9. The Steerage Passengers Prepare for Death - Titanic
At the risk of sounding insensitive, screw Jack and Rose. Sure, it's sad that he freezes to death and she loses the man that she loves, but it's not heartbreaking. After all, what we've seen on screen amounts to little more than a vacation fling, and we all know how those usually turn out, right? But where Titanic really tugs at the heartstrings is when the film acknowledges the enormity of the tragedy. Not just one couple's experience on the Titanic, but a ship full of fathers and mothers and sons and daughters doomed to die. The montage of passengers resigned to their fate is devastating, from the pair of elderly lovers huddled together on their bed as the waters rise, to the mother in steerage soothingly telling her children traditional Irish fairy stories. These brief moments capture the real loss of the Titanic far better than any shipboard romance ever could.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
