Titanic

Chosen answer: During the several years it took to construct the ship probably, or in any of the supplies/food brought on board, or in the furniture brought on board. A single pregnant female rat can be responsible for thousands of rats in a very short space of time (the offspring are not too choosy about who they breed with).

Soylent Purple

A pregnant female rat could have made a home in a underneath a third class couch and had the other rats then all the females would have baby rats quickly.

Answer: In addition to the other answers, rats can easily get on ships by climbing the mooring lines that tie vessels to the dock and also go up unattended gangways. They can also use temporary overhead cables attached to ships while in port.

raywest

Question: What happened to Rose's mother after the sinking? I'm curious because she made it very clear while she was lacing up Rose's corset, that she was entirely dependent on Rose's match with Cal to survive. Whether she was exaggerating or not, she made the statement that she would be poor and in the workhouses if not for the marriage and Cal's fortune to support them. Obviously, since Rose is presumed dead after the sinking, she did not marry Cal and her mother was not able to benefit from his money. So would she then, in fact, end up poor and in the workhouses as she said? Rose didn't just abandon Cal and that lifestyle to start anew, she also had to abandon her mother. So did she leave her mother to be a poor and squandering worker? At the end of the movie, Rose gives her account of Cal and what happened to him in the following years, but never anything about her mother. I realize this question would probably be more speculation than a factual answer, but I just wondered if there were some clues at the end that I maybe didn't pick up on or if there were some "DVD bonus" or behind the scenes I haven't seen that answered this.

lblinc

Chosen answer: Because she is considered, in a minor sense, a "villain" in this film for forcing her daughter into a loveless arranged marriage to satisfy her personal wants, most fans probably speculate that she became a poor and penniless seamstress and lived out her life working in a factory. Of course, this is possible, without the financial security of the arranged marriage between Cal and Rose. However, it is difficult to believe that a woman of such status, and who has so many wealthy and powerful friends, would be allowed to languish in abject poverty doing menial labors. I would tend to believe that she probably sold a number of her possessions for money (she did mention that as part of the humiliation she would face if Rose were to refuse Cal's affections), and probably lived off the kindness of others. Given that her daughter was betrothed to a Hockley, his family might have felt an obligation to assist her in finding a suitable living arrangement and a situation for employment. It is also possible that she re-married into wealth. However, this is more unlikely, mainly because back in 1912, it was considered scandalous to re-marry, especially at Ruth's age. However, since Ruth does not make an appearance after surviving the sinking of the Titanic in a lifeboat number 6 (next to Molly Brown), nor is she mentioned again, her fate is left unknown and subject only to speculation.

Michael Albert

In that era, with Rose betrothed to Call, Cal would most definitely have provided for Ruth in the lifestyle she was accustomed to. As Cal angrily raged at Rose the morning after her excursion below decks, "You are my wife in custom if not yet in practice ", thus, society would have viewed him a villain had he not cared for Ruth once it was assumed Rose was dead.

Answer: I've wondered that too. I think it was easier to find out what happened to Cal because she said "it was in all the papers." As for her mother, it likely would have only been in the papers local to where she lived when she passed away. This was in an era before television and of course way before the internet. So I think the only way Rose would have been able to keep track of her mom would have been to live in the area or do some investigation. It seems unlikely she wanted to do either one, especially since it would have 'given it away" that Rose had survived in the first place. I agree with the other statements that Cal would have felt obligated to take care of her, and that the people she owed money to would have tried to collect on it as it would have been in "bad form" under the circumstances.

Answer: Her mother's big problem was a heap of debts. It would have looked badly on the debt collectors to go hovering around her after what was assumed to have happened, and in a society where one's reputation was valued highly. They probably simply gave her a degree of debt forgiveness in her bereavement, then Cal, insurance, and even her Mother herself taking a second (rich) husband could've taken care of what was left.

dizzyd

Question: During the lunch scene, Ismay says that Titanic was the largest moving object made by man. Was that true? At least, at the time?

Answer: Yes, it was. At the time, the big cruise lines were all trying to outdo each other with the largest and most opulent cruise ships. The Olympic class ships were the White Star Line's entry in the size race, with Olympic, the first built, taking the title in 1911, before losing it to her sister ship, the Titanic, the following year.

