Having seen this movie 9 times, I should be the expert on it the way Kip is with the actual ship and disaster. (Go, Kip!) Alas, I still have questions. What do you think old Rose told Brock about the diamond's present whereabouts? Through her flashbacks we know the "full" story, but what did she actually tell him? I assume the last diamond reference she made was that she wore Cal's coat containing the diamond in pocket. (Remember that she didn't have the flashback of discovering the diamond in pocket until she was on the stern of the Mir.) Did Brock not bother asking because he was overcome with emotion of the disaster? Did he assume the diamond fell out of the pocket during all that action?

-- Bob Gregorio (rgregori@pacbell.net), February 07, 1998

Answers

It's Bob again. Another possibility is that she told Brock only that she had placed the diamond in the safe (and didn't admit to later discovering it in her pocket). But since the flashback showed Cal telling Lovejoy about the diamond in the pocket of the coat, it seems more likely she mentioned this. Hmm..

-- Bob (rgregori@pacbell.net), February 07, 1998.

Bob, I believe Brock either knew she had the diamond or suspected that. But it is made clear in both the movie and script that "we were pissing off for three years". He realized how little significance the diamond had relative to the tragedy of those people. He finally understood the secret of the Heart of the Ocean and most likely he ended up with Liz. In the script he does not really know where the diamond is, until Rose wants to throw it in the ocean and he and the others are trying to stop her. He has it in his hand to feel the trophee he was hunting for all those years, but he gives up and Rose drops it to where it belongs. Anybody who read the legend of the Hope Diamond knows the curse that was apparently following everybody involved with this diamond. Even in the movie, Lovejoy has a dramatic death when the ship splits, Cal dies in 1929. Rose almost died in the tragedy but she made it also becaue she gave up the diamond and did not know that it was placed in her pocket with the coat. So she was 'clean'. And Jack died for her. By dropping the diamond, in addition to being 'the seal of her life', as Cameron said, she wanted to make sure that the curse will be away from people. In the script she mentions about another iceberg like a magnet that pulls us to it (Cameron's idea about the Californian nuclear plant on the seismic rift).

-- Dan Draghici (ddraghic@ccs.carleton.ca), February 07, 1998.

Having seen the film 9 times, I am fairly certain that you have read the script for the film. However, just in case, I will supply the infomation I found in there, since I had been wondering on that same point, too. In the script, Brock and Lizzy rush up to Rose as she is leaning over the stern of the Mir. They mistakenly assume that she is contemplating suicide, yet discover the diamond in her hand. Brock attempts to convince her not to toss it overboard, stating that the diamond is a great treasure, etc. Old Rose responds by saying that the true treasures in life are the days, making each day count, or something to that effect. Brock understands and quietly allows her to drop the diamond overboard, to find a resting place with the Titanic. This was cut from the final version (obviously), so I think Cameron let the audience assume with Lovett that the diamond had been lost in the water after the sinking. Personally, I was too caught up in the drama to notice the loss of the diamond, and it surprised me in the end to see it again. I hope this helps. Sorry this message is so extensive.

-- Rose (rosemarie17@hotmail.com), February 07, 1998.

According to a script I loaded from the net, there's a scene that was cut out from the show we get to see where Brock and Lizzie meet with old Rose at the stern and Brock gets to hold the diamond before it's tossed in the water. By that time, Brock realizes that the he doesn't want to loot the ship and has no problems when it's tossed. Brock realizes that the diamond is something he shouldn't be hunting for once Rose is finished with her story. Brock probably had a sneaky feeling that Rose had the diamond, but how can I ever prove that? Besides, isn't this part of the reason why this was such a good movie!

-- Jen (jendrew@hotmail.com), February 07, 1998.

Oh, one more thing. I watched Old Rose's face closely when Brock spoke of the diamond in the beginning of the film. Brock has assumed so solidly that the diamond went down with the ship. There was a peculiar look on her face. She knew the truth, but he had already started spouting about the value of the diamond, so she kept silent. I don't think she purposefully hid the truth from Brock and the others. Even if they knew of the diamond's existence, I believe Old Rose would have still dropped the diamond overboard. Despite her age, she was formidable woman with "eyes of steel."

-- Rose (rosemarie17@hotmail.com), February 07, 1998.

I too read the script off the internet after I saw the movie and I was so pleased that Cameron changed the ending. It was much more beautiful to see Rose alone dropping the diamond instead of the conversation with Brock. (Another scene that I am very glad he cut was Rose talking to Cal at the end after they've been rescued.) The movie feels so perfect the way it is. I hope there will soon be the final screen version of the script on-line.

-- mariana silva (msilva@igs.net), February 07, 1998.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the pleasure of your insight. On a tangent, yes, Dan, I am convinced Brock and Lizzy become an item. At the end of the movie (I still have to read the script!), Brock tosses his cigar overboard right before talking to Lizzy, just as Jack tossed his cigarette overboard before meeting Rose.

-- Bob Gregorio (rgregori@pacbell.net), February 07, 1998.

Bob: sometimes a cigar is just a cigar! ;)

-- Thomas M. Terashima (thomas@multimedia.edu), February 07, 1998.

No cigar, Tom! It seemed like a deliberate symbol to me! So far 2 people (incl. you) have challenged me on it, and 1 has agreed.

-- Bob (rgregori@pacbell.net), February 07, 1998.

I agree with you about the cigar, Bob. Jack threw the cigarette averboard in order to get close to Rose. Perhaps Brock threw the cigar overboard in order to get close to Lizzy. He wasn't looking to get close to her in the same sense, but he was looking to get close to her heart by letting go of trying to use her grandmother.

-- Misty Chacon(Mystified) (HiRver@concentric.net), February 08, 1998.