Why the director’s oft-mocked script is the king of its own world.
But you might be surprised by the time you finish reading this.
Titanic’s dialogue is, among some, notorious.
Credit: 20th Century Studios
Times' Kenneth Turan.
“Loads of blockhead dialogue,“pennedSalon’s Stephanie Zacharek.
The issue here is what makes a screenplay “great” in the first place.
Or they think of sober, dramatic, award-winning films, likeMoonlightandThe Godfather.
But there is another arguably, more important job that a screenplay has: to be effective.
A script isn’t meant to be solemnly read aloud in front of a fireplace.
The dialogue inTitaniclargely isn’t “great” in the traditional literary sense.
But it’s absolutely fantastic in terms of its effectiveness.
Most blockbusters likewise have dialogue that’s more effective than literary.
But it’s a component that’s essential to making a film that isn’t rambling and self-indulgent.
The mockery is partly due to manyTitaniclines being pretty on-the-nose.
Like, so on-the-nose they punch you in the face.
God himself could not sink this ship!”
Now, is that subtle?
There are so many others; lines not subtle, but ridiculously punchy and effective.
Ruth DeWitt Bukater:“We are women, our choices are never easy.”
Wallace Hartley:“Gentlemen, it has been a privilege playing with you tonight.”
Captain Smith:“Well, I believe you may get your headlines, Mr. Rose:“The water is freezing and there arent enough boats.
Not enough by half.
Half the people on this ship are going to die.
“Cal:“Not the better half.”
Jack:“Where to, miss?
“Rose:“To the stars!”
Rose: “It doesn’t make any sense.
That’s why I trust it.”
ButTitanicoperates on its own level of melodrama that most movies could never pull off.
It may not be to your taste, but it’s tough to argue that it didn’t work.
Also, there are a few lines inTitanicthat I would defend as being of solid literary quality too.
Such as this:
Rose:I dont even have a picture of [Jack].
He exists now only in my memory.
That’s a legitimately haunting, romantic line.
Cameron was trying to make a movie that honored a terrible tragedy while still delivering a massive hit.
