FINAL FILM CRITQUE

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Feb 20, 2024

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FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: TITANIC 1 FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: TITANIC Ashawnta Choice University of Arizona Global Campus ENG 225: Introduction to Film Professor Stephen Jones June 21, 2021
FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: TITANIC 2 FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: TITANIC Movies are a way for people to entertain, escape from reality, and see things differently. Within the film industry, the film Titanic by James Cameron falls under the epic romance/disaster genre. Released in 1997, the film was a global box office hit because Cameron provided equal importance to the history, fiction, and romance in the film. In the following film critique, the author will analyze the Titanic's historical and theatrical presentation through the lens of auteur and genre theory. Genre theory is a dynamic system that helps us understand something broader about the movies we watch but can change over time. Auteur theory is implying the director as the author of the film, imprinting his or her vision. The analysis of the film Titanic proves that the exciting model of storytelling, i.e., flashbacks, acting, cinematography, editing, sound, style, directing, social impact, and genre, are the key factors behind the film's success as a historical romantic drama. I will also reflect upon how my film analysis skills have developed throughout this class. Lastly, I will explain why Titanic is a must- see, beautifully yet thrilling historical yet fictional heartthrob. The storytelling technique made use by James Cameron in the film Titanic is special because history and fiction are incorporated within the plot. For example, Cameron made use of the history of the RMS Titanic as the main plot for the film, but he was aware that just using the ship's history would not satisfy the global audience. So, he decided to incorporate a fictional story that portrayed romance into the plot. Parisi (1998) stated that "Cameron's gift was to create a unique movie-going experience, one that the audience could not get from any other film" (202). One can say that the incorporation of fiction and romance helped the director to be free from only portraying the film from a historical perspective. But at the same time, the historical importance of the plot allows viewers to feel that the events are happening. Within this context,
FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: TITANIC 3 the director used the flashback technique to tell the romantic story of the lovers in the movie. Cameron shows this by moving the plot from 1996 to the past 1912 and back to the present. Director James Cameron opens the film off with Brock Lovett, famed treasure hunter, trying to find a rare necklace thought to sunk with the RMS Titanic. Gradually, through an older Rose's flashback, he portrays the love affair between Rose and Jack. In the end, Rose drops the necklace back into the ocean. Looking at the auteur theory's technical competence, we can boil that down to whether the film was made well. The visual breakthroughs in Titanic indicate Cameron’s treatment of the RMS Titanic’s sinking as emblematic of his admiration for moviemaking equipment as well as futuristic technology (Piccirillo, 2010). The film was telling the fictional love story of Jack and Rose and the dramatic ending of their love story with the ship's sinking. Not only did Cameron use actual footage from the boarding and docking of the RMS Titanic, but he even went as far as to use footage of the wreckage to show what the Titanic looked like during the time afloat. Using advanced technology, he used the footage to replicate a grand version of the ship using three- point lighting. During the sinking of the ship scene, you can see the dramatic use of dark hues of blue to add to the intensity. But all credit for cinematography cannot be given only to Cameron. The term cinematography is explained as still photography but is an integral part of a motion picture. Russell Carpenter's role as the cinematographer is just as important. His attitude towards cinematography, i.e., his tireless effort to be perfect, contributed to the film's success. Carpenter's co-operation with the art and visual effects departments profoundly influenced his role in the film as a cinematographer. During the production, his and Cameron's initial ideas did not clash with the cinematography. Cameron's knowledge in photography and set construction was helpful
FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: TITANIC 4 for Carpenter. Russell Carpenter's craftsmanship as a cinematographer is an essential factor behind the film's cinematic beauty and quality. Editing contributes in making a movie because this is where the decision of which scenes are used or omitted. Within this context, editing is helpful to overcome most of the problems that occurred and take out scenes that do not fit the overall atmosphere of the film. For example, when Rose threw the Heart of the Ocean necklace into the ocean, she was not initially alone. But the Cameron considered the presence of other people in the climax scene would hinder the communication between Rose and the viewers. So, he decided to edit that scene and portray her alone. Test screening and test audiences play an important role in editing as well. During editing, directors value the opinions of their test audiences. Some of the scenes in the Titanic were cut short and taken out. For instance, when the test audience did not like some of the unrealistic fight scenes in the film between Jack and Lovejoy, the director omitted them out. In another view, close-up shots of Jack and Rose on the deck provided richness and romantic touch to the scenes. The long shots used provided importance to the sinking of the ship. Cameron’s unique personality is evident in many of his films. “The director’s personality can be seen in all his or her works, over the contributions of others involved in making the film” (Goodykoontz, B. et al., 2019). His works typically fall under epic, drama, and romance genres. James Cameron would write and direct his films, giving him a full advantage of ensuring his films fit into his style. This is shown through his strong female characters, sound effects to incite emotions, and perfectionist style. In the film Titanic , one of the main characters, Rose, is said to be a strong female character. She is portrayed as one of the upper-class passengers expected to act and is being pushed into a marriage she does not want, which she continuously defies.
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