Love In Titanic

A friend and I were discussing love and what causes it to happen and to break. She cited the love between Kate and Leonardo in the movie Titanic. 

Which woman wouldn't love a character like Leonardo? He was a welcome breeze in her life, she being engaged to an arrogant man she didn't love. She was about to commit suicide when Leonardo saves her and during the course of the next three days becomes a good friend and ultimately gave his life to save her. Fairy tale like, isn't it?

Kate was grateful to him for being a good friend in time of her need. What else did they have in common? That he was from the lower classes and not an unmitigated arrogant ass like Kate's fiance? And that Kate disliked her fiance because she was "sold off" to her fiance?

Now was this really love between Leonardo and Kate? Could it have sustained if the ship didn't sink as it did? What would have happened if they had both survived and been in a relationship?

Would they have loved each other for the next 10 years? Could Kate have been happy with Leonardo's lower middle class life, upbringing and aspirations? Could Leonardo have moved "up" the rung?

This is almost like Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday. They had 3 days of close friendship but after that they had to go to their separate lives. Their lives couldn't be one. Were Audrey and Gregory in love? Or did circumstances cause a good friendship, with likely a low shelf life? I think it's the latter.

Both sets of couples (in Roman Holiday and Titanic) truly liked each other's company for those three days. Put them together for a longer period of time, then their fondness towards each other would likely have turned sour. I guess I would predict the same with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in the movie Pretty Woman.

Transient fondness can be created by circumstances. Love cannot be created/sustained if people come from too different a background. And certainly love needs a longer time to grow and take roots. You cannot be in love with a person whom you have known for three days.

Was the love between Eliza and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-did-elizabeth-love-darcy.html) or between Jennifer and Oliver in Love Story (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Story_(novel)) of a transient kind or a permanent kind?

Comments welcome.