James Cameron’s TITANIC till date, is considered to be not just one of his best works but also one of the best films Hollywood has to offer. Jack and Rose have become iconic in their own right. This is evident from the fact that we all cried when Jack died and also during the ending when Rose finally meets him in death/limbo/dream.
However today, our focus is on a different aspect. An aspect that’s not as iconic as the movie. Today, we talk about an alternate ending that’s making rounds online.
The Unseen & Un-released Ending of Titanic
Unlike the original cut, this ending does not conclude in a dream/limbo. Instead it does in present day. Additionally, instead of focusing on Rose and Jack’s union, it did on Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) and his wife.
The scene begins with Lovett and co. finding Rose standing on the ship’s guard rail, seemingly about to jump. On approaching, Rose stops them by threatening to jump into the water if they come any closer. Additionally, she also threatens to drop the blue heart-shaped necklace as well. This shocks Lovett as he didn’t know she held onto it all those years.
She then replies by saying that she did not sell it as every time she was about to, it reminded her of her husband CAL (Billy Zane) and how she made it without his help. This means that she refused to sell the necklace and live off its fortune as a dependent and selfish person. Despite attempts to convince her to hand over the necklace, Rose is adamant that she will “put this in it’s right place” i.e at the bottom of the ocean.
Lovett requests to hold it once which Rose obliges to. While Lovett latches on to the necklace refusing to let go, Rose comes up with the best quote in this scene: –
You look for treasures in the wrong place Mr. Lovett. Only life is Priceless, and making each day count.
Rose Dawson
This makes Lovett realize what’s he been doing wrong and thus he let’s go and Rose throws the Heart of the Ocean into the ocean itself. The scene ends with Rose, Lovett and his wife sharing a laugh on the boat, to the shock of the rest of Lovett’s crew and him asking his wife for a dance.
Meaning Behind the Ending
Though not as impacting as the origial ending, this too has a beautiful message. Rose’s words ring differently to Lovett than the others because he understood the true meaning behind them.
Lovett realized that he doesn’t need to run behind materialistic “treasures” in order to live life happily. Instead, he needs to give more time to his loved ones. Rather than traversing the oceans with tech of all sorts, he just needs few moments with his wife to experience true happiness. Thus, Lovett asks his wife for a dance and stops caring about what others will have to say.
Lovett laughs in the end, when he realizes what a fool he’s been. He thinks so because he spent most of his life till then, searching for lost and buried treasures in the dust and deep in oceans. However, the greatest treasure he could ever have is true love by his side; someone who fortunately is still with him safe (unlike Jack who Rose had to let go).
This is the reason Lovett turns all his attention to his wife and once in his life, talks to her about something other than his work. Thus, he lets go of the necklace. He allows Rose to throw it and seems to care the least about it. The throwing of the necklace also symbolizes Rose moving on. It means that anything and everything related to the Titanic is a thing of the past.
Why it wasn’t included in Titanic Movie??
- Shifts the focus away from the Main Characters: The ending focuses more on the treasure hunter Brock Lovett instead of Rose and Jack. This is a character with whom we have spent a lot of time in the beginning but haven’t been invested in personally. Thus, focusing the emotional ending on him and his love interest was a wrong move. The origial ending showing Rose and Jack finally reuniting happily in dream/limbo is a much impacting ending.
- Has less weight to It: In the original ending, Rose throwing the necklace into the ocean was a much more personal affair. This action required this situation as it reflected Rose’s own battle; the battle to move on. Thus, the original ending gives us the reveal that she held the jewel all along. Secondly, it even kept us focused on Rose and how her throwing the necklace signified her moving on. The fact that now the jewel rests where Jack does, hits home better than what we got in this alternate ending. The “That really sucks, lady” line by the tech guy doesn’t help either.
- Doesn’t Make Sense: Brock Lovett and his team had the most sophisticated equipment with them. They had everything from robots to submarines. Thus, even if Rose threw the necklace in the water, Lovett’s team could have easily recovered it.
FINAL WORDS
Thus, it’d be safe to say that the ending we got was way more emotional, heart wrenching and memorable as compared to this alternate one. In the former, Rose’s separation from the jewel was a heavy affair. Her moving on and letting Jack rest with the jewel was indeed made to feel like a hard and more personal decision.
Lovett’s team did not surround her like a pack of wolves in the original ending. Secondly, just a few lines by Rose did not lead to such a major change of heart in Lovett. It did not make him leave his treasure huting ways. In fact, we did not waste time behind a character who’s personal story was not that important for the plot.
The original ending got everything right. The main characters in their best form, a sort of happy ending yet, an emotional one.
Here’s the alternate ending: –