Introduction
In the film industry, movies frequently depict the prevalent political, social, regulatory, and business environments of their times. By considering these environments, film enthusiasts and experts can learn more about the concealed agendas and issues. The following analysis compares and contrasts Leo McCarey’s An Affair to Remember and James Cameron’s Titanic from a political, social, regulatory, and business perspective.
In An Affair to Remember, Nickie Ferrante and Terry McKay meet on the transatlantic ocean liner SS Constitution that travels from Europe to New York (Grant). The two fall in love against all odds and fight to preserve their love for each other. Similarly, Titanic features a cruise from Southampton to New York where the young Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson meet and fall in love (Mayer). Although the RMS Titanic eventually sinks and Jack dies, Rose survives and recounts their love affair years later.
When Leo McCarey’s An Affair to Remember and James Cameron’s Titanic are analysed from a political, social, regulatory, and business perspective, findings indicate that the directors implement historical romance themes characterized by romanticism, class interactions, and conservativeness. In An Affair to Remember, Nickie Ferrante and Terry McKay meet on the transatlantic ocean liner SS Constitution that travels from Europe to New York (Grant). The two fall in love against all odds and fight to preserve their love for each other. Similarly, Titanic features a cruise from Southampton to New York where the young Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson meet and fall in love (Mayer). Although the RMS Titanic eventually sinks and Jack dies, Rose survives and recounts their love affair years later. There are similarities in the both films’ political, social, and regulatory, environments, although the 1910s and 1950s business environments are highly contrasted.
Social Environment
The primary aspect of the two films’ social environment is the characters’ ability to get involved in romantic antics and affairs. In An Affair to Remember, Nickie Ferrante has returned to New York to wed a wealthy heiress. The viewer is also made aware that Nickie has had well-publicized romantic antics and affairs. At the same time, disco singer Terry McKay is on her way to visit her long-time suitor. Although the two are in stable relationships, they fall in love and promise to meet at the Empire States building after ending their relationships and changing careers. Terry soon learns Nickie is a gifted painter, which fascinates her. Nevertheless, Terry is involved in a terrible road accident on the meet day (Graham 1). Nickie, who had already arrived at the predetermined meeting point, departs at midnight thinking Terry has rejected him.
Similarly, Titanic is defined by the romanticism of 1997. Love is the central theme in the movie and is signified by the Heart of the Ocean diamond. Jack and Rose are the main characters in the film. As they take a cruise from Southampton to New York, they implement meaningful choices to stay together. It is also vital to note that the upper-class characters depicted in Titanic are shown to be inept at love.
For example, Ruth intends to force her daughter to marry the wealthy Cal Hockley regardless of whether the two do not love each other as a way of protecting their riches. However, after Rose interacts with Jack, she realizes that a dependable, fervent love affair is better than any riches. Rose lets go of the Heart of the Ocean necklace into the sea at the movie’s end, indicating that her love for Jack is honest and beyond comparison, something she could never have had with Brock.
In the two films, romanticism is heavily depicted. Romanticism was a literary, artistic, musical, and intellectual social phenomenon that started in Europe in the late 18th century (Furst 25). The movement was guided by five principles: imagination, individuality, intuition, inspiration, and idealism (Perry 8; Eaves and Fischer 55). The emphasis was on individualism and characters’ freedom from rules. In both films, the main characters have deviated from social norms and decided to chart unique paths. Nickie and Terry fall in love, while jack and Rose embark on an epic but ill-fated cruise where forbidden love is the premise.
Political Environment
There are evident resemblances in how the two films portray the political environment. For example, the 1957 movie occurs after the World Wars, when most productions primarily focused on combat issues. At the time, there was also less regard for women’s rights and women’s roles in movie theatres. Therefore, love films, such as An Affair to Remember, did not reveal much concerning women’s sexuality, nudity, and desires (Davies and OCallaghan 24).
Similarly, the 1997 production underpins conservative ideas regarding class hierarchies and class prejudice in the United States. Titanic has a bold approach to class interactions. The film produces an aura of the cross-class fantasy movies popular in Hollywood between the 1910s and 1920s. Because the original RMS Titanic went down in 1912, James Cameron decides to showcase the lifestyles of working-class laborers, immigrants, and blue-collar workers at the time. There is an additional allusion to women’s rights. For instance, Rose’s mother intends her to marry a wealthy businessman, although it goes against her will.
