In the 25 years since Titanic‘s release in 1997, there has been one question that fans of the iconic Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio starring film have asked, debated, researched, and explored perhaps more than any other movie question in history: could Jack (DiCaprio) have fit on that door with Rose (Winslet) and thus survived the ships sinking? Now, as part of a new upcoming National Geographic documentary special, Titanic: 25 Years Later, filmmaker James Cameron is addressing the question — and a new clip from the documentary certainly answers the question, but it’s not as straightforward as fans of the film may think.
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In the clip, which you can check out in the video below, it appears that Jack could have indeed fit on the floating piece of debris without it capsizing, but effects of having been in the icy water would have created an entirely new set of issues that would have endangered both himself and Rose.
As you can see in the video, researchers tested the fan theory that Jack could have gotten on the debris and while the test shows both “Jack’ and “Rose” fitting, immediately after getting up and out of the water, he started shaking and shivering severely — something that appears to may have posed a problem. As is explained in the clip, while researchers increased the water temperature for their experiment, the doubled the time of the test to more accurately replicate the impact of the cold on the human body and while we don’t see the full outcome of the experiment, it seems like Jack may not have had much of a chance even if he’d gotten on the debris. Fans will be able to see the full results when the documentary debuts on Sunday, February 5th.
As for that piece of debris, while fans have been calling it a door for a quarter of a decade, Friday ruing National Geographic’s Television Critics Association panel on Friday, Cameron clarified that it’s not a door at all. It’s actually a piece of paneling.
“It’s, technically, not a door,” Cameron said (via USA Today). “It’s a piece of wood paneling from the first-class cabin.”
Titanic returning to theaters for 25th anniversary.
Titanic will return to theaters for its 25th anniversary. The film will be screened in remastered 4K 3D high-frame rate on February 10th. Released in 1997, Titanic held the record for the all-time global box office and is currently the third-highest-grossing film worldwide. Titanic won a record 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction-Set Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects.
Titanic: 25 Years Later debuts Sunday, February 5th on National Geographic.
