We are all suckers for a great love story, and even the manliest of men have indulged in a few of these historical tales as retold through movies. One of the greatest love stories that we've seen on the big screen is that of Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater in the massive blockbuster film, Titanic. The James Cameron movie took us on an emotional journey with the young couple, whose love literally blossomed aboard the majestic water vessel. Besides what we saw on the full movie, the real-life story of the couple who inspired the tale is even more epic.
An Ice-Struck Love Story
Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapy professional, explained that the reason why we love super-sad romances is that they help us release stress hormones and also make us experience a deep range of emotions. It could be the reason why the hopeless romantics in us can’t help revisiting the 1997 cinematic blockbuster, Titanic. One of the scenes that’s forever etched into our minds is that of Dawson, played by actor Leonardo Dicaprio, drowning as Rose, played by actress Kate Winslet, watches helplessly atop a piece of debris. Naturally, after the screen credits rolled, everyone wanted to know everything about the real-life Jack Dawson and his first-class sweetheart Rose DeWitt-Bukater.
Fictional Reality Based On A Real Story
We must agree that it broke our hearts a little to find out that Rose and Jack are almost fictional characters. However, the movie’s writer/director James Cameron incorporated in the storyline most of the real-life people who were aboard the vessel back in 1912. While there was a J. Dawson recorded to have boarded the Titanic, he was one of the ship’s coal trimmers and didn’t have any relation to the love story. That didn’t stop fans from leaving flowers and other trinkets on the real Dawson’s grave. Surely, such an epic tale must have been inspired by a real-life couple, or did it all just come out of Cameron’s imagination?
Lovers In Tragedy
It didn’t hurt that the screenwriter, who was also James Cameron, chose to add fictional elements to the historical event. Perhaps, if not for the love story that had brewed aboard the massive ocean liner, we wouldn’t have stayed glued to our screens. Historian Don Lynch lent his expertise to the 1997 film and advised on aspects like historically accurate movie props, accents, personalities, and behaviors. He explained that Cameron chose to surround the fictitious characters played by Dicaprio and Winslet with prominent real passengers who boarded the "unsinkable" ship.
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Meet The Strauses
Director James Cameron took artistic liberties when it came to depicting some of the real-life characters known to have boarded the passenger liner that met a tragic end. Cameron included the story of an elderly couple who came from affluence, and that was Isidor and Ida Straus. Palatinate-born American businessman Isidor Straus married German-born American Rosalie Ida Blun when he was 26 and she was 22. Their union yielded seven children, one of whom died at infancy, and the family enjoyed a life of comfort. However, at face value, you could say that the couple had an ordinary life with nothing really exceptional to write about.
Living The American Dream
Isidor Straus was a Jewish-American politician and businessman who co-owned a department store alongside his brother Nathan. At some point, Straus had also served as part of the U.S. House of Representatives for one year. Lazarus, Isador’s father, had convinced the Macy’s store founder Rowland Hussey Macy to allow him and his sons to set up a crockery department beneath the store. Dubbed L. Straus and Sons, it soon became the store’s china department. In 1888, Isador and Nathan managed to become Macy’s partners. And by 1896, they were full owners of R.H. Macy & Co. The achievement accorded Isador a loaded bank account, allowing him to give his family a comfortable life.
The Devoted Wife
Ida was a devoted wife and mother, and we can only imagine that it wasn’t easy caring for seven children. Her husband’s work meant that he was a frequent business traveler. While he was away the two exchanged letters daily. Even when the couple was already in their 60s and forty-one years into their marriage, Ida remained completely devoted to her husband, according to accounts by friends and family. The letters also extended to her children. On April 4, 1912, they received the last of such communications from their mother, who at that time was at the Claridges Hotel in London before boarding the Titanic.
A European Vacation
The couple also frequently traveled together whenever they could. In the winter of 1911, they had traveled to Europe for vacation and spent the majority of their time at Cape Martin in southern France. The couple had intended to make the trip back home aboard a different ship, but they eventually switched to the White Star Liner. For its maiden trip, massive amounts of coal had been diverted to the Titanic, which led to a coal strike in England. That’s how the couple found themselves buying the tickets worth $60k in today’s money. However, spending that money barely caused Straus to break the bank because they could afford the luxury after all.
The Journey Of A Lifetime
The couple, like most other passengers, were thrilled to be amongst the first to sail aboard the Titanic on its first transatlantic crossing from Southampton to New York. At 67, Isidore is said to have been battling poor health and had hoped the European trip would rejuvenate him. John Farthing, Isidor’s personal servant, and Ellen Bird, Ida’s newly employed maid, accompanied them on the trip. The couple is documented to have taken up room in the ship’s first-class cabin C-55-57. Much like what the movie recounted, the night of April 14 spelled doom for all aboard the ocean liner.
Trouble Strikes On Board
Before the strike of midnight on the 14th of April 1912, the Straus couple and other passengers aboard were roused by commotion all around them. Apparently, a fire had broken out in one of the liner’s coal bunkers ten days prior to the voyage and it continued burning several days after setting sail. The passengers were unaware of the possibly grave accident, but it was a normal occurrence on steamships of that time. By the 14th, the fire had died out. That was the least of their worries on that fateful day. Because as they steamed on at full speed, more trouble was in store.
