Finally! James Cameron solves the biggest ‘Titanic’ mystery fans have debated in decades

While everyone is talking about Avatar: The Way Of Water, director James Cameron has a very specific question: what if Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) hadn’t had enough room for Rose (Kate Winslet) to climb on the door? While Cameron reacted rather irritated to this question in years before, he has now decided to solve the mystery once and for all in the course of a National Geographic special marking the 25th anniversary of “Titanic”.

Together with a team of scientists, James Cameron created the “Titanic” door sequence and went through several scenarios, all of which were designed to answer whether Jack could have placed himself on the door. It soon became clear that it is not so easy to solve the riddle concretely, since the possible answers vary widely. You can watch the accompanying video of the experiment here:

Trying once is not enough

In any case, the test set-up soon makes it clear that Jack could not have just laid down on the door, because it would simply have lost its stability on the water. The result: Jack and Rose would have plunged into the icy water and probably just froze to death because their bodies would have been immobilized. Instead, an option for both would have been to ensure their torsos (including vital organs) were removed from the water.

The violent shaking of the bodies caused by the cold water would have given them both a chance to survive for several hours, though it would have been extremely painful as well. The test also ran a variation where the actors went through all the struggles that Jack and Rose went through, including the moment when another passenger tries to use Rose as a flotation device.

Accordingly, the definitive answer to the question of whether Jack could have survived is: If Jack and Rose could have both somehow stabilized themselves on the door, chances are they would both survive. But, as James Cameron himself says in the video, “there are a lot of variables.” In any case, it’s fair to say that Jack’s decision not to also attempt to climb the door is inherently consistent, as it oversimplifies his character. Jack would never have done anything that could endanger Rose.

“Titanic” back on the big screen

If you missed ‘Titanic’ when it premiered in 1998 and has since returned to theaters, but still want to enjoy the movie on the big screen, here’s your chance to do so: From February 9, 2023, the anniversary milestone can be seen again in cinemas – and in the best 4K quality. You even have the chance to see “Titanic” in IMAX and 3D. And with that, James Cameron and his triumphant “Avatar 2” practically compete with themselves in the box office.