Mariñas, Justin Brian M.

Eng13(WFY1), Movie Review and Report

BS Materials Engineering, 2018-11997 February 13, 2019

TITANIC MOVIE REVIEW AND REPORT

This timeless classic never fails to capture the hearts of whoever watches the scenes of Jack
and Rose attempting to prove their love to an anti-feminist society. Besides the usual tropes seen in
a romantic movie, what truly struck me after watching was the character development of Rose,
from a prisoner of poverty to a sailor of her own ship. She made a few irrational, and therefore, bad
decisions throughout the movie but how things started to look up for her was subtle yet had big
impact. She was put in a tight spot from the get-go; she has to marry a rich condescending man in
order to save her family’s crippling financial status. Too tight a spot that she attempts suicide only
to be saved by a dashing but impoverished young man which she eventually falls in love with – Jack.
He served as the catalyst for Rose’s development. She found the guts to go against Cal, her fiancé,
she posed nude for Jack, and she even has sex with him despite being engaged. Her rising
independence is evident throughout the film, juxtaposed by her lingering longing for Jack many
years after the incident. So in part, her character development was transitory as she remained tied
down by Jack until her last breath. This interesting element of the movie is done spectacularly but is
unnoticed by most viewers.

The Titanic serves as a social commentary on the anti-feminist and elitist society back in the
1920s, which still indirectly manifests in today’s society. Women back then only recently gained the
rights to suffrage by 1918 in the UK and 1919 in the US (National Archives of the United States,
1919). Today, it is estimated that there are 650 million women and girls in the world who are
married before the age of 18 (UNICEF, 2018). Additionally, around 35% of women worldwide have
experienced some sort of sexual assault by a non-partner (World Health Organization, 2013). This
was dominant in the past and is still present today, a major reason why the call for feminism exists.
In the Titanic, a social divide was also implemented. First class, second class, and third class based
on the ticket price for the cruise. Even though merely a financial divide, the third class had the most
deaths during the sinking of the Titanic to give way for the upper classes (Fowler, 2019). “The rich
get richer and the poor get poorer.” The Philippines is a great example of this aphorism, where
millions starve each day because the country’ Gini Index – a measure of wealth inequality, where
higher is worse – is at 83.9% (Cigaral, 2017). This may only be a financial divide but with that
comes social and economic divide, quite similar to feudal systems implemented years ago.
Cigaral, I. (2017, November 22). Filipinos' wealth declines in 2017 as inequality widens Retrieved at
https://www.philstar.com/business/2017/11/22/1761419/filipinos-wealth-declines-2017-
inequality-widens#sLRuRhXqK718Gk41.99. Retrieved from PhilStar Global:
https://www.philstar.com/business/2017/11/22/1761419/filipinos-wealth-declines-
2017-inequality-widens on February 11, 2019
Ebert, R. (n.d.). Titanic Movie Review. Retrieved from
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/titanic-1997 on February 6, 2019
United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund(2018, July). Child Marriage: Latest trends
and future prospects. Retrieved from UNICEF: https://data.unicef.org/wp-
content/uploads/2018/07/Child-Marriage-Data-Brief.pdf on February 11, 2019
Hoose, B., Smithouser, B., Isaac, S., & Holz, A. (n.d.). On DVD: Titanic Movie Review. United States of
America. Retrieved from https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/titanic/ on February
6, 2019
World Health Organization. (2015). Violence Against Women. Retrieved from UN Stats:
https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/downloads/Ch6_VaW_info.pdf on February 11, 2019
Ratified Amendments. 1795-1992. General Records of the United States Government. Record Group
11. National Archives. Retrieved from
https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=63 on February 11, 2019.
Fowler, D. (2019.) Titanic victims. Retrieved from https://titanicfacts.net/titanic-victims/ on
February 11, 2019.