Real 'Titanic' survivor inspired movie's iconic door scene
Rose and Jack were fictional characters in the 'Titanic' movie, but one of their most heartbreaking scenes were inspired by a real-life story.
Nearly 29 years after 'Titanic' was released in cinemas, many fans are still fascinated by the film's iconic door scene.
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio play fictional characters Rose DeWitt Bukate and Jack Dawson in the 1997 classic.
The famous scene shows Jack pushing Rose onto a piece of floating wood, which many believe is a door, after the ship sinks.
There is clearly enough space for both of them, but after one attempt to join Rose on the 'door', Jack gives up. He then makes Rose promise that she will never let go.
It is one of the most heartbreaking scenes in movie history.
However, things didn't turn out that way for the real Titanic ship survivor.
The grandson of one of the ill-fated ship's survivors has revealed that the scene was inspired by his story.
Fang Lang was among the 700 people who survived the wreck, and he told his family about how he survived.
"With my grandfather's story, he actually went down with the ship, and to everyone's amazement, he found his way onto a door," Steven Fong told CBS News.
"In the theatrical movie, [director] James Cameron does reveal that my grandfather was the inspiration for the Jack and Rose end scene."
Lang was one of six Chinese nationals who lived to tell the tale of that fateful night on 14 April 1912. Two others died.
In a 2020 documentary called 'The Six', it was revealed that Lang was "plucked from the water" and was "one of only four passengers rescued from the water".
Their story is back in the spotlight as the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York (Pac NYC) is currently working on a show about them called 'Unsinkable'.
Lang's family is assisting with the show's research.
"We have his grandson and his son who support this production, who read the play, who gave us more details about their father and grandfather's life," he said.
Could Jack have fit on the door in the movie Titanic scene?
Technically, Rose could have space for Jack on the wooden panel, but perhaps Jack did not want to risk her falling into the water and dying.
The ultimate sacrifice for true love.
While promoting 2019's 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood', DiCaprio declined to say whether Jack would have fit on the 'door'.
"No comment," he replied, which the interviewer recognised as an answer in itself.
However, Cameron has previously stated that Jack belongs at the bottom of the ocean, at least as far as the movie's epic love story is concerned.
"He had to die."
Jack's demise no doubt made the film more memorable. There was not a dry eye in the cinema.
There is a reason why 'Titanic' remains one of the highest-grossing films of all time.
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Image credit: YouTube/20th Century Studios