Titanic (1)
A movie theater in Texas, shortly after the release of Titanic.
A burly, bear-like man walked out of the theater, his eyes red and teary, tightly holding his wife's hand.
"..."
"Honey," his wife whispered gently, looking at her husband with a playful smirk. "My heart will go on."
It was the title and core lyric of the Titanic soundtrack—a phrase that encapsulated everything about the film.
"Sniff... Waaaaah!"
In the end, the man burst into a loud sob. And like dominoes, the reaction spread through the crowd.
"Ugh, hic..."
"Sniff... sob!"
"Damn it, why did he have to do that there...!"
The men, who had grumbled, "Why are we watching this again?" on their way to the theater, were crying far more than the women they came with by the time they walked out. And this wasn't just happening in Texas. In theaters all across America, a bizarre sight unfolded: lobbies filled with weeping, red-eyed men.
Men waiting in line for the next show tilted their heads in confusion.
Seriously? What kind of guy bawls his eyes out over a movie?
If I shed any tears, it'll be from yawning out of sheer boredom. Especially for a movie like this.
Knowing beforehand that the movie ran for a whopping three hours and fourteen minutes, the men dragged their feet behind their wives and girlfriends, fully intending to fall asleep the moment they got bored. They slowly filed into the auditorium.
And then, the movie began.
After the opening sequence exploring the sunken wreck for over twenty minutes passed...
Oh, holy shit.
Whoa, look at that ship.
It's fucking huge.
The screen was filled with the majestic, awe-inspiring sight of the massive Titanic, instantly capturing the men's attention. Conversely, the women sitting next to them were looking at something entirely different.
Oh, my god.
Is that... a man?
I want him so bad.
The only thing they saw was one man: Sion Lee.
His character, Caledon Hockley, was a so-called second-generation tycoon. He sported an old-school hairstyle, neatly slicked back with pomade, and a cold, expressionless face. He was a manipulator, and at the same time, a predator. Confident that he could obtain anything he desired, he looked upon the Titanic—the pinnacle of technological achievement at the time—not with awe, but with possessive greed. And that attitude was on full display in how he treated his fiancée, Rose.
"Rose, this way."
"Ah..."
"Come along."
A cage that restricted the freedom of a bird named Rose. That was Cal's role in this film. Yet, watching those suffocating scenes, countless female audience members found themselves utterly captivated by Cal's powerful, domineering charm.
Why is Rose so unhappy when she's with a man like that?
If it were me, I'd give him everything...
But that thought vanished in an instant when a different man appeared in the very next scene.
"We're going to America! Haha!!"
The protagonist, Jack Dawson, was cheerful, a bit of a rogue, and completely different from Rose's fiancé, Cal. Watching his innocent, carefree nature, the women couldn't help but feel a flutter of first love—a sensation they hadn't felt since childhood, entirely different from what they felt when looking at Cal.
If Cal stimulated the desire for 'security,' Jack stimulated the desire for 'adventure.' If Cal was a cold but cozy deep pool of water, Jack was a flame that wrapped around you with the warmth of a campfire. With just the introduction of these two men, Titanic had already invited countless female viewers into its era. They were emotionally prepared to fully accept the film's concept and world.
On the other hand, the male audience members were still focusing more on the ship than the characters. Watching Jack and his friend win third-class tickets in a poker game and rush onto the ship just five minutes before departure, those who knew the ship's fate couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
This is crazy.
They barely made it onto the ship, and it's going to sink?
That was the nature of historical films. There is a saying: "Twenty years of peace go unrecorded, but a single collapse remains." Thus, much of history is recorded through tragedies to teach lessons and stimulate human imagination. And it was no coincidence that historical films dealing with such events generally focused on epic tragedies.
A ship slowly sailing toward its predetermined doom. A time to show the lives and loves of the people aboard. Out of the three-hour runtime, thirty minutes had already passed just with the modern-day scenes and the departure. Yet, not a single viewer noticed the passage of time.
In various interviews conducted before the release of Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio had mentioned what to look out for in the film:
"I think it would be good to focus on the 'body.'"
"Does that mean we can expect some hot scenes?"
"Well, I'll leave that to your imagination."
