Titanic

Question: What did Rose mean when she said "To the stars"?

Answer: It was just a succinct, aspirational and poetic way of saying, "I will go wherever you take me, as long as we're together, an it's anywhere away from my hopelessly bleak and loveless existence." It's one of a few references they make to being together, wherever they go (with apologies to "Gypsy"). They sing the ditty "Up We Go." They say, "you jump, I jump." It also provides kind of an interesting foreshadowing and counterpoint to where they end up, souls knit, spending eternity together at the bottom of the sea. Obviously, it isn't literal.

Michael Albert

Question: What did they do with the model of Titanic after they were done filming?

Answer: There were many different "models". There were many miniatures, CG models and the full scale model down in Rosarita Beach, Mexico. The full scale model was disassembled by crew. Many other "regular folk" who knew about it, went to Mexico to grab what was left. Occasionally, various pieces come up for auction on EBAY.

Lynette Carrington

Question: Rose's mother says that a woman's purpose for going to a university is to find "a suitable husband," and Rose is already engaged to Cal. I was under the impression that, during this time, many women would still be homemakers instead of pursuing careers. Were they studying for degrees but hoping to find a husband and not have a career after all?

Answer: Not exactly. In the mid-19th century, in the wake of first-wave feminism, women began entering university in greater numbers, breaking the gender barrier across the world. However, in 1912, it was still not common for the "upper class" to do so, since, as you say, women were restricted to their more traditional role of wife/homemaker. Rose's mother is simply reflecting this view (and her class' general dim view of higher education in general, i.e, what's the point, when you have wealth?) while Rose herself admires, and wishes to emulate, the women who went to university for its intended purpose, to receive an education.

I want to add that college was not always about training for a job. Female students used to learn more about home-making skills and arts. As an upper-class woman, Rose would be expected to socialise and entertain other women, i.e. the wives of her future husband's business contacts. Of course, she may have attended a "finishing school" (which Jack makes a joke about).

Question: What happened to Jack's friend? I think his name was Fabrizio or something I know that at one point he falls into the water but what happened to him after? Did he die?

Answer: Yes. As we see the funnel collapse into the water we see a shot of Fabrizio swimming and then turning onto his back just as the funnel comes down and lands on him.

Ssiscool

Question: How can Jack carry around a case of drawings without them rubbing together, and smudging the graphite or charcoal? Many modern artists will spray those mediums with hairspray or art fixative, but I don't think those were available in 1912.

Answer: Artists at that time could use fixatives to protect graphite or charcoal drawings. I had a small foldable metal sprayer for my drawings. The small metal tube is inserted into a bottle of fixative. The hinged top of the sprayer is bent at a 45-degree angle. As the liquid is wicked up through the tube, you blow through the bent part and it sprays the fixative onto the paper. It's a little hard to explain, but it works. There were also hand-pumped misting sprayers and atomizers (like the old-fashioned perfume bottles). Artists made their own fixative with shellac and isopropyl alcohol and also used clear casein (made from diluted egg whites) to paint over drawings.

raywest

Answer: Not quite. She and DiCaprio got overwhelmed by a wave of water hitting them while inside the ship. While submerged underwater, Winslet was running out of air as she held her breath when her coat caught on iron bars as she tried to surface. Safety divers were nearby and freed her.

raywest

Question: Once the iceberg was spotted, was there another course of action or anything Titanic could have done (other than hit it, obviously) that would have led to a better outcome? Like - turn the engines off? Hit the iceberg front on instead of on the side? Would these, theoretically, have been better options than what actually happened?

Answer: Some have suggested that going full speed ahead through the ice would work because the Titanic was designed and built for that, but the results would just be speculation. Another course of action suggested is not to have slowed down and remain at full speed to be more maneuverable when turning. I don't remember how the film depicts the scene, but the First Officer in charge ordered "full astern" (reverse) once the iceberg was spotted. Then waited to see if they'd miss the iceberg. Once it was determined it wouldn't, he ordered the ship to turn. If he had turned at full speed, it might have not been hit. Also, the SS Californian could have responded to the flares the Titanic shot, but the captain (who was asleep at the time) dismissed the warning. Although it was later determined the Titanic lay further away than where it was thought to have sunk and the Californian probably wouldn't have made it in time.