Regulatory Environment
In both films, directors regulated how characters related and spoke to each other to depict class atmospheres of the 1910s and 1950s. Although both female lead characters are desperate for love, directors are reluctant to expose modern social themes such as extramarital affairs, women’s rights, and homosexuality. In An Affair to Remember, Nickie Ferrante and Terry McKay are in love. However, Leo McCarey was keen not to display highly sexualized scenes, as is the case in modern theatre. Terry has to first break up with her boyfriend before becoming entangled with Nickie.
Similarly, Titanic attempts to depict the 1910s moral environment. According to Valverde, women in the 1910s were expected to don dresses that reached and remained virgins until marriage (52). It was also common for young women of around 22 to be forcefully married (Cohen 1539). In Titanic, Cameron is keen to showcase this reality. Although the film came when women’s rights and class activism had become commonplace in Hollywood, the director had a strict regulatory framework to operate within if the movie was to achieve maximum authenticity.
Business Environment
In the 1950s, business in America was booming. According to Connell, the American economy experienced an upturn during this era, and many Americans made more money than ever before (30). Although inflation levels were rising, the economy created more money for some citizens than others. The rising inflation was also short-lived, meaning that income levels become unbalanced in the long run. In An Affair to Remember, the director depicts an era when wealthy citizens were on luxurious cruises. Secondly, the film portrays how income levels were imbalanced. For example, Nickie is on his way to marry a wealthy heiress. Because of the harsh economic times on Nickie’s part, he deems it worthy of marrying a rich woman to change his situation. Nickie is also a painter but deliberately avoids following a painting career because he sees himself as contemptible.
There was a different business environment in the early 20th-century era depicted in Titanic. By 1910, the United States was still a moderately undeveloped economy isolated from foreign interests (Valli 22).
As a result, there were class differences where the rich were highly regarded while the less wealthy had to work as low-class workers. However, after Woodrow Wilson became the American President in 1913, the United States began prioritizing innovations in banking and business, developing the U.S. economy over the next decade. Through a focus on industrial power, the country began building wealth for its citizens over time. In Titanic, immigrants can be seen fighting for places on the ship as it travels to America. At the time, poverty was also rampant in Europe, and people had to immigrate to survive. Jack is also depicted as poor and cannot marry into Rose’s wealthy family.
Nevertheless, despite the differences in the two movies’ business environments, there are some similarities. For example, Nickie is a painter and sees this opportunity as an alternative form of employment. Similarly, Jack is portrayed in Titanic as a working-class painter who triumphs over wealthy Cal Hockley. During the dinner conversation with Rose DeWitt Bukater, Jack wins over her love, despite his social status. Therefore, although the prevailing economic conditions were different, it can be seen that both the 1957 and 1997 business environments encouraged artistic careers.
An analysis of Leo McCarey’s An Affair to Remember and James Cameron’s Titanic shows that both directors implement a historical romance theme characterized by romanticism, class interactions, and conservativeness. The two films’ social, political, business, and regulatory environments have various resemblances and variances. In terms of social aspects, An Affair to Remember and Titanic focused on romantic antics and affairs, while the political environment centered on less regard for women’s rights and class interactions. Thirdly, the regulatory environment has been affected by the lack of highly sexualized scenes. In both eras, women were expected to follow strict social rules regarding dressing and characters. Although the 1950s business environment depicted in An Affair to Remember was favorable, James Cameron’s Titanic shows a different era characterized by rampant immigration and class differences. Nevertheless, characters in both films are free to pursue artistic careers.
Works Cited
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Davies, Helen, and Claire OCallaghan. Gender and Austerity in Popular Culture: Femininity, Masculinity & Recession in Film & Television. I.B. Tauris, 2017, p. 24.
Eaves, Morris, and Michael R. Fischer. Romanticism and Contemporary Criticism. Cornell University Press, 2019.
Furst, Lilian R. Romanticism. Routledge, 2017. Web.
Graham, Jane. “An Affair to Remember: No 13 Best Romantic Film of All Time.” The Guardian, 2017. Web.
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Valli, Vittorio. “The American Economy from Roosevelt to Trump.” Springer, 2018.
Valverde, Mariana. “3. Moral and Social Reform.” The Age of Light, Soap, and Water. 2008, pp. 44–76. Web.