In 1997, there was no bigger film than Titanic. Winner of 11 Academy Awards. Box office totals of $600 million in the United States and almost $2 billion worldwide. Cemented stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as authentic, bankable Hollywood actors. And all of this from a three-hour film in which the entire audience knows the ending. There must have been something about the story and the characters that drew the audiences in and kept them coming back.
Titanic plays on some of America’s best-known and most accepted film techniques. First, the story is a great example of the modern-day Horatio Alger myth, named after Horatio Alger and his dime novels (p. 174) which “…recounted the exploits of street urchins who rose to the top levels of society, often with the charitable aid of a kindly benefactor” (p. 174).
On a related note, the film has conflicting representations of the nostalgic Hollywood blockbuster, a film technique that hit its stride throughout the last 30 years of the twentieth century. This occurred when “Films in America went from being subtly critical of the dominant ideology to gung-ho celebration of white patriarchal capitalism…” (p. 198).
Finally, the film provides a fairly standard commentary on class representation, especially in the resurgence of the classical Hollywood narrative, of which Titanic is a good example. The film’s love story plays out against an economic class divide, but the film “places class division safely in the 1910s” (p.203), so the audience can internally deny such relationships could actually exist in present-day America.
Titanic as a Nostalgic Hollywood Blockbuster
Really, the trailer says it all:
The trailer begins by focusing on the Heart of the Ocean diamond and, looking back, it seems as though the movie will be focused on the hunt for this treasure and the resulting fame and fortune. What better way to represent the “gung-ho celebration of white patriarchal capitalism” than to have a team of white, American researchers hunting for treasure? The back story of the film represents the same viewpoints in some ways, as all the first class passengers are seemingly American or British, while third class is made up of all different accents and apparent ethnic backgrounds.
However, the film takes a turn and tries to represent the underdog, Jack – serving as the story’s “street urchin” – and his unlikely quest for love. The object of his affection, Rose, is wealthier and from a different world, to use the cliché. Their romance is frowned upon by Rose’s mother and most of the other first class passengers, while Jack’s friends in third class dismiss the idea as impossible.
While these messages perpetuate the nostalgic Hollywood blockbuster ideals, the film makes the ultimate claim that true love conquers all, as Rose leaves the wealth and security of her fiancé Cal in order to follow her heart with Jack. The story turns out to be an Horatio Alger myth in true form, showing Jack as the poor but honest – therefore loveable – hero after his true love.
The film even goes so far as to provide the audience with the stereotyped class representation of the economically poor character of Jack being invited to dine with Rose and the wealthy first class passengers, only to find Jack perplexed at the idea of more than one spoon and fork at the place setting. After the dinner, Jack invites Rose to a “real party” in third class, and Rose’s ability to drink and smoke with Jack’s friends is made into a point of humor.
It’s interesting to note that a film with such an uplifting message – true love can conquer all – must use so many stereotypes and clichés regarding class and economic status to accomplish that goal.
Horatio Alger Myth in Action
While the traditional Horatio Alger myth deals more with financial rewards and success, Titanic offers a more romantic version of the standard story. After teasing the audience with a number of “will they or won’t they” scenarios, director James Cameron finally lets the audience know where the love story is going. Both Jack and Rose are “urchins” in their own right: Jack as the poor underdog who wins the girl, and Rose as the girl being forced to marry someone she doesn’t love but instead choosing to follow her heart.
Yes, it’s cheesy. And yes, it’s melodramatic. But it’s a formula that works, as apparent by Titanic's box office sales and Academy Award wins. While the film presents such a positive emotional message, it also reinforces a number of class stereotypes and uses them as plot points that are easily accepted by the audience based on the universality of the ideas: namely, relationships between people of different classes are forbidden, looked down upon, and will ultimately end in tragedy.
It’s an old Hollywood formula, but one that has proven successful and shows no signs of letting go.
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