Bishop73

Question: Would everyone have been saved if the lifeboats had been filled to capacity properly? Mr Andrews yells at one of the officers about the boats not being full and how they were tested with the weight of 70 men, so won't buckle under the weight of only 15 or 20 people. So since women and children don't weigh as much as men would, if they had filled the boats properly, would everyone have been saved in the actual tragedy?

Answer: Not everyone, no. Even with all the boats at full capacity they still couldn't hold all of them. It had 20 lifeboats in total that could carry a maximum of 1178 people, at full capacity. The ship was carrying 2208 people (passengers and crew). Even if you would cram as much people in them, you still couldn't fit them all in and there will be risk of sinking. The 2 major problems were that they measured lifeboat capacity in cubic meters rather than number of people, if the ship was in full lifeboat capacity (64 instead of only 20) it could take everybody twice over. Secondly it wasn't considered necessary according to the safety regulations to have more lifeboats because of the tonnage of the ship, regulations that maxed ships at 10,000 tons (whilst the Titanic was over 46,000 tons). Eventually only 710 people were saved, because of incompetent evacuation procedures and panic. Almost all first and second class women and children were saved, third class and crew were not so lucky.

lionhead

Answer: In a word, no. More lives would have been saved, but as an earlier scene points out (and accurately reflects what happened in real life), there was only enough lifeboat capacity for roughly half the people onboard, even if they were filled to capacity.

Answer: There were not enough life boats for all passengers, and it was because it was never believed everyone needed to be in them at once during an emergency. While it's true that cruise lines didn't want too many boats blocking passengers' view, their intended use was to ferry passengers in turn from a stricken vessel to a rescue ship. After the disaster, new maritime regulations were enacted, including enough lifeboats for all passengers.

raywest

Answer: Also, even if there were enough boats, there was not enough time to get all the boats filled and lowered.

Yes there was. It took over 2 hours for Titanic to sink. Plenty of time to get everyone on the lifeboats, if they had known the urgency.

lionhead

In one of James Cameron's documentaries that he did after making the movie, they timed him lowering a lifeboat, and it took him twenty minutes to get it swung out and lowered while it was empty. Add additional time to actually fill them would bring launching one to at least 30 minutes. So no, even if they had enough lifeboats, there wouldn't have been time to launch them all. They didn't even launch all the ones that they did have.

They weren't launched one by one, you know.

lionhead

Question: How would Rose have been able to get in and out of her yellow dress that she wears while she and Jack are walking on the deck? I've looked and can't see any where to rationally put an opening for her to get out of the dress?

CuriousKid1

Chosen answer: It's true Rose is wearing her yellow dress on deck with jack, including when her and Jack are spitting and her mother walks up to her with Molly and the other women. Dinner is announced and Rose and her mother leave to get dressed for dinner. This is when she changes.

Question: When Jack and Rose encounter Thomas Andrews in the smoking room, he gives Rose a life jacket and says, "Good luck to you, Rose." Does he not really care whether Jack lives or dies? Why not wish them both good luck?

Answer: She's the one he has a relationship with, and she's the one he's talking to. Jack isn't part of the conversation, so Mr Andrews addresses Rose alone because she's the one who's listening to him.

Answer: Would add to the other accurate answer that Andrews would have little concern about Jack because he is a male third-class passenger. It's unlikely he knew about Jack and Rose's romance. Andrews also knows there are not enough lifeboats, and women and the first-class passengers will get top priority in leaving the ship. He would consider Jack's fate already sealed, while Rose can be saved.

raywest

I believe he also only had the one life jacket that was his own, and being a gentleman, he gave it to the lady, Rose, as an act of etiquette.

