Aside from the fact that Titanic is a tale of love the director, James Cameron, portraits a very precise picture of class difference among people in early 19’s. There are tons of signs and compression scenes between the higher-class and lower-class from the very beginning of the movie. In the beginning of the movie when passengers are boarding the ship the higher class is treated with a lot of respect and are assisted with their luggage while the lower class get body inspections in a very insulting way.
If you pay enough attention you can even find obvious semiotics of it in the dialogs, for example when Spicer is ordering a ship crow where to carry their luggage to, he gives him the address “Pales rooms B52 – 54 and 56”. Since the letter “B” is second in the alphabet you can assume that these rooms are more luxurious and high-class than the others coded with the rest of the alphabet. Jack and his friend Fabrizio’s room on the other hand is a “G”. The twist of the story however happens when a typical wealthy young girl from higher-class, Rose DeWitt meets with Jack Dawson, a typical poor young American boy, from lower-class.
As the movie goes on Mise-en-scene plays a great deal in helping the audience to see both kind of life styles simultaneously.
As jack gets invited to join Roses family for dinner a very important fact comes to notice that, all the luxurious, pride and arrogance these higher-class people carry in their attitude, is just like a coat that can be put on by any one. James Cameron has shown this fact in a very clever scene where Jack is standing by the stairs all dressed up just like a gentleman and Cal (Rose’s finance) passes by and does not recognize him at all, although they had already met before, and when Rose introduces Jack properly, the surprised face of Cal completes the massage.
Later that night same thing happens in reverse, where Rose puts all that uptight, high class manners aside and joins Jack in the party with lower class people, they treat her like one of their own.
By the time when Titanic is half in the water none of that high-class, low-class order makes sense any more, everybody is trying to find a way to survive.
It was a nice analyse, kourosh...But, I would like to add some more information about the differences between low-class and high-class lifestyles at that particular time.The way James Cameron(director) has shown that is really appreciating. One of the things that should be considered is the way they dress in that century. How a person from low-class family dresses is totally different from the way a person from high-class family dresses. It can be defined iconic in that time. Tall, stiff collars characterize the period, as do women's broad hats and sleeves were double sized.Also, Blouses and dresses were full in front and puffed into a "pigeon breast" shape .Skirts brushed the floor, often with a train, even for day dresses. While, when you look at the low-class people, you see that all of them have simple and dirty coats as well as short pants. The women in that time also put simple and long skirts on as well as simple blouses with long sleeves. You may guess which kinds of family they come from when you see the way they have dressed themselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you guys. As you, Kourosh , have analysed the movie in semiotic manner, the way cast were costumed , their difference in the beginning and their equality at the end while they were all sinking and find a way out to survive. and according to what Bahar have said , the iconic form of dressing is totally obvious in the movie as well. this is actually how it has made the movie more believable.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that we can add is the way high-class and rich people talk. they all try to be very polite. For instance, women should not laugh loudly or even talk loudly as it turns to impolite. But, we see that Rose is so uncomfortable with these kinds of behaviors.so, when she goes to the low-class people part, she laughs and talks as loudly as she can. She is herself there and that is why she loves it there,better.
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