Titanic Scenes That Still Make Us Cry

In 1997, a movie came out that totally blew audiences away with its spectacle, romance, and incredible cast, which ultimately ended up being one of the most expensive films ever made (via Los Angeles Times). That movie was "Titanic" and, since then, it has gone down as one of the biggest blockbusters of all time. James Cameron's obsession with both deep sea exploration and the fateful real-life disaster of the R.M.S. Titanic coalesced into the creation of this film. While the story takes liberties with the actual historical record, it focuses on the human lives lost during that seafaring tragedy by creating imagined star-crossed lovers doomed to meet on their shared voyage.

"Titanic" became an instant success, with endless accolades awarded to the cast and crew of its production. It stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in the leading roles of Rose and Jack, lovers from different social classes whose romance is interrupted by an untimely iceberg. It also features incredible special effects and the filmmaking prowess that only James Cameron possesses to realistically depict the sinking of this supposedly unsinkable vessel. While the movie rides the line between action, romance, and tragedy, there are countless moments that tug at our collective heartstrings, no matter how many times we watch. As we approach the film's 25th anniversary, read on to remember all the "Titanic" scenes that still make us cry.

If you know the history of how the Titanic sank, then you understand just how dangerous icebergs can be out at sea. On April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg while sailing from Southampton to New York City, and within a few hours completely sank beneath the frigid North Atlantic waters. Upwards of 1500 people aboard died (out of approximately 2224), as a result of the speed at which it sank, the unpreparedness of the crew, and a lack of sufficient lifeboats on board. To this day, the Titanic's sinking is regarded as one of the worst maritime disasters in history with one of the highest non-combat casualty rates of any sinking.

With all this in mind, one of the most foreboding scenes in James Cameron's "Titanic" is the moment when the ship hits an iceberg while Jack and Rose are on deck. This moment is intensified by the dramatic build-up of tension between the officers on the bridge who suddenly become aware of the impending danger and desperately try to avoid it. Although there's an attempt to steer the ship away, it ultimately scrapes up against its hull, causing chunks of ice to rain down over the main characters witnessing the whole thing. Although it's not necessarily sad at the moment, it becomes a truly heartbreaking scene when thinking about everything that comes after.

One of the most shocking and unexpected moments of heartbreak during "Titanic" is when Jack's buddy, Tommy Ryan (played by Jason Barry), gets shot by First Officer William Murdoch (Ewan Stewart) during a chaotic scene on deck. Although it appears to be nothing more than an unfortunate accident, since Ryan is pushed towards Murdoch after he fires a warning shot into the air to keep panicking passengers away from the lifeboats, Tommy's death in Fabrizio's arms remains a tear-jerking moment of loss before the ship even submerges into the ocean.

It might seem like a plot element the filmmakers made up to raise the stakes, but there is actually historical evidence to suggest that someone might have gotten shot during the Titanic's sinking. Eyewitnesses from the event remembered that First Officer Murdoch did in fact shoot his gun at some point and, in some accounts, even shot himself. This is a theory that is depicted in "Titanic," since moments after killing Tommy, a guilt-ridden Murdoch takes his own life as well.

Many people lost their lives when the Titanic sank, but the highest-ranking member of the crew to die that night was the captain himself. Captain Edward John Smith was a lifelong seaman who served in both the British Royal Navy and the White Star Line throughout his extensive career, but the Titanic was meant to be his final command before retirement. Ironically, he was quoted as once saying that he didn't think it'd even be possible for a modern ship to sink, thanks to advances in technology. Sources in "Titanic: A Night Remembered" by Stephanie Barczewski claimed he could not "imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that."

In "Titanic," Captain Smith (Bernard Hill) is portrayed as a kind but indecisive man who is so stunned by the news of his ship sinking that he's unable to lead his crew in an effective way. After reality sets in, the captain retreats to the wheelhouse where he remains as the ship sinks beneath the cold Atlantic ocean. This scene brings tears to the eyes of the audience, watching as the captain stands surrounded by creaking glass deep underwater, fearful of what's about to happen. When water does finally rush in and kill Smith, it's a genuinely melancholy moment of loss.

Jack really can't catch a break in this movie, since both of his best friends end up facing gruesome ends. While Tommy dies at the end of a gun, the lovable Fabrizio (played by Danny Nucci) is killed in an even more horrifying way that breaks our hearts every time we watch it.

When the Titanic sank, all four of its iconic funnels ended up breaking as the entire ship lifted up into the air. While there's no official historical report of these falling on anyone during the tragedy it's also entirely possible that someone could've gotten hurt from these massive stacks slamming into the water. The visual is both terrifying and saddening, which is exactly why James Cameron chose this as Fabrizio's cause of death. Towards the end, when Fabrizio is already in the water while attempting to flee the vessel, one of the stacks lands directly on top of him, killing him instantly. Poor Fabrizio.

Just like in real life, the surviving lifeboats in "Titanic" waited for quite a while after the sinking before going back to rescue more survivors. They did this to prevent panicking passengers from overwhelming the lifeboats, which could kill even more people, but this gruesome calculus of life and death makes for compelling drama in the film. As a result, one of the most frustrating and saddening moments at the very end of "Titanic" is when the lifeboats return to the stretch of frozen bodies to see if anyone is still alive.

This scene in "Titanic" is straight out of a horror movie, as we watch an entire field of dead, frozen passengers floating in absolute silence on the ocean surface. Only one lifeboat returns to search for survivors and, as they call out to the bodies, nobody responds to them. We see bodies of people both young and old, and one particularly devastating shot at a mother holding her infant baby in her arms. It becomes a deafeningly quiet sequence that follows the intense chaos of the ship sinking, bringing our attention back to what really matters: the victims.

It's easy to forget, given its opulent period setting, that much of "Titanic" is set in modern times as a crew of surveyors search for a precious item within the wreck. They bring an elderly Rose, now roughly 100 years old and played by the late Gloria Stuart, on the ship to talk about her first-hand experience aboard the Titanic.

This framing story allowed James Cameron to use actual footage he gathered of the real wreck sitting on the ocean floor while also connecting audiences to the tragedy through a modern lens. But beyond that, it also generates a deeply moving ending. After recounting her entire story to the explorers, it is revealed that she still has the priceless necklace they've been searching for all along. She then tosses it into the ocean, goes to sleep, and passes away peacefully in bed before transitioning to a blissful afterlife. For Rose, her heaven is being reunited with all the people who died back on that fateful night in the pristine grand staircase where Jack is waiting to take her hand. A fittingly beautiful conclusion for one of the greatest love stories ever committed to film.