Mise en scène

Movie:  Titanic (1997)

Shot #1

Here, Jack and Rose went to an iconic setting of this movie, the ships edge while embracing one another. At this edge they were enabled to see wondrous sights from the top. The lighting here is warm putting emphasis on the harmonious atmosphere both are experiencing. The scenery is an entrancing and pleasing sunset with hues of red orange and yellow, overall making the shot an artistic and alluring view. The framing of the actors in this shot is what makes this spectacle prevalent. We see Rose with her arms stretched out wide indicating how she’s let loose and is availing herself with liberty while Jack is behind her wrapping his arms around her signifying him encouraging her to emancipate herself from the wealth, politics and societal restrictions to embracing her feelings. 

Shot #2

In this scene, Rose and Jack went to a unique setting of the titanic, the lower deck of the ship. This new setting has its own ambiance from the upper deck with the wealthy individuals. Once getting there, the two danced with the “third class” people aboard. We can see this social hierarchy being reinforced by the costume design. Rose, the wealthy, upper class women wearing an elegant gown while Jack and the rest of the people there are wearing more dull colored clothing that are not grandeur in any way. Furthermore, the framing of this scene puts Rose and Jack in the middle dancing showing their intimacy and laughing while the rest of the 3rd class people are surrounding them with happy smiles. This scenery evokes a light hearted mood as we see Rose escaping the upper class where she feels suffocated in, and is in a much buoyant nature and is having fun. 

Shot #3

This shot shows Jack and Rose at the setting of the ship in the lower deck. Here we see that the ship has begun sinking and that water is flowing into the bottom deck. The usage of props here are imperative to signify the predicament both characters are in, especially in a threatening time like this when a ship is being submerged and they are isolated from help. The props are handcuffs confining Jack into a pole and a axe Rose is holding. The audience is drawn to these props as it is essential to get the two characters out of there. Moreover, Rose who is inexperienced has to use that red, and somewhat alarming apparatus to free jack from the small metal handcuff. The scenery here highlights the minacious scenario they are in. We can see that the water is reaching up to their waist and the small window shows how there is just an abyss of ocean outside waiting. 

Shot #4

In this segment of the movie, we are enabled to really see the location, the titanic sinking into the middle of the sea, showing its insignificance to the vast ocean. This scene shows the hectic nature of the people aboard as they are struggling and showing urgency to get off the ship onto an emergency deployment boat. The entire ambiance is chaos as the framing shows people running away from the vigorous water, climbing ropes and people whom were wiped off board swimming. Then, in contrast the crews violinists are framed in front of them performing music with their props of violins. This is an incredibly interesting parallel to put, where we see the havoc uprising to these men finding their only comfort and consolation at that moment is to play their music. This drastic change in the way these two groups of people are responding to this situation makes this scenery despondent by showing how basically there is a loss of hope and courage for everyone to get out and survive because these violinists do not even attempt to make an effort to escape. Instead, playing their music to provide solace to others and themselves is what they would rather do because they know the lamentable odds and circumstances.

Shot #5

This final shot’s mise en scéne portrays a cinematic marvel as this scene is largely known throughout the world due to its complexity and artistry. We see that the location has changed from inside the titanic to the vast ocean, creating an ominous mood. The lighting here is important to note too as it is changed to reflect the dark, cold atmosphere the characters are in different to the warmth of being inside the ship. The costume choices here shows Rose in a life jacket, and a coat while Jack is struggling without any additional warmth. The infamous prop of a door is used where only Rose is able to float atop it while Jack is left to keep his body in the penetrating glacial water. The scenery captures other people in the back also facing the same dilemma leaving the audience to expect inevitable death with no hope. The actors are visually pale and blue indicating how cold they are, to the point where there’s frozen ice on their hair to further enforce the oceans effect showing the theme of man vs nature. Finally, the framing here displays Jack submerged into the water holding onto Rose’s hands. Both of them holding hands symbolizes their last effort to keep faith and optimism. We can see them with their heads down and eyes closed marking them as two star-crossed lovers who were doomed to tragedy.