• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
James Cameron uses ‘scientific study’ to finally answer the infamous Titanic question

Home> Film & TV

Updated 08:16 20 Jun 2023 GMT+1Published 09:27 17 Dec 2022 GMT

James Cameron uses ‘scientific study’ to finally answer the infamous Titanic question

Fans have been asking the question for more than two decades

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

More than 20 years after the film's release, Titanic director James Cameron has used a 'scientific study' to finally answer the question that has plagued us for years.

Christmas is a time for movies, and Titanic is one which never gets old. The romance, drama and tragedy continue to entertain viewers year after year, and yet, without fail, every re-watch brings up the same question.

You know what I'm talking about. The moment comes towards the end of the film, when hundreds of people, including Jack and Rose, are struggling in the icy water. Even Brad Pitt knows the score:

Though the conditions would have been unbearable either way, Rose is slightly better off than Jack as she's kitted out with a life jacket to help her stay afloat. And yet when the pair find a floating door, APPARENTLY there's only room for one of them.

The question of why Rose didn't make space for Jack on the door has haunted viewers for years, with some going as far as to make diagrams to prove the numerous different ways the pair could have both got out of the water.

Advert

Cameron has previously tried to defend the choice by arguing that Jack had to die for artistic reasons, but now he's used science to prove that he couldn't have lived anyway.

“We have done a scientific study to put this whole thing to rest and drive a stake through its heart once and for all,” the director told Postmedia.

As part of a documentary set to be released in February, the director conducted a 'thorough forensic analysis with a hypothermia expert who reproduced the raft from the movie'.

There was definitely room on that door.
20th Century Fox

Advert

"We took two stunt people who were the same body mass of Kate and Leo and we put sensors all over them and inside them and we put them in ice water and we tested to see whether they could have survived through a variety of methods and the answer was, there was no way they both could have survived," Cameron said.

Finally laying the argument to rest, he added: "Only one could survive"

While Jack's death obviously caused enough outrage to span decades, Cameron has no regrets over the loss of the charming love interest, saying: “No, he needed to die. It’s like Romeo and Juliet. It’s a movie about love and sacrifice and mortality. The love is measured by the sacrifice."

So there you have it - you can't argue with science. Although I bet some people will still try.

Featured Image Credit: SOPA Images Limited / ScreenProd / Photononstop / Alamy Stock Photo

Topics: Film and TV, Leonardo DiCaprio, Titanic

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 hours ago
15 hours ago
a day ago
  • 2 hours ago

    93% rated Amazon Prime show had Stephen King labeling it 'really smart' as fans binge all three seasons

    Fans were blown away by the 'unique' show, which even got Stephen King's seal of approval

    Film & TV
  • 15 hours ago

    Netflix fans demand new season of forgotten drama with near-perfect RT score and 'amazing' cast

    The drama released in 2020 and is yet to receive a second season

    Film & TV
  • 15 hours ago

    All the evidence Amy Bradley is still alive after disappearing from Royal Caribbean cruise ship 27 years ago

    Amy Bradley, from Virginia, was just 23 when she vanished from the Rhapsody of the Seas cruise ship

    Film & TV
  • a day ago

    New Netflix film is on track to become its most-watched animated movie with over 80,000,000 views in just four weeks

    The movie debuted on June 20 and has amassed a huge cult following already

    Film & TV
  • Kate Winslet makes shocking BTS revelation about infamous Titanic door scene
  • James Cameron reveals he heard 'something you never want to hear' during near-disaster Titanic dive
  • First-ever 3D scans of the Titanic reveal what James Cameron got wrong in iconic movie
  • James Cameron reveals what he saw after he reached deepest point in the ocean that is 35,787 feet underwater