Though said in passing, its implications were massive.
Following the scene where Jack boards the ship with his friend, the heir Cal and his fiancée Rose explained their relationship in a single sequence.
"This room is a bit lacking in color."
Rose wanted to hang the paintings she collected in the stateroom she shared with Cal.
"More paintings? Ah, no. Or should we call it money laundering in this case?"
"Cal has no sense of art. He doesn't recognize a great painting."
Rose said this as she looked at the painting she bought.
"Who is the artist?"
"Picasso... was it?"
Through the maid's question and Rose's answer, the cleverness of this scene was revealed. In 1912, when the Titanic sank, Picasso was slowly rising to fame with works like Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. James Cameron presented contrasting views on the great painter who would shake the 20th century, aiming to provide information based on the audience's historical knowledge.
...It was a complex explanation, but simple to put into practice.
"Picasso? I assure you, that kind of painting won't be worth a dime."
Unlike Rose, who believed Picasso's paintings had value, Cal completely dismissed them.
My god, he doesn't recognize the value of Picasso.
He's completely ignorant when it comes to art.
Conversely, Rose was naturally framed as an insightful individual who recognized Picasso's value early on. And the irony was heightened by the fact that no one else in the room realized this.
Cal, who was enjoying champagne, slowly approached Rose from behind as she ignored him and continued to hang the paintings, gesturing for the maids to leave.
"Ah..."
An ad-lib that wasn't in the original script. And it ultimately made it into the final cut.
"Do you like Picasso that much?"
"Ye-yes?"
"I can make him shine. If you say you want it..."
In that sense, Cal referred to the paintings as "money laundering." The value of any art, and any artist, is ultimately determined by the "capitalist" who is in a position to recognize it. And Cal was a man who could do just that.
"What do you mean? His value can never be determined like that..."
"Do you really think so? Picasso or whoever, do you think the foolish masses will understand his great artistic value? At best, they'll look at how much a painting sold for and pretend to know something, saying, 'Ah, what a wonderful painting.'"
Cal slowly caressed Rose's chin, as if she were the finest painting of all. A painting whose value only he could create.
"Say you want it. And I'll make it happen."
Rose pushed his hand away in disgust. With an amused smirk, Cal slowly stepped away.
...The sheer impact of that sequence of scenes was truly powerful.
Whoa, seriously, wow...
This is Sion Lee in a period piece? His screen presence is absolutely insane!
About two weeks had passed since the release. Despite the unfavorable conditions of being a historical period piece, a romance, and having a runtime of three hours and fourteen minutes, the movie exploded at the box office. Far beyond anyone's expectations.
Along with the passionate performances of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, two promising young actors, Sion Lee's presence elevated the film, making it richer.
One column evaluated Sion Lee's performance in the film as follows:
Unlike in his past life, the Cal that Sion interpreted was no longer a simple villain and obstacle. He was the man who caged Rose as she dreamed of freedom, but he was also the embodiment of human arrogance, technology, and materialism. Many viewers felt both charm and danger in his cold, rational demeanor. In front of his cold gaze, it felt as if everything became meaningless.
He maintained the same attitude during the upper-class dinner scene.
"I'll have to teach you manners from scratch."
"Why don't you raise a dog instead?"
Mrs. Brown, a character based on a real person who understood Rose's heart to some extent, stood up to Cal.
"I have no desire to own a dog."
"Own? Is a person an object?"
"If they are exchanged by value, then yes. That is the only thing I believe in."
A character from 1912 began to mesmerize the audience of the 90s beyond the silver screen. From then on, even the men who had only focused on the giant ship slowly fell into the era and the characters.
The life of the high society, beautifully depicted through the character of Cal. But Rose did not understand it at all. The meaningless chatter with narrow-minded people, yachts, and polo. She could clearly see the life that lay ahead of her, and unable to bear it, she fled the party and impulsively tried to jump off the ship.
But Rose couldn't bring herself to do it. It was her ultimate protest. An act reflecting her desire to escape from the class-divided space of the Titanic. Soon, a man approached from behind and spoke to her with a flustered look.
"Don't do it."
"Don't come any closer!"
