Blast, Cameron! ‘Mythbusters’ Finally Proves What We’ve All Known Since 1997

By  · Published on October 8th, 2012

“I’ll never let go, Jack, I promise,” Kate Winslet tearfully promises Leonardo DiCaprio in James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster classic, Titanic. She clutches his hand as they both prepare to meet their maker in the icy waters of the North Atlantic, she huddled up on a giant goddamn wooden door, he clinging to both his beloved and, again, a giant goddamn wooden door. She makes vows, vows to never let go, and then BOOM, she lets go.

What the hell, Rose DeWitt Bukater?

Since Cameron’s darling-slaying of young DiCaprio, moviegoers have raged and wondered over why Rose and Jack didn’t try just a smidge harder to get both their bodies on that giant goddamn wooden door so that they could have had the happily ever after we all wanted for them. Why?!? It seemed to possible! So touchable! Cameron has recently sounded off on the issue, finally opening up and telling fans that “it’s not a question of room; it’s a question of buoyancy. Jack puts Rose on the raft, then he gets on the raft ‐ He’s not an idiot; he doesn’t want to die ‐ and then the raft sinks. So it’s clear that there’s really only enough buoyancy available for one person. So, he makes a decision to let her be that person.” Whatever.

And that whatever was recently echoed by the team over at the Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters, who decided to find out for themselves whether or not Cameron’s buoyancy theory was actually correct. Heads up ‐ it’s not. Whoops! Check out the clip from Mythbusters after the break.

Of course, the Mythbusters dudes do get crafty with their work, and there’s a fair amount of flailing that goes into their experiment, but jeez, Rose, you could have tried just a bit harder. It was possible to save the supposed love of your life.

Of course, Cameron still doesn’t really care, saying “The script says Jack dies. He has to die.” True love is dead, James Cameron. Dead and cold and wet and frozen. Thanks.

What do you think? Did Jack “have to die”? Did Jack and Rose try hard enough? Why didn’t Cameron find a smaller door? [Discovery Channel, via Vulture and Words and Film, via Vulture]

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