Tailkinker

Question: Why do Rose, Cal, and Ruth seem to get special treatment concerning being able to interact with Ismay and Andrews by dining with them and getting a special tour of the ship? Even though Ismay was really treated like a passenger, he obviously had an important role as being the one who came up with the idea for Titanic and Andrews, of course, took part in building the ship. The trio have a brief interaction with Captain Smith as well.

Answer: In the movie it is mentioned that the ship was built using Hockley steel. Cal's father was a steel tycoon, therefore got special privileges as in a way his family helped build the ship.

Where in the movie do they say that unless it's a deleted scene.

It's mentioned during a conversation with Old Rose and Lovett. Nathan Hockley was making an insurance claim on behalf of his son Cal in regards to the Necklace claiming it went down with the ship. It was his steel that went into building the ship Lovett: I tracked it down through insurance records. An old claim that was settled under terms of absolute secrecy. Can you tell me who the claimant was, Rose? Old Rose: I should imagine someone named Hockley. Lovett: Nathan Hockley, that's right. Pittsburgh steel tycoon.

It's in the scene where Jack joins them for dinner. While Cal and Ruth are walking down the staircase, he mentions that Hockley steel was used in some parts of the ship. She asks which parts, and he replies, "The best parts." She then quips, "Well, I know who to hold responsible if there's a problem."

Answer: First class passengers, some of the richest people existing back in 1912, mingled with persons of elite positions just as they do nowadays, for eg: celebrities mingle with politicians, etc.

lizzylou

Question: Why were the women and children ordered to the lifeboats first and then the men? Why not just let anybody who could make it to the lifeboats get on?

Answer: Though not a requirement of maritime law, it was a matter of historical codes of chivalry that, in life threatening situations where limited numbers of life-saving resources were available, the lives of women and children were to be saved first. That was captain Smith's order the night the RMS Titanic sank. Some of the crew interpreted this to mean "women and children only." Thus, several of the lifeboats were launched only partially full, as men were prevented from occupying empty seats even when all nearby women and children had been boarded. The rescue efforts on the Titanic were further hampered by the fact that, initially, many of the passengers thought that the launching of lifeboats was unnecessary precaution, as the Titanic was thought unsinkable. The night air was cold. The lifeboats seemed uncomfortable. Thus, many preferred to stay on board the ship until reality of the magnitude of the situation became more evident and panic began to set in. Many of the men who survived in lifeboats, like White Star Line chairman Bruce Ismay, were branded cowards upon return to shore, even though many of them occupied seats that would have otherwise gone unused.

Michael Albert

Answer: Furthermore, the "Code of Conduct" would put many boats in the water without anybody being able to row them.

Question: When Jack is about to begin drawing Rose and he asks if Cal will be back soon, she says, "Not as long as the brandy and cigars hold out." As this was the common sitting room for Cal's suite and Rose's suite, shouldn't they have been more concerned that Rose's mother would walk in and catch them?

Answer: That wouldn't have been likely because she was with friends and whenever she got together with them they would talk for a while, also it was still early in the night so she probably doesn't go back to her room till a certain hour.

Disney-Freak

Question: Bit of a stupid question, but was just wondering. When Mr Andrews is talking to Rose, Cal and Ruth during the tour of the ship, Rose says that there are not enough boats for everyone on board, and Mr Andrews explains that he wanted more boats or something, and he was told that they would make the deck too cluttered so he was overruled, and the ship got the boats it does. But as Mr Andrews designed/ constructed the ship, surely it's up to him how many lifeboats there are etc, so why did he back down?

Heather Benton

Chosen answer: It certainly was not up to him. Andrews was only the designer and an employee of the company, White Star Line. Whatever he may have wanted or recommended, the company had the power and the legal right to overrule him in favor of what they felt made the ship more profitable. They did not want their high-paying clientele's ocean view obstructed by too many lifeboats. Safety regulations were far more lax at this time, though many new ones were enacted following the tragedy, including more lifeboats.

raywest

Answer: Regulations at the time required ships over 10,000 tons to have 16 lifeboats on board, Titanic which was 40,000 tons had 20 so four more than required. In the 2 1/2 hours it took Titanic to sink they managed to get 18 of 20 boats off safely, collapsibles A and B were floated off and one was even capsized. It's quite possible that if Titanic had more lifeboats more lives would've been lost due to having to work around the extra boats they possibly would've got less boats away.