The man slowly calmed the agitated Rose. It was Jack Dawson.
"You won't do it."
He smiled easily.
"If you jump, I'm jumping after you."
A vagabond artist barely riding in a third-class cabin won in a poker game. A man with no fixed address, who called his address "Titanic, third-class cabin." Yet, such a presence slowly began to melt Rose's frozen heart.
Whoa, this is... a completely different vibe.
He's the exact opposite of Cal. If Cal is a cold fortress on a high mountain, Jack is like warm sunlight on a plain.
The audience accepted the contrast between the two men, following Rose's psychological changes crafted by meticulous directing.
Of course, Jack was no ordinary man either. Looking at his drawings, Rose couldn't hide her embarrassment at seeing them filled with nude sketches. But she gradually fell deep into the freedom he spoke of.
And then, the upper-class dinner scene where Jack was invited as a reward for saving Rose. Jack and Cal. Cal and Jack. The scene where the two sharply traded words followed. The audience couldn't help but hold their breath. It was, quite literally, a fiery acting battle between Sion and Leo.
Though it wasn't an emotionally explosive scene, the two traded words without backing down an inch, and the camera perfectly captured Rose's wavering gaze as she watched them. And in the end, she chose Jack.
She had to.
Yes, that's the way to go, Rose. That's right...
She chose an unstable freedom over the safest existence that kept her caged. And the fact that Cal was so incredibly attractive made Rose's choice feel even more powerful. Rose was different from ordinary people who believed that happiness required a lot of money. She was someone who valued freedom and experience as the most important aspects of life.
Following the high-society dinner, she attended a party with the third-class passengers. And the next morning, Rose and Cal had breakfast across a dining table. Cal, leisurely enjoying his coffee, asked:
"Did you have fun yesterday?"
"Did you have your servant tail me again?"
"Yes, because you are a horse that cannot be reined in. At least, not yet."
Hearing this, Rose, who had been biting her lip, gathered her courage and spoke.
"I am not a worker in your company."
The freedom she tasted at the party yesterday had loosened the lock on her mouth.
"I am your fiancée."
"...Is that so?"
Cal did not get angry.
"I see."
A short murmur, followed by a brief silence. Immediately after, he moved suddenly.
Cal flipped the large dining table in a single motion.
The explosive action from a character who had been so still and cold made every viewer in the theater gasp and widen their eyes in shock. Rose, too, looked terrified, and Cal slowly walked up to her, speaking as if nothing had happened.
"Then please, act like a fiancée, won't you?"
He locked her mouth once again.
"More elegant and faithful. Not mingling with third-class citizens. Respecting your husband and refraining from any behavior that would blemish your standing as a wife. I don't think I'm asking for much."
His hand moved like a snake, gripping Rose's cheek. A cold gaze that seemed capable of freezing everything in the world. As if truly terrified, Rose froze. Completely.
"Do you understand?"
"...Yes."
Rose barely nodded. Cal, his expression still ice-cold, walked off-screen.
Whoa...
That was... absolutely insane.
The audience, who had been watching the film holding their breath, were all dumbfounded by Sion Lee's overwhelming performance. Like Rose, they let out a deflated breath, experiencing that crushing despair together. Quite literally, Sion Lee was the Titanic itself in this film. The cage that locked Rose in. The ship Rose wanted to jump off of. And the absurd, suffocating reality of life itself.
A mother trying to rebuild her family's ruined name through her daughter's marriage. Herself, unable to escape that yoke. Faced with this harsh reality, the life began to drain from Rose's face once more. With Cal's interference, Jack was also prevented from seeing Rose, and it seemed their connection was severed.
...But Rose was not a woman who would just sit and wait to be saved in such a situation. At the bow of the ship, Rose went back to Jack, whom she had previously rejected.
"Close your eyes."
Finally, one of the most romantic scenes in cinema history unfolded.
"Now, open your eyes."
On the railing where she had tried to fall off at the beginning of the film, the two now stood, leaning on each other.
"I'm flying!"
Aboard the Titanic, a microcosm of human society, the two enjoyed a brief moment of freedom and shared a kiss.
"..."
"..."
Watching that scene, tears were already welling up in the eyes of the audience.