Titanic: James Cameron closes the eternal debate of the film in a National Geographic documentary

This is a debate that has animated the whole world since 1997: “Could Jack have stood on the floating door with Rose at the end of Titanic?” A question that is about to resurface in conversations with the new cinema release of the blockbuster, on February 8, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.

To accompany this return to theaters, director James Cameron took part in the documentary Titanic: 25 Years Later With James Cameron from National Geographic, and conducted several experiments to settle the matter (almost) for good.

“Jack could have survived, but…”

In this documentary, broadcast on February 4, 2023 on the National Geographic channel in the United States and available on the Hulu platform the next day, the filmmaker supervises a filmed study to test all possible scenarios and see under what conditions Jack could have held on to the plank with Rose.

• Watch the excerpt from the documentary Titanic: 25 Years Later :

With the help of stuntmen immersed in water at -2° and an expert in hypothermia, James Cameron explains that there is indeed a specific case where Jack could have survived. but several conditions would have had to be met. In one of them, Rose should have given him his lifejacket to protect him from the cold and calm his tremors which would destabilize the floating door.

“Yes, he could have held out until the lifeboat arrived. Jack could have survived, but there are so many variablessaid the filmmaker. I think Jack’s logic was to say to himself: ‘I’m not going to do anything that would put Rose in danger. And it’s totally in line with the character.”

This should give arguments to those who find that Jack made the right decision in the end.

The documentary Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron is not yet announced in France, but its release on Hulu in the United States suggests that it will be available on Disney+ very soon.

At the cinema in 4K and 3D

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its release (December 19, 1997 across the Atlantic, January 7, 1998 in France), titanic will be released in theaters on February 8 in a restored 4K and 3D HDR and HFR version.

The opportunity to revisit this cinematic classic, winner of 11 Oscars (a record tied with Ben Hur And The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) and the biggest recipe in history at the time with 1.8 billion dollars raised worldwide, before being dethroned by Avatar in 2009.

• Watch the Titanic trailer:

At the same time historical film, disaster film and sublime romance, titanic is a sensational and unique spectacle, magnified by the timeless direction of James Cameron. Usually available on the Disney+ streaming platform, the film has been removed to help its return to theaters. A questionable strategy, already used by Disney in September to Avatar.