Question: What do you reckon Rose would have done had the Titanic not sunk? Since they wouldn't have had to go back to her stateroom due to the seriousness of the collision, Jack may not have been arrested, so do you reckon Cal would make sure she was in sight of him, Lovejoy or Ruth at all times and then force her into the arranged marriage or do you think she would've found a way to be with Jack?

Answer: 1. The fact that Jack and Rose appear together as a couple to inform her mother and Cal about the impending danger of the shipwreck, shows that they were ready to disclose their relationship to the world, without worrying about others. 2. ‎Rose tells Jack that she will stay with him in New York when the ship docks. So if they made it all the way to New York, there are possibilities that the two lovers outwit Cal and his prying men, and could've eloped and got married. Note: Cal couldn't have sued Jack of kidnapping Rose, because she would testify against Cal and Jack would be proved innocent:-).

It's possible that Cal would not have bothered Rose in New York for too long. He might be embarrassed by her running away with another man - especially someone like Jack - but he is a single man from a wealthy family. He could easily meet another woman who would marry him.

Answer: There is no reasonable way that Rose and Jack could have remained together if they'd all made it to New York safely. Rose had too many eyes on her, and her marriage to Cal had already been arranged, so she could not have gotten out of it. It would have been a fairly easy matter for Cal to keep Rose under essentially house arrest until they were wed.

I don't know about this. Cal is from a wealthy, prominent family. If Rose disappeared with Jack, Cal could easily make up some story about the engagement not working out, and find another woman to marry. Probably one from another upper-class family.

Question: What is the name of the song that is played when Lovejoy discovers that Jack and Rose are together in the bedroom, and they both escape through the elevator?

Answer: Funnily enough, this movie's soundtrack has been released on two separate albums, and neither one contains that part. It's also heard when Jack and Fabrizio are running across the dock in Southampton.

Friso94

Answer: On YouTube you can find it like "the Chase" but it's a version quiet diferent than the film. Also is very good.

Answer: Rakish Paddy.

Chosen answer: The actual song is called "The Portrait". It was not included in the original soundtrack. It is, however, on the "Back to Titanic" soundtrack. This piece is the entire song that plays in the scene.

Chosen answer: According to IMDb there were over a 1000 extras. I don't think you will find an exact number anywhere.

Mortug

Question: When the ship goes under and Rose and Jack enter the water, when Rose comes up to the surface there are hundreds of people around her. My question is all of those people are obviously frantic and thrashing around so does that help them live longer or are they speeding up their death from hypothermia by doing that. Could it be some sort of adrenaline rush?

Answer: They are all panicked. If you want to survive in a cold sea, you have to reduce your movement and keep your hands close to your body, or find someone and hug, but not everybody is trained for these situations.

Anastasios Anastasatos

Question: I have two questions about this film. Firstly who was the guy who tries to drown Rose after the Titanic sinks? I couldn't see his face properly and wondered if anyone knew who it was. Secondly, given how possessive Cal was of Rose, why didn't it seem to bother him when Jack leads her arm in arm into the dining room. It's almost like he just doesn't care in that scene.

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: The guy who nearly drowned Rose was just a random panicked passenger who needed something to hold on to, like a life ring. As for dinner, at this time, it was actually customary in higher society for a man to escort someone other than his own wife or fiance to the table at a dinner party, and always arm-in-arm. Husbands and wives (and fiances) were also not seated next to each other at the dining table, primarily to mix up the group dynamics and stimulate conversation. Being as Jack is the invited guest for having saved Rose, it would be acceptable that he should have the honor of escorting her into the dining room. At this point, Cal would hardly consider Jack a serious threat to his relationship with Rose, and would have no reason to object.

raywest

Question: In the end as Rose attempts to reach the whistle on one of the dead passengers, why does she detach Jack's arm from the door. If I recall, you can see that ice was keeping his right hand connected to the door. Why didn't she just say her goodbyes and leave him there, than surely his body would have been recovered and she could even perhaps visit his grave. Why does she remove his hand and drop him into the ocean?

Answer: Jack's arm wasn't actually attached to the door. His hand and Rose's hand were frozen in a grasp. In order to swim to the dead officer to extract the whistle from his mouth, Rose had to pry her hand and Jack's hand apart. She releases him to the water, promising to "never let go" [of life] as she, ironically, lets go [of Jack]. Had she not done so, she never could have saved herself swimming with Jack's dead body in tow.

