CHASING OSCAR - Road to Madness

KATE WINSLET 

as Rose DeWitt Bukater in TITANIC (1997)
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In 1996, Brock Lovett and his team explore the wreck of Titanic, searching for a diamond necklace called the Heart of the Ocean. They recover Caledon Hockley's safe, believing the necklace to be inside, but instead find a sketch of a nude woman wearing it, dated April 14, 1912. An elderly woman named Rose Dawson Calvert calls Lovett and claims that she is the woman depicted and she visits him and his team on his salvage ship. Asked if she knows about the necklace, Rose recalls her time aboard the Titanic...  

"And all the while I feel like I’m standing in the middle of a crowded room, screaming at the top of my lungs, and no one even looks up."

                                         - Rose DeWitt Bukater

Kate Winslet received her second Oscar nomination and first in the best actress category playing the iconic Rose DeWitt Bukater, a 17 year-old, forced into an engagement with a 30 year-old man, who embarks on the Titanic, as a first-class passenger, and falls in love with Jack Dawson, a third-class passenger. Kate Winslet brings a lot of authenticity to her character: she works hard on her posture, on her American accent, on her way to speak, her way to stand. We never doubt that she's from a rich aristocracy family. Her performance is a lot more substantial that what we might think. Kate Winslet manages to transcend the screenplay and adds a lot of complexity to her character. Rose is a character full of contradictions: vulnerable and brave, tamed and rebellious, lovely and cold. 

Kate makes us easily feel that her character is struggling, she wants to explore and adventure the world, but she feels that’s not going to happen. Through the movie, Rose completely transforms herself thanks to the talent of Kate Winslet. From the chained and lonely girl, she turns herself into this determined and independent young woman, who dreams of freedom, even if she has to leave her family behind, allowing Kate to use her emotions and her talent. She is torn apart between her sense, about what she owes to her family, and her feelings, her unconditional love for Jack. Thanks to Kate and her performance, we can definitely relate to her. In all the scenes when the ship is sinking, she’s great, full of emotions, torn between despair, pain, relief, fear. It’s very physical and Kate brings so much intensity and acting in these very difficult scenes to shoot. The physically and mentally chemistry between Rose and Jack, played wonderfully by Leonardo DiCaprio (probably the best actor of his generation) is undeniable. The relation is strong and powerful.  The love and the attraction between them seem so real, vivid, pure but also very sensual. It’s very rare to see two actors having such a beautiful chemistry. The “I’m flying” scene is their best scene and certainly one of the most iconic in film’s history.

  

"A timeless epic that gets me every time, the power of the storytelling and the performances by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio grip throughout."

                                                                                               - Daily Express

It’s not easy to shine in a film in which the story itself is the massive and main actor, but Kate Winslet does her best (despite the writing which is far from perfect) and brings some intensity and authenticity to the epic-disaster-drama film Titanic. In a very demanding and challenging role, She manages to give a very captivating, overwhelming and poignant performance. 

★★★★★