souls on board, sir." What if you are one of those thousands of people on board, not knowing what is happening, not knowing that the unsinkable ship is now sinking? In the movie Titanic by James Cameron, what if you are the captain, an officer or sea men, trying to stay calm, trying to do a better judgement of things, trying to do what is right, trying to save other people's lives before yours? Feeling responsible for what had happen on the ship, guilty but still minding that you are a person, wanting to live, wanting to stay alive, choosing between living and staying on duty? What if you are a first class person, staying at a grand and exquisite suite to be waken up, to be told to go and to wear a life vest go to the port and ride a boat? Then, what if you are from the second class and you are still sleeping soundly on the top part of the bunk bed, despite all the screaming, and then to wake up to a surprise of raging water drowning you to death? What if you are from the third class and you have been warned, and told to wear life vest but are locked up until the last first class passenger would be safe and sound on a boat? Worst, what if you are one of the workers, down in the boiler room, simply following the captain's command, making a living out of the heat, out of the grease, thousands of lives are also in your hands, working so hard without knowing that you are going to be the first one to be killed by the cold and raging water of the Atlantic ocean? They were not given much chance to live, some were not even given a single chance to still breathe for a second. You see, in the world we live, even at the time of death, people still value and mind the class, the rank and the system where in they should not be. This is not an ideal, this is reality.

Down the ocean, Titanic started off at the present times, cameras swarming down the seas encrusting the remains of Titanic, showing off its intricate grave, that looks like a tragically beautiful death and there lies stories waiting to be told and unfold, but the cameras are not into those stories, they are searching off for something that they've been searching for a long time. It's a treasure that is so valuable and so important for them, to them at least. The search led into finding another treasure, a treasure that is not theirs to keep but is a way to find out where their loving treasure is. They found items inside the vault including a portrait of a young woman wearing the item that they are searching for the so called - 'Heart of the Ocean' - a rare and fine diamond necklace of a high worth, indeed a treasure. Through this, they came into a peek and unravel one of the tales of Titanic. Rose DeWitt Bukater is engaged to a prominent young man Caledon Hockley together with Rose's mother they are to voyage to America for the wedding. Rose here is so suffocated and full of everything she thought she already lived her life a thousand times and one time, her life came crashing down and wanted to jump into the ocean and end her life. Here, she meets Jack Dawson, a man who won his ticket, together with his friend, through a game of luck, the poker. This is where Rose's life turned upside down, Jack made her realize that there is more to life, that he is involved that very time, so Jack saved her life. This scenario gave a start to their unsinkable love. As a token of appreciation Caledon Hockley invited Jack to a dinner with the first class people. That night it revealed that it is Cal who gave Rose the 'Heart of the Ocean' a precious diamond, worthy for the woman he loves, and asked Rose to open her heart to him. And the night of the said dinner came so he ate with them fine people that lead to opening up how different is his life from theirs. Yet it is always "to making it count."

That night Rose felt so free and happy as Jack took her to the party of the third class party where Jack regarded it as "a real party." Then, Caledon knew about it, and told Rose that she is her wife, that she should honor him, alone. As well as Ruth, Rose's mother, she told her that Cal's all they have, she don't want to work as a seamstress. So Rose, once again, has nothing to do but to follow her mother's command as she has grown to be. There, Rose started to ignore Jack, but couldn't resist it, Jack confessed his love to Rose, to be rejected at first and to be taken back. There they shared a moment on the ship and flying, without knowing that it is the last time that Titanic would sought daylight. Later that evening, was full of excitement and love. Rose asked Jack to draw a portrait of her wearing only the diamond necklace. Rose told Jack boldly, genuinely and full heartedly that when the ship docks, she is going off with him. Then the time came, Titanic, hit the iceberg, because the ship was in full astern that is why it was so hard for the ship to take a turn. The boiler room was the first one to be flooded followed by the E-deck moving all the way up. Some people did not have any idea that it would be their time of death especially the workers on the boiler room, the 3rd class people sleeping on the E-deck, not given the chance to survive. People are clueless why the attendants are asking them to wear on life belts. Along with this is the captain and officers talking that Titanic will go down in an hour, 2 at most. And Jack being arrested for being accused for stealing the diamond necklace. People panicked. People fought hard to survive. They may have prioritized women and children, but of the first class first. Yet the boats were not enough not even to save half. Rose did not ride the boat, she went on to find Jack. And dumped in Caledon. Flooded E-deck yet se continued to find for Jack, and saw him but his hands locked onto the post, they cannot find the keys.

