James Cameron said that Jack might have been able to live on the Titanic.
The director has avoided fan speculation for years that the tragic ending of his 1997 film could have been prevented. But it seems that Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack may have survived to enjoy a long and happy life with Kate Winslet’s Rose.
However, this news may come as a surprise to moviegoers, since in December the director categorically stated that the tests showed that only one of his main characters could survive. However, it seems that Cameron missed one scenario that the tests revealed — one in which Jack could cling to life.
The revelation comes in the upcoming National Geographic special “Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron.” According to Variety, the special actually supports the theory that Cameron could have finished the film without DiCaprio’s character dying.
The special shows how the director and the team put two stand-ins, who are almost exactly the same as his two leading stars in 1997, through a series of tests.
In the first test, Cameron refutes the fan theory that there is enough room on the raft for Jack and Rose to survive. As the director states, although we see that “Jack and Rose have enough space to climb onto the raft, now they are both submerged in a dangerous level of icy water.”
In the second test, Cameron again tries to fit Jack and Rose on the raft. In this test, their bodies are positioned so that their upper half (including vital organs) remains above water. In this case, the chances of survival of both increase.
Cameron notes this ordeal: “Out of the water, he was helped by a strong shaking [of his body]. Projecting this, he could have done it for quite a while. For example, a watch.
However, the problem with this scenario is endurance. The stuntmen were well rested and could keep their upper bodies above water for a longer period of time—unlike the injured and exhausted Jack and Rose.
In the third and final challenge, Cameron asks the stuntmen to perform all the strenuous actions that Jack and Rose go through in the film in order to tire them out. And the director also added an additional moment that was not included in the film: Rose gives Jack her life jacket.
Cameron explains, “He’s stabilized. He got to a place where, if we had projected it, he could have held out until the lifeboat arrived. Jack could have survived, but there are many variables. I think his thought process was like, ‘I’m not going to do anything that could endanger her,’ and that’s 100% in line with his character.”
“Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron” airs on February 5 on the National Geographic Channel. Meanwhile, “Titanic” returns to theaters in a new 4K 3D restoration on February 11.
