Kate Winslet provides new behind-the-scenes information about Titanic‘s memorable door scene. Despite being one of the highest grossing movies of all time, the door scene is arguably an even bigger piece of the movie’s legacy. Debates still rage 27 years later about whether both Rose (Winslet) and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) could have fit on the door, which, if possible, would have meant Jack not freezing to death in the ocean during Titanic‘s emotional ending.
While on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Winslet described how she and DiCaprio filmed the dramatic scene in a waist-high tank of water. The noise generated by the water constantly being recycled in the tank made it difficult to hear the dialogue spoken by Winslet and DiCaprio. Since the sound of the recirculated water was overpowering the audio, the cast had to re-record their lines for this scene during post-production. Check out Winslet’s comments below:
That was quite an awkward tank, that one, because — to burst a bubble, it was waist-height, that tank. Leo is, I’m afraid, kneeling down on the bottom of the tank.
The thing that was amazing about the edges of the tank was that it was an infinity tank, so there was constant water rushing, and you could hear the constant sound of water. Which, let me tell you, everybody, means that the last 22 minutes of that movie are entirely looped. Everything… completely looped the whole thing. I promise you, because you could hear this water noise the whole time.
What This Means For Titanic
It’s True Movie Magic
These behind-the-scenes details add further layers to the door scene and serve as a testament to the power of movie magic. While discussions about the door scene are sometimes treated as a joke, it is Jack and Rose’s love and the devastating loss of Jack that made the scene impactful in the first place. It is even more impressive that Winslet and DiCaprio were able to convincingly sell this emotional drama while situated in a waist-high water tank where their words could not be clearly heard over the sound of recirculating water.
They brought to life one of cinema’s most iconic romances through filming circumstances that were anything but romantic. In addition to their acting, the behind-the-scenes details are also a testament to all the work that goes into post-production, including re-recording audio, that makes a scene and the overall story feel more complete beyond what was originally filmed. One of Titanic‘s best scenes now has even more reason to be remembered and appreciated.
It’s Time For Another Titanic Rewatch
One of the best aspects of a defining movie like Titanic is that it continues to be part of popular culture conversations, leading to the types of unexpected reveals that Winslet gave about the door scene. Given the logistical challenges behind creating such scenes, it is remarkable what James Cameron and the rest of his creative team were able to achieve, and he and his collaborators have only gone on to even greater creative heights with the Avatar movies. When re-watching Titanic, this scene will now take on new meaning that makes the movie even more compelling to revisit.
Source: Happy Sad Confused