Ssiscool

Question: Is the footage right at the beginning of the film (black and caramel-ish colour) real footage of the ship from 1912 or just made to look like real footage from 1912?

Answer: Its part of the filming that's made to look older. If you notice later on you will see the same footage in black and white, but mirrored.

pierpp

Answer: I think she wanted people to stop focusing on this valuable necklace. She wanted them to care more about love, and the Titanic passengers who died.

Answer: The necklace is called "The heart of the Ocean." While in the middle of the ocean, Rose had her heart captured by Jack Dawson. Rose returned the diamond to the ocean in the exact place where her heart was taken by Jack. As she says at one point, "A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets"

Ssiscool

Answer: She basically gave it back to the ship. It was a symbolic gesture towards Jack as basically he died because of it.

lionhead

Question: When Cal and Rose first arrive at the Titanic, they get out of a white car. Is this the same model of car that was on the ship? They both look similar, albeit different colors.

Answer: It's the same type of car (1912 Renault replica). I suspect the same replica car was used for both scenes (the dock and the cargo hold), but the fenders were painted differently to make it appear as if it's two separate vehicles.

raywest

Question: Does anyone know if during filming the cargo hold scenes, did they use a real Renault car or was it just a prop made to look like one?

Answer: Online sources indicate that the 1912 Renault Type CB Coupe de Ville seen in the film was an exact replica vehicle that James Cameron had specially built. It is a copy of the one that was known to be in the Titanic's cargo hold.

raywest

Question: Were there any feuds between actors on the set of this movie?

Answer: While not documented with the size of the cast it is possible some people didn't get along. Specifics however, are not widely available.

Ssiscool

Question: Rose and her mother need the financial security from Rose's marriage to Cal. What were they probably expecting after the wedding? Was Cal aware of Rose's father's debt? Did they think he would pay it off, or did they hope he would never find out? I would expect Cal, being from a stable, wealthy family, to have his choice of suitable (to him) women who did *not* come with the burden of debt.

Answer: Cal, who was quite rich and prominent, would have fully investigated the family's debts or other concerns. To avoid any social embarrassment, scandals, or lingering complications, he would likely pay off the remaining debts. Despite Cal's despicable character, he loves Rose, and that is the price of marrying her. In this era, women had many restrictions and few legal rights, so even as Cal's wife, Rose would have no direct access to her husband's money. She would probably receive a small monthly allowance and her expenditures would be closely monitored. Rose and her mother may not have had any money, but they are socially prominent and respected, and that would be an asset to Cal.

raywest

Answer: Rose's mother wanted Rose to marry Cal, so they had joint finances. With joint finances Rose would be able to get money to pay off her family's debt.

Ssiscool

Question: How many scenes were removed from this film?

Answer: Will need a bit more information to answer accurately. Are you referring to a TV broadcast? A web stream? The standard DVD release? The extended dvd release? The VHS release? Netflix version (in the UK at least) is around 11 mins shorter than the 1 disc DVD release for example.

Ssiscool

Question: When Jack is being arrested he tells Rose "I just borrowed it, I was gonna return it." Was he referring to the jacket or the necklace?

Answer: Jack admitting to stealing or borrowing the jacket is a vain attempt to show that it wasn't his and therefore the necklace wasn't his either. He can't explain away the necklace but he can sort of explain the jacket on a way that doesn't make him look as bad. Either way it all comes across as desperation. Rose seems to believe him a little but can't do anything about it, especially when a priceless necklace is involved.

oldbaldyone

Factual error: Rose mentions Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud's ideas on the male preoccupation with size to Bruce. However this is 1912, and Freud did not publish the work relating to this until 1920 in "Beyond The Pleasure Principle." Also, up until 1919, Freud relied solely on data from women. (00:33:40)

David Mercier

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: Bernard Fox, who portrayed Colonel Archibald Gracie IV, also played Frederick Fleet in the 1958 film, A Night to Remember, another film about the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Frederick Fleet was the first person to notice the iceberg and shouted the warning to the crew.

More trivia for Titanic

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