“Titanic” is probably one of the greatest films ever made. This 1997 movie centers around the story of the RMS Titanic, then the largest ship afloat upon entering service, but sank after it hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage from England to New York City in 1912, producing 1,496 casualties and making the incident the deadliest sinking of a single ship.
However, apart from such an essential discussion in maritime and human history, the movie’s producers went beyond by making their masterpiece more sensational by interjecting the romance between Jack Dawson and Rose Dewitt Bukater.
More than 27 years after “Titanic” was first screened, talks and conspiracy theories about it still exist, including those that ask, “Is the romance of Jack and Rose based on a true story?” Hop aboard this story that will revisit the facts and separate them from fiction.
‘Titanic’ Movie Overview
“Titanic” featured the stellar performances of Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack and Kate Winslet as Rose. Both actors are multi-awarded. Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Bill Paxton, Gloria Stuart, Victor Garber, Frances Fisher, and Bernard Hill were also part of the cast, among others.
From history’s perspective, the film recounts the ill-fated maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. This luxurious liner hailed as “the ship of dreams,” met its end after hitting an iceberg, killing more than a thousand people in the ice-cold waters of the North Atlantic in the early hours of April 15th, 1912.
From its sensational perspective, it was the love story of a 17-year-old aristocrat who fell in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the ship. While Rose survived, Jack died for he saved his beloved.
The Romance Of Jack And Rose
In the movie, poor boy Jack only got into the luxurious liner as he won a third-class ticket after winning a poker match, which was a serendipitous moment for him. Meanwhile, before they crossed paths, Rose was a first-class passenger, a wealthy young woman, but she felt trapped in her life in the high society and engagement to Cal Hockley.
The star-crossed lovers met when Jack saw Rose attempting to leap off the ship’s stern out of despair, preventing her from doing so. Their romance blossomed as the man introduced the woman to his world, which was filled with freedom and passion. Despite their sky-and-earth distance, they fell deeply and madly in love with each other. They danced and did everything that passionate lovers would do.
But came the day when the Titanic hit an iceberg. Jack helped Rose survive the ensuing chaos by letting her ride above a door floating on the sea while he chose to drown in the icy waters.
Jack uttered his last words to Rose before he drifted underneath the ocean: “Never let go,” never let go of the promise to live a full life. Rose was rescued with the movie showing her in her old age, still remembering her short but sweet romance with Jack.
Jack And Rose Are Not Based On A True Story
While the movie’s historical references were mostly real, the romance between Jack and Rose was entirely fiction. Though there were definitely couples onboard the Titanic then, Jack and Rose were not real people aboard the ship. They were fictional characters created by renowned director James Cameron, especially for this film.
However, Rose’s character was based on a real-life person, an American artist named Beatrice Wood, though her life story had nothing to do with the movie’s story. Coincidentally, while Cameron was drafting the film’s strict, he was reading Wood’s biography, telling the media that his fascination with her personality in her story, including her love of art and family background, ended up being a foundation for the character, even if loosely, as it was Jack, not Rose, who was the artist.
Meanwhile, even more coincidentally, there was a Dawson onboard the real-life Titanic. What’s even more eerie is that his first name also started with “J,” though it wasn’t Jack but Joseph.
Conclusion
There you have it. It’s made clear time and time again that Jack and Rose were not based on real people, not even their romance being based on a true story.
But, it is understandable that theories of the possibility of them being real spring up as there are also conspiracy theories challenging the sinking of the Titanic. Couldn’t believe it? Well, the biggest conspiracy theory is that which says the Titanic never really sank. This is because it was replaced by another ship, its sister ship, the Olympic before the Titanic set sail.
There’s also this theory saying that Titanic’s owner, banker J.P. Morgan, planned the Titanic sinking to kill off his business rivals, Isidor Straus, Jacob Astor, and Benjamin Guggenheim, who all died aboard. Morgan was supposed to join them but canceled his trip at the last minute because of his illness. But how could he have control over the ship hitting an iceberg?
You can re-watch the worldwide box office phenomenon today by streaming it on platforms like Disney+ and Netflix.
