In this extract from Titanic, Cameron uses binary opposition
to immediately establish the iconic structure and size of the Titanic itself,
standing alone on the dockside at Southampton with the masses waiting to either
board or wave off loved ones or those who have come along to witness this
‘unsinkable ship.’ It is instantly obvious of the different classes of people
which can be seen throughout the crowded area. People less fortunate than
others were push aside by gold plated cars and the ships staff carrying the
luggage of the wealthy on board the ship everything was being done for them
making it a pleasant start to their journey. The less well-off were treated like
cattle, having their mouths and hair inspected thoroughly; they were expected
to carry their own personal belongings themselves. The upper class board the
top half of the boat which is seen to be white, this connotes purity and
cleanliness. The enter by having to walk across a bridge with their maids and
luggage closely followed behind them; they are then escorted to their living
quarters. In complete contrast the poor crossed the bridge to the black section
of the boat which signifies as being less cleanly.
When we first encounter Rose she arrives at the port in a
chauffeur driven car. We see a white gloved hand, immediately this shows us
that her family are wealthy. She pauses and waits for her fiancé to assist her
out of the vehicle. As she exits out of the car, Cameron has chosen to use very
bright lighting this could be used to show her importance in the story line.
Rose was wearing a white and purple outfit, the white could signify purity and
the purple wealth, which is also very vibrant and may show signs of her wanting
to be more adventurous. She is being escorted on to the ship by her fiancé and
mother, her fiancée was wearing an impeccably dressed tailored suit and bowler
hat, who instantaneously took control of the travel arrangements it seems
already that he is working in opposition to Rose and that they don’t really
share a connection. He was followed by Rose’s mother she was wearing a green outfit;
this may connote jealousy of her daughters adventurous side and the reasons for
her travelling to America. Her mother and Rose’s colour contrast could show the
opposition that they don’t necessarily see eye to eye and are completely
different. When boarding the Titanic
Cameron has used light to show and brighten Rose, her mother and fiancée while leaving
everyone else in subdued tones. Rose refers to boarding the ship as a ‘slave
ship’ and then goes on to say “on the outside I am a well behaved girl, but on
the inside I’m screaming” The impression from this quote reinforces the idea
that she wants to be more adventurous and maybe have more choices of her own.
The music she enters too is very elegant and demure supporting her wealthy
ways.
Jack by contrast is
first seen in a saloon bar after Cameron pans away from the Titanic maybe to
give the impression that his way of living isn’t right for such an extravagant,
life changing trip. The window of the saloon with the Titanic waiting on the
dockside in the background could present a symbolic barrier between the male
and female protagonist and the way the live. When entering the saloon the
lighting gets darker and is quite gloomy from cigarette smoke, this suggests
that Jack and his Italian friend Fabrizio are among the poorer clientele. All
the characters in the bar were wearing grey ill-fitting and untailored clothes
with grey flat caps unlike the elegant gowns and suits the upper class wore. They are playing poker for the opportunity to
win two third class tickets for the Titanic. Whilst playing there is a ticking
sound from a pocket watch laying on the table amongst other unworthy
possessions. This could suggest time is running out and is emphasising their
anticipation to board the ship. Jack is heard saying “when you’ve got nothing,
you’ve nothing to lose” this shows that they are willing to give up everything
they own even though they don’t own any worthy belongings. When Jack finds out
he has a full house over Sven’s two pairs they are overcome with joy. Over hearing this joyous celebration the man
behind the bar points to the grandfather clock that they only have 5 minutes
until the ship leaves on its maiden voyage for America. Knowing this they grab
the winnings and tickets and it was all put in their only cloth bag and run out
the door. Cameron chooses Irish folk music which shows chaos and reinforces
their eagerness to board the ship and also shows that Jack and Fabrizio are
from a different class and are boarding Titanic via steerage. Irish music is
normally associated with drinking and we first meet Jack in a bar this could be
seen as iconic. When entering they were both questioned whether or not they had
been medically inspected and intentionally Jack lied and said “Yes, but it
doesn’t matter anyway because we are both Americans” because of the little time
they had left. Doubtfully the guard let them on. In contrast to Rose’s arrival
Jack’s was very much more hectic but he was boarding with much more enthusiasm
and very much looking forward to arriving in America.