Michael Albert

Question: Why didn't Jack say I love you to Rose when she said it to him in the end? I thought they both loved each other.

Answer: They do - but saying I love you in a situation like that is almost like you're saying goodbye...Jack didn't want to say that he loved her because he didn't want to seem like he was giving up - presumably he thought he'd get the chance to say it many times in the future, rather than saying it on their death bed.

Sam Johnson

Question: I don't know if this can be answered, but does Rose die at the end? And why does she throw the necklace into the ocean at the end of the movie? I have a feeling it was left unclear so everyone has different interpretations of the movie, but I was hoping someone may have information to give a definite answer to these 2 questions.

Answer: Rose does die at the end. She dies above the wreck of the Titanic and returns to the ship (metaphorically) with all those who perished on. I think she throws the necklace into the ocean because people should be interested in what happened and feel sorry for those who died rather than to look for treasures (my interpretation).

Kara

My interpretation is that she threw the diamond into the ocean giving her heart and the heart of the ocean back to Jack or the Titanic.

Answer: According to director James Cameron, what happened to Old Rose is ambiguous so that people watching the movie can decide for themselves if she is still alive and having one more dream about Jack or if she had finally died and is now reunited with Jack. According to the actual screenplay, "We PAN OFF the last picture to Rose herself, warm in her bunk. A profile shot. She is very still. She could be sleeping, or maybe something else."

Answer: The ending is left ambiguous. After lying down in the bed she either, a) has one more dream of Jack or b) has died in her sleep and is now reunited with Jack.

Answer: My interpretation is that Rose dies. Prior to Jack's passing, he makes her promise that she will never let go of the will to live. He tells her how she will go on to have a few babies, live a life full of adventure, and die in a warm bed at a very old age. He makes her promise that she will never let go of the will to live no matter how hopeless a situation may seem. After telling her story of Jack, we see her in a warm bed surrounded by photos of her life. The photos are of her family, a glamour shot from her time as an actress, a photo of her by an airplane, and lastly, one of her on a horse, at the beach, by the Santa Monica Pier. As she has fulfilled her promise to Jack, while also returning the diamond [as Mr. Lovett now sees the real value is that of life and no longer has any interest in it], she passes away in her sleep. The final scene shows her back on Titanic, which may also represent her afterlife, marrying Jack as only the people who perished in the sinking are featured.

Invader_Gir

Question: When Rose comes down the staircase, and Jack kisses her hand, does he say, "I saw that on Nickelodeon once and I always wanted to try it." Why does he say this?

Answer: He does NOT say "on Nickelodeon" he says "I saw that on A Nickelodeon." A Nickelodeon was a turn of the century entertainment device where a user, for a nickel, could look through a viewfinder and watch a very short film, usually projected using flip cards.

wizard_of_gore

Question: Which music is the band playing while Jack hands Rose a note inviting her for a party at the 3rd class, by the end of the dinner? It is a piano and violin music.

Answer: "Valse Septembre" by Felix Godin.

Michael Albert

Question: Why was Cal laughing about the fact that he had put the diamond in the coat, and the coat on Rose?

Answer: It's just a reaction to the irony of the situation. He's laughing at his own stupidity for not remembering that the diamond was in the pocket when he put the coat on Rose (though he expected they'd still be together).

raywest

Question: Why does Rose say "artists need good light don't they?" when they enter her stateroom, even though she hasn't actually asked Jack to draw her yet?

Answer: She probably had already asked him (he had all of his material with him after all); she just hadn't yet specified *how* she wanted to be drawn.

Sereenie

Factual error: The lake that Jack told Rose he went ice fishing on when she was threatening to jump is Lake Wissota, a man-made lake in Wisconsin near Chippewa Falls (where Jack grew up). The lake was only filled with water in 1918 when a power company built a dam on the Chippewa River, six years after the Titanic sank. (00:39:05)

More mistakes in Titanic

Cal Hockley: You're going to him? To be a whore to a gutter rat?!
Rose: I'd rather be his whore than your wife.

More quotes from Titanic

Trivia: Gloria Stuart was the oldest person ever to receive an Oscar nomination for her role in "Titanic". At 87, she was also the only person on the set who was alive at the time of the real "Titanic" disaster.

More trivia for Titanic

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