As we know, Titanic , the 1997 masterpiece directed by James Cameron.
It will return to Italian cinemas in 3D from February 9 to celebrate the 25th anniversary, distributed by The Walt Disney Company Italia.
For the occasion, the director has decided to answer once and for all a question that has fueled the web for years: could Jack have survived?
We are obviously talking about the character played by the then very young Leonardo DiCaprio . There are those who are convinced that poor Jack would have found salvation if only Rose ( Kate Winslet ) had left him some space on that floating wooden door. Others, however, are convinced of the opposite.
Well, James Cameron decided to close the matter once and for all and commissioned a scientific study to prove that two people could not possibly have survived on that raft.
The study will be part of the documentary Titanic: 25 Years Later With James Cameron, which airs on National Geographic on February 4. As explained by the director:
We conducted a scientific study to close the issue once and for all, definitively plant a stake in its heart. We did a thorough forensic analysis with a hypothermia expert, who recreated the raft seen in the film. When the film hits theaters again next February, there will be a little special on just that thing.
We used two stunt doubles of the same build as Kate and Leo and covered them in sensors. They were dunked in ice cold water and we tested if they would survive through a number of methods. The bottom line is that by no means could either of them survive. Only one could survive.
Jack had to die. He’s like Romeo and Juliet. It’s a film about love, about sacrifice, about mortality. Love is measured through sacrifice. Maybe, after 25 years, I won’t have to answer this question.
Good Morning America has released an excerpt of this documentary, in which we can see the tests for three different types of scenarios:
- The two try to stay together on the raft: IMPOSSIBLE
- The two remain with the upper part of the body out of the water: possibility of surviving several hours but most likely not long enough to wait for help to arrive
Then there is a third option. The one where Rose offers her life jacket to Jack. Here in that case it is Cameron himself who admits that Jack could have survived until help arrived:
There are many variables. I think he thought, “I would never do anything to put her in danger,” and that’s totally consistent with the character.
Titanic: Could Jack Have Lived?
.@GMA FIRST LOOK: @natgeo special “Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron” will settle the debate once and for all: could Jack have survived?@JimCameron@natgeotv pic.twitter.com/OkKCXaEkvF
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 2, 2023
Titanic won an impressive 11 Academy Awards, includingBest Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Special Effects . Upon its initial release in 1997, the film became the world’s No. 1-grossing film of all time and is currently the third highest-grossing film worldwide.