Ship of Dreams

I've always been completely fascinated by the Titanic. I remember the first documentary that I ever saw on her I told my Mom I was certain I'd either helped build her or sailed on her. I knew the floor plan like the back of my hand. And I'd never (until that point) done or known really all that much about it. I knew so much about what room led to which before the documentary even said so, that honestly...I scared myself.

I found it very exciting when the first few images came up from the first dive. And I love, love, looove the James Cameron epic film of the same name. But not for the reason you might expect.

I went to see the move in Toronto with Alan, my sister Kristen and her (now) hubby Richard. They had already seen it, but Alan and I had not. My sister warned me that the movie was over 2 hours long, so if I needed to pee, doing it before the show would be beneficial (and actually about 10 minutes before the movie started the theater announced the running time and suggested that if you needed to use the rest room that you do so before the movie started -- I have never seen so many people bolt out of a movie theater before it started in my life! Very amusing).

My sister also warned me, that while I'd likely cry anyway - there would be one particular key moment right at the end of the movie where I would lose it. Completely. I was truthfully completely perplexed, she wouldn't tell me why however. What scared me more was Richard said he bawled like a baby so I was a little off footed.

Without giving anything about the movie away, the movie cruised (pun intended) along and I was in love with the splendor and grandeur that she was. The movie was almost to the end and truthfully other than the odd single tear here and there, I hadn't lost it at all the way my sister evidently had. Was I heartless? I began to think so. Until...

In one of the final shots of the movie, the camera pans past some photos of the female lead (Kate Winslet) character named Rose on a table. These photos were taken of her "Over the years", before, during and after Titanic. When all of a sudden this one particular photo come on screen. It's a photo of Kate Winslet sitting horseback on a beach (San Fransisco I think?) This photo is almost a dead ringer for my Mom (at that age) who had passed away 10 months prior to the movie coming out, and I completely and totally lost it. I have tried to get a screen capture for you here -- however it's not very good. But in any event you get the idea.

 
I was sobbing hysterically, I couldn't breathe. It was as if all the air in the room had been completely sucked out. I think I had been prepared for just about anything...but that. It was completely unexpected and totally surreal. My sister was sitting there handing me Kleenex after Kleenex and Alan was rubbing my back. It was wild. To this day, I am completely fine - until that photo - and then much like I am at the end of West Side Story - all bets are off.

It's amazing what sets people off in movies. A look, a line, a photo, a realization/epiphany, a moment permanently caught on film. These things that evoke such a reaction in us, I find it truly fascinating.

One Last Glimpse,

~K