'Titanic' Door That Saved Kate Winslet's Rose Sold For $718,000
An iconic prop from "Titanic" brought in the highest bid at a recent auction.
The famous chunk of wood that Kate Winslet's Rose and Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack clung to in James Cameron's 1997 romantic disaster film was sold for $718,750 at the Heritage Auctions' Treasures from Planet Hollywood's event.
The "Titanic" memorabilia bested other famous movie props, such as Harrison Ford's bullwhip from "Indiana Jones" ($525,000), Bill Murray's red-rose bowling ball from "Kingpin" ($350,000) and Wayne Knight's shaving cream from "Jurassic Park" ($250,000), among many others, in terms of auction bid, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The prototype of the chunk of wood that helped Rose stay afloat also sold for $125,000.
RIGHT NOW: Today’s Planet Hollywood treasures include the famous wood piece that Rose and Jack clung to a the end of the Titanic. It’s a bidding war for the buyer who wants to test if they both could have fit…
— Heritage Auctions (@HeritageAuction) March 23, 2024
🚨🚨SOLD for $718,750.00
The Planet Hollywood Auction is Live here:… pic.twitter.com/lHWIqfKsUs
In Cameron's blockbuster movie, the chunk of balsa wood, which was part of the door frame above the massive ship's first-class lounge entrance, saved Winslet's character from freezing to death when the Titanic sank.
For many years, movie fans have debated whether Jack would have been saved if he stayed atop the panel like Rose.
So, for the 25th anniversary of the film last year, the award-winning director conducted a test on the "Titanic" ending in a National Geographic special titled "Titanic: 25 Years Later."
The Canadian filmmaker simulated Jack and Rose's scene in the freezing North Atlantic waters with two stunt doubles with similar body types as the actors. During the simulations, it was proven that Jack could have stayed on the raft and survived.
"Yes, he could have held on until the lifeboat arrived. Jack might have lived, but there are a lot of variables... I think Jack's logic was, 'I'm not going to do one thing that jeopardized her.' And that's 100% in character," Cameron concluded.
Meanwhile, Rose's iconic chiffon dress sold for $118,750.
The dress was designed with an ombre-dyed silk chiffon with ivory, lavender and pink ornaments. Winslet wore it during the climactic scenes of the epic romantic tragedy film where the Titanic ship slowly sank in the frigid Atlantic ocean.