So Rose went out to seek help, and turns out people only care about themselves saving only themselves, she found an ax and came back to free Jack. They fought and ventured the raging waters on the lower deck to come to the port. Jack made Rose ride the boat, but Rose, after riding the boat could not take it, and decided to stay with Jack. Telling him "If you jump, I jump, remember?" Cal chased them with a gun, till the gun ran out of bullets and realizing he wore the coat to Rose where he has put the diamond necklace. But nothing is stopping the ship to sink. The Ocean continues to suck in Titanic. A lot of people already died, at most the people on the 3rd deck, died from drowning, from harsh pushing and pulling, died from the will to survive. Most first class people were still alive, till the last part of the ship sinks. 20 boats with some loads of first class people are venturing the endless sea of Atlantic. Fifteen hundred people like Rose and Jack dove into the cold waters of the ocean. Survived to death. Froze to death, including Jack. Rose remained alive, to be saved by the only boat who came back, Rose was one of the six people to be saved. "The seven-hundred people in the boats had nothing to do but wait... wait to die... wait to live... wait for an absolution... that would never come." The Old Rose concluded. The movie ended on the old Rose throwing off the diamond necklace or the "Heart of the Ocean" to the waters of the Ocean, putting it back to where it belongs.

"When the ship docks, I'm getting off with you." Rose is almost each and everyone on the ship, they are all holding to something or someone. Be it their family, their loved ones, their dreams, their work, their luxury, or their own self. But they can't deny that indeed, they are all ranked. You see, poorest people as the rats, trying to earn a living, they are on the lowest and hottest part of the ship, enduring the burning steam of the engines, taking showers on their own sweat and the grease of the machineries. They were the first ones to die. It wasn't their fault, they just follow the higher up's commands, the captain's commands. They were not given not even a single chance to live. The water tight doors were closed without warnings. So they were helpless to death. Moving on to the E-deck, the third class people, they were clueless why are they being told to wear life vest, until the water begins to creep in slowly raging. They were not even told to go up to the port and ride a boat. In fact the gates were locked up, the gates were not to be opened until the last first class passenger rode a boat. They keep on insisting that they would like to prioritize women and children of their class but won't open up the gates already. They were treated as animals, like the rats on their deck. They were not given much of a chance to catch a boat, with the first class people. So most of the third class people died from drowning at their decks poorly, locked up, inhumane but that is how it works for the powerless. Some second class people, sleeping soundly, without anyone to wake them up, woke up at the time wherein the raging waves get to drown them to death. While others, may be prioritized to be given the life vest more than the third class people but given less than the chance given to the first class people to be on a boat, yes, they were told to put life belts on, but not to go to the port and ride a boat.

