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Le Coeur de la Mer and the significance of the movie's ending.
posted by strntzSTAFFMOD on May 9, 2017 at 12:58 PM
Something has always bothered me just a bit about the ending of this film (and I'm a big fan of the movie -full disclosure), but why was the diamond significant to the Titanic enough that Rose felt it needed to be returned to the sinking site?
Without getting into why Rose kept it all these years (too hot to hock?), why did she feel it needed be dropped in the ocean over the wreck? The diamond didn't come from the ocean itself, it meant nothing to the ship, crew, or passengers and nothing to Jack (except misery - arrested for it's theft and chained in a sinking ship). If it meant something to Cal beyond it's insurance value, Rose wouldn't care about that either. Some might suggest it's a "letting go or a final goodbye to Jack" act but why would Jack find any significance in the act or care about the diamond one way or the other?
Not a fan of the mercenary Brock, but maybe an ending where Brock Lovitt, perhaps awash with the true understanding of the scope of the tragedy and it's affects on real people, thanks Rose for her story and allowing him to understand the wreck site is far more than salvage. He then gives her the drawing and the items of hers recovered from the wreck. Before she passes away that night, she shows Brock that she had the diamond the whole time and gives him the necklace.
Thoughts?
Reply by tmdb43737777
on June 23, 2017 at 9:33 PM
That would actually be better. I guess for the ending they made it was a keepsake as he drew her with it during their time together
Reply by RainingBullets
on July 10, 2017 at 12:01 AM
I took the diamond to be her last remaining physical (and very important) memento of the Titanic and its events, thus connected to Jack and everyone else. The Titanic completely changed her life and it makes sense she'd be attached to such an item. It's almost like an urn. After reliving everything via the story, and with her age and all the years that've passed in consideration, she chooses to let it go. Allowing her heart to rest with the Titanic. And keeping it from people who don't understand its value.
Brock doesn't deserve the necklace. It's all Rose.
I think you're looking at it from a detached viewpoint and that's why the only options for the necklace you can come up with are "sensible" ones while not considering the relevance of the diamond to Rose herself. Though to be honest I think what Rose did was sensible on its own.
Reply by Maria Kelly
on October 9, 2017 at 12:35 PM
@RainingBullets
That part of the movie has always confused the hell out of me.
Reply by strntz
on January 18, 2018 at 1:45 PM
Well, that's where I get all fuzzy. There was nothing in the film that would suggest she cared about the diamond at all. It was a gift from Cal (strike one), it was cumbersome to wear (strike two), it represented everything she hated about her former life (foul tip?), and it was used as the means to get Jack arrested for it's theft (called strike on the outside corner).
Rose was clearly more emotional about Jack's drawing and her personal affects such as the barrette, the hair brush, and mirror.
It seems a shame to consign the diamond to be lost forever when it had little to no significance to anyone but Cal, and he was gone anyway.
Reply by Maria Kelly
on January 18, 2018 at 8:06 PM
@strntz
Personally I have come to the conclusion that she threw the necklace in the ocean because she just didn't want ANYONE to have it.
Reply by Maria Kelly
on January 18, 2018 at 8:07 PM
@strntz
Personally I have come to the conclusion that she threw the necklace in the ocean because she just didn't want ANYONE to have it.
Reply by wonder2wonder
on January 19, 2018 at 5:02 AM
This reminds me of something I read once
and from another article
quote: "In a fitting and romantic end to the movie, Rose tosses the necklace overboard at the site of the Titanic's sinking, letting the gemstone be a link between her and her lost love."
Reply by strntz
on January 19, 2018 at 7:52 AM
That actually makes a lot more sense than Rose using it as a bond between her and Jack as Wonder's link suggests, but it doesn't explain why she dropped it over the ship itself.
Reply by Maria Kelly
on January 19, 2018 at 12:06 PM
@strntz : Well, part of what I meant when I said that she didn't want anyone to have it, is that I think she didn't want the people searching for valuable stuff from the Titanic to make money from it. She may have felt that they were disrespecting the memory of all of the people who died.
Reply by strntz
on January 19, 2018 at 5:49 PM
My comment was in two parts; the first to you and the second in response to wonder2wonder's link. The first part of my comment agreed with you, the second part of not understanding why she would drop it off the ship was for the other citation/link that suggested she did so as a link to Jack, which is what I don't really see.
And I agree that Rose would have no reason to give it to Brock as we know him, which is why I suggested a script change where Brock would be truly moved by Rose's story, to the point where he felt shame at looking at the Titanic wreck site from a purely dollar and cents standpoint - almost like an Ebenezer Scrooge awakening. Moved and overwhelmed, Brock thanks Rose for her story, and gives her the items he recovered from the Titanic including Jack's drawing. Rose, seeing the change in Brock returns the favor with the necklace right before she passes away (and I think she did - warm in her bed as Jack foretold).
Reply by Maria Kelly
on January 19, 2018 at 9:35 PM
@strntz :You make some very good points.