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<\/a><\/p>\n\n20 years?? I saw it in the theatre 4 times when I was living in Chicago. No, I was not a Tween, although no judgment of the Tweens who vibed to it too. I was in love with it from the jump, and have never been ashamed of that love. I also don’t believe in guilty pleasures. Unless your pleasures involve boiling puppies – for which you SHOULD be ashamed – then you should never feel guilty about pleasures. This Life sucks and is often a VALE OF TEARS. If something gives you pleasure? LOVE IT as hard as you can. <\/p>\n
There have been a couple of recent essays about Titanic<\/i>, in honor of its anniversary, that I wanted to share. It’s been forever since I’ve read thoughtful commentary on the film.<\/p>\n
Here’s Tom Carson in Playboy<\/i><\/a>. (There’s also a lot of background information on the creation of the film.) <\/p>\n Call me soft in the head, but I was a sucker for Titanic in 1997 and I haven\u2019t changed my mind. I got off on it partly because a communal event this enormous generated an excitement that was a blast to participate in. But Cameron\u2019s extravaganza was also a reminder that movies lacking subtlety and refinement can be great experiences anyway. Immersive wasn\u2019t a critical buzzworld then, but if any movie defined the category, Titanic did.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This next essay is fascinating and emotional: Alissa Wilkinson (another one of the critics voted into the NYFFC this year) was homeschooled and never saw Titanic<\/i> on its original release. So THIS is so interesting: an adult experiencing Titanic<\/i> for the first time, and basically figuring out belatedly what the fuss was about. I love this essay.<\/a><\/p>\n I actually had a Tumblr devoted to screen-grabs from Titanic<\/i>, and I can’t remember what it is. The story is a good one, of course, but I also think it’s beautifully told. The doll on the bottom of the ocean. The glasses. The plates falling off the shelves in slo-mo. Etc.<\/p>\n And then there’s this: I didn’t even notice this until I finally bought the DVD and studied the film. <\/p>\n \nIn the first scene in Titanic<\/i> where old Rose sits at her pottery wheel, we are absorbed in taking in her hands, her face, the light, the sound of the TV screen in the background, putting together the visual information. <\/p>\n Only after seeing the film multiple times, did I notice her earrings.<\/p>\n It’s so obvious<\/i> once you see it, and may seem too<\/i> obvious, but it’s not. A detail like this works in a subtle unspoken way. People are often surrounded by relics of the person they used to be, talismanic objects reminding them of a certain person, a certain time. (I am one of those people.) Rose is happy and involved in her art project. She is not sitting in a rocking chair, dreamily touching her Heart of the Ocean earrings. They’re baubles she wears, maybe on a day when she needs a little boost of energy or confidence. (Maybe it’s just me, but I stole a cup one day<\/a> from a diner because I knew I would want a talisman from a special time.) And so, Rose’s earrings tell the whole story, in her very first entrance into the film.<\/p>\n Who knows when she saw them in a glass case in a shop somewhere – recently? Or maybe a couple of years after she returned to America? – or maybe on a table at a sidewalk sale, but I can see her stopping immediately in her tracks, and thinking: Oh. Oh. I must have those.<\/em><\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 20 years?? I saw it in the theatre 4 times when I was living in Chicago. No, I was not a Tween, although no judgment of the Tweens who vibed to it too. I was in love with it from … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DRbgPRXXkAAJPEt.jpg\")
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