Meanwhile, the first class people on the topmost deck of the ship are still living the best of their lives, sipping their tea finely, tossing up their champagne and brandy's, staying calm and not minding why they are being asked to wear. While some important and well informed first class people are on the port already waiting to ride a boat to save their precious lives. Yet, we have seen how they prioritized women and children. They have prioritized women just because in their time, women are useful, they are considered child bearers and life givers. They are the ones who take care of men, that is why they are considered important. Also, children, children were saved in my viewpoint mainly as heir and heiress. Because they are only young, also that is why they were given mainly, the biggest chance to live. Along with all this selfishness and selfish thoughts of people, there are still people who have valued their dignity and integrity. First off, the first class old couple, they were seen together under the fast waters flooding in their luxurious room. Then this third class mother with two children, she made her children go to sleep and die with them. It is too sad that they knew their place, that they knew their rank, that they knew that nothing will happen if they force them to let them in, to save them too. They knew that they are already helpless, locked out. So instead they have accepted the fact that they would also die, so they would rather die peacefully, because it's what they deserve at least, to die at peace. Next is the officer who was paid but turns out to give back to Caledon his money back. Because indeed money can't be brought to death. He died in his suicidal, he too felt responsible for what had happen.

Lastly, the captain of the ship, other officers and sea men, before them is a man who is forcing them to go full ablast to make it to America as early as Tuesday resulting to the difficulty of the ship to turn away from the ice berg because their speed was constant and the ship is not that easy to operate. He was one of the passengers last to leave the ship safe on the boat. He was indeed selfish and vain. All he cared is about his headlines. He thinks that he is on top of the world. Because he is the master of the ship, taking all credits, first class people are making stereotypes that their class are all in vain. The captain, the officers and other sea men who stayed on their duties till death are also the people who felt responsible for what had happened on the ship. Some of them saved their own lives. Some of them thinks that they are still on duty, that it's their responsibility. Some thinks high of themselves. Some knows their place. Some ranks themselves. The captain knew, his work their is done, so he too. He stops there. That his work stops there. He would die with dignity with his work. He did not think high of himself, because probably if he did, he was already one of the people aboard on the boats. We see, how people regard others, how people regard themselves and how are we really regarded. There is all a Rose in us, we too, wanted to get off with something or someone or simply all by ourselves the time the ship docks. It did happen. They dock according to their deck. In this world that we have, it is really an ideal that we have a class, a rank. Wherein we should not have a rank. It's regarded as a taboo reality that we are the only one who regard ourselves. We should not see people merely as who they are or what is their stand in life, because in the end, we are all human beings, relational, we breathe and we breathe out, we are born and we will die, so at time of death, if it is your time, it is your time. It is a reality that we should all accept. A reality that should be much known.

"I hope you made it to your headlines." Indeed, Titanic made its way to the headlines, up to this date, it is one of those phenomenal, timeless classics that shares and upholds a lot of views points and triggers how we see things, how we view stories, how we relate it to life. Titanic is wonderfully made, intricate even. I admire how it is made with wide range of life lessons, how jam-packed it is, not only focusing on an unsinkable love of the two protagonist. For the story tells us, how each heart goes on. Jack and Rose are the main instruments of how the story served us different realities of life. How rose continued to live, how she did not let go, it is a love that is unsinkable. 84 years may have past but memories still freshly last. Titanic is truly a ship of dreams, full of desires, hidden or shown, that up to the date it is still a ship full of dreams. Anything is possible, it is possible that a ship is unsinkable at the same time sinkable. Humility is still a must, we must us not boast and push things into their limits just for a desire to get what we want, just to make the headlines. I never thought his way of, making way to the headlines would cost thousands of lives. The act of rose throwing the heart of the ocean into the sea, had a big impact of me, it showed how rose cut off the ties of the ranking of people, that instead of giving it to the people who are searching for it, that would probably her publicity or it would be bought to her but no, she threw it back to where she thinks it belongs. It belongs to the sea, for the heart of the ocean, is a hear full of desires, different ranks of people, different wants, different desires, it is how tempting the diamond is. It shows how life is worth living without any luxury. It showed that we people don't need much to continue living, for our heart to beat, for our heart to go on. Only, we must believe, we must love, we must not mind of the capitalistic clich�s and stereotypes. We must have our own, build our own. It is our experiences; memories and love that make our hearts go on and on.

Article Source:  How Hearts Go On - Titanic, a Film Review