James Horner’s Titanic score was the first film score I ever listened to without the film playing. But the thing about Titanic’s score is that you certainly don’t need the film playing to enjoy it. Horner and Cameron both respectively created such masterful pieces of art that you can easily listen to the score alone, and immediately see images from the film in your mind, or watch the film on mute and hear the score anyway.
The above piece is constructed of two songs. If you’re a diehard fan of the film or movie scores, you know that this particular piece has never been made commercially available…not even in the recent release. It’s essentially “Rose” and “Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave,” combined. But don’t be fooled, the “Rose” used was not the album version. It utilized the recently released, “Rose Alternate” as well as a never before released version of “Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave,” that takes away the bagpipes, and emphasizes the sweeping strings and synth instead.
I would love to know how this piece was chosen for the ending. I would love to know if it was all Horner. If Cameron had input. Because it’s creation is nothing short of movie-thematic genius.
This unique piece combines both emotional plot lines, by combining both thematic melodies, which were played during Rose’s highest script peaks.
As this music begins, the audience receives a striking image of Rose that mirrors one much earlier in the film. Both shots equally represent Rose choosing to make it count by choosing a life of freedom and authenticity. The endowment of her promise to herself and to Jack is complete, visually, and musically.
The song and film take us to the wreck where we find the grand staircase as it was in 1912. A gleaming Jack welcomes a beaming Rose to an eternal embrace that is lauded in an impervious, and transcendent ship. This embrace parallels her choice earlier in the film to choose Jack, to be with Jack, even when it meant her own fate would be uncertain. Even in the face of death.
So it is only fitting the film and score tie these visual and melodic moments together.
Rose’s proclamation of her love for Jack solidified at the grand staircase symbolizes her commitment to continuously choose life and to continuously choose love.
And if that doesn’t make you love this score more, I don’t know what will.
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