The Unsinkable Ocean Liner Hits An Iceberg
As passengers left their cabins to inspect the cause of a sudden commotion, the ship’s captain assured them that there was no cause for worry. He asked them to return to their cabins to await further communication. Soon, it was revealed that they had hit an iceberg. Ida called for her husband’s servant John Farthing to assist him in dressing. She also summoned her new maid Ellen Bird. By the time they stepped out to the ship’s deck, she had on designer wear of that time including a full-length mink coat.
Preparing For The Worst
Once gathered on the deck, the captain advised that they should wear their life preservers as a safety precaution. At that point, while everyone was worried, they held on to hope that they would get through that unexpected storm. After all, several other vessels, which were in essence similar to a luxury hotel floating on water, had similar close calls like the SS Kronprinz Wilhelm. The German liner had a head-on collision with an iceberg in 1907 and it still managed to complete its voyage. For the Titanic, they had to brace themselves for the worst when the vessel’s sinking rate increased two hours and forty minutes after hitting the iceberg.
Giving Up The Right To Escape
The steamship’s crew were ill-prepared to handle such a situation. Understandably, most must have started suffering from bouts of anxiety. They had lifeboats but there were only enough to accord just about half of the passengers and escape from the sinking ocean liner. It also turned out that the ship wasn’t at full capacity. And had it carried all the 3,339 passengers and crew, the lifeboats would have only served a third of them. They followed the “children and women first” protocol to load up the lifeboats. Ida Straus had a chance to get into lifeboat number 8, but she chose to give up her space instead.
A Love Story Within A Love Story
From this point, the movie did capture the reality of the Straus couple during those final moments as accurately as possible. As eyewitnesses recounted, Isidor Straus, who had earned a seat on one of the lifeboats based on his status, refused to get into one when there were still other women and children left aboard. Hearing this, his wife Ida who had actually boarded one of the lifeboats chose to stay as well. She’s quoted to have said that she would stay right by her husband’s side just like they had lived all those years together. If anything, couples therapy sessions should possibly involve watching the movie for its lessons on unwavering devotion.
A Moving Cinematic Homage
There were several iconic scenes from Cameron’s movie that still linger on our minds, including the touching scene of an old couple huddled in bed together. It’s even more moving when the waves of water came crushing into their cabin. No one is really sure how the Straus couple died. Professor Paul Kurzman, a historian and the couple’s great-grandson, said that witness accounts placed the Strauses last sighting on the deck with Isidor’s arms wrapped around his wife. A great wave was then said to have hit the ship from the port side and subsequently swept the two into the sea. Honestly, the story of this couple should be a reference in marriage counseling.
The Most Profound Exhibition Of Love
Ida Straus, who had given up her right to escape, is said to have given her maid, Ellen Bird, her mink coat as well as her space on the lifeboat. Even in that life-threatening moment, she chose an act of kindness over selfishness. The same applies to her husband who could’ve easily gotten into one of the lifeboats but instead chose to let others have space. Isidor is also documented to have been a great philanthropist who actively took part in both charitable and education-centered movements. However, after all is said and done, we will forever remember them for the profound display of love for each other as well as for those around them.
A Worthy Send-Off Fit For A King
The body of Isidor Straus was recovered and transported to Halifax, Nova Scotia for identification. He’s said to have still had on the fur-lined overcoat he’d worn on that fateful night that the Titanic sank. His body was then taken back to New York and he received a send-off worthy of a king. A memorial service held on May 12, 1912, at Carnegie Hall saw more than 6,000 people in attendance. The couple’s 105th street property was sold ten days later to a real estate investor. Unfortunately, Ida Straus’ remains have never been found.
Isidor & Ida Straus' Memorial Plaque
Once the story of the Strauses hit headlines, it struck a chord with everyone. Rabbis spoke greatly about it to their congregations to provide counseling based on devotion. Articles that were written in Yiddish, as well as German-based newspapers, extolled Ida Straus for her courage. There’s even a song The Titanic’s Disaster that was written about her and it’s still quite popular with Jewish-Americans. The two have a memorial plaque dedicated to them at the Macy’s Department Store on 34th Street, Manhattan. However, since 2001, the store was closed off to the public and it now functions as a stockroom. The “Memorial” entrance was eventually reopened in 2013.
The Monumental Straus Park
Following the couple’s funeral service, a committee was formed to help raise funds towards setting up a permanent memorial for the two. A group of neighbors and friends oversaw the initiative and they were able to invest money on a parcel of land located on 106th street, just a block away from where the couple formerly resided. They set up the Straus Park, which hosts the Isidor and Ida Straus Memorial, and dedicated it on April 15, 1915. An inscription found at the memorial quotes 2 Samuel 1:23, conveying that the couple was lovely and pleasant in life and their devotion remained unwavering in death.