Having seen the movie many, many times, I should understand every detail by now, but I don't. I noticed the following a long time ago but never understood it: there are references to the number 5 throughout. For example, the clock is 11:55, 7:05, or 2:15; 500 wedding invitations went out; 15,000 Irishmen built this ship; 1500 people went into the sea. My only clues are that the "Ides of March" (March 15) was when Julius Caesar was warned something would happen and indeed was when he was murdered. A friend says on the 5th day in biblical turns something happened. If you have any ideas, let me know.

-- BobG (bob_g@yahoo.com), March 12, 2000

Answers

Hi BobG, I'm back! In response to your question, I have no idea about the significance of the number 5 in Titanic.

-- Emma G (foo@bar.com.au), March 22, 2000.

I have no clue about the significance of the number 5, and I had never even really noticed it before! You know what this means, don't you? Another reason to go watch the movie again!

-- Misty (HiRver@concentric.net), March 25, 2000.

Hello, all. It's been a while since I've pissed anyone off here. Not too much activity, but that's to be expected I guess. Nice to see some familiar names (BobG, Emma, Misty).

References to hands in Titanic and frequent, perhaps the number five is just another allusion to them (five fingers). Here are just a few I remember:

1) Bodine says, "Give me my hands" in the sub.

2) The first shot of Rose is of her hands at the potter's wheel.

(BTW, I had pointed out before that it was interesting that first Rose's sketch is uncovered by washing away some clay-like sediment, then the first shot of Rose is her old hands covered in a similar material. Interesting details in this movie. Although no one thought this was interesting when I mentioned it before. The symetry and forshadowing in this movie is actually quite deceptive, heavy-handed yes, but at times subtle. It works on you subconciously.)

3) Ismay calls the ship "the largest moving object ever made by the hand of man in all history".

4) Jack says, "Give me your hand, I'll pull you over." (This is one of at least 4 times Jack asks for Rose's hand.

5) Jack's Irish friend Tommy explains that the 15,000 Irishmen who built the ship had "big Irish hands". 6) Jack explains that he won his ticket in a lucky "hand" of poker.

7) Jack's sketches place heavy emphasis on the hands; the "one-legged prostitute" fascinated him because she "had great hands". When positioning Rose for her sketch, he took his time to get the pose just right, telling her to "put that hand right there by your face." (Curiously, the clumbsiness of the moment almost blows the mood the scene.)

8) Rose says, "Put your hands on me, Jack." in the car.

9) Andrews is seen in his final scene adjusting the hands of a clock. HIS hands are still on Titanic even as he nears his end.

This is just the tip of the iceberg (so to speak) of the many references to hands in the movie. Visually, there is great emphasis on hands. For instance, look at the way Jack and Rose use their hands in the "flying scene". Cameron even insisted on using close-ups of HIS hands doing the sketches.

What does it all "mean"? I'll let someone else post before I get into that...

-- Dalton (DFDalton@msn.com), March 25, 2000.

Yikes. I think you can get the gist, but I should edit better. And I should get a life.

-- Dalton (DFDalton@msn.com), March 25, 2000.

what does the reference to hands mean?

-- tanya (miss_attitude_foreva@hotmail.com), April 04, 2004.