A Night to Remember (1958)

I've been interested in the Titanic for many years and saw this English movie many years ago on TV. It's not one of those movies that is shown very often. Fortunately it's on YouTube (after so many movies have been taken off), so feel free to indulge.There have been many movies made about the Titanic--both for theaters and television--and while I do like James Cameron's 1997 version, "A Night to Remember" is the better film. Made only 45 years after the sinking, there were still many survivors at that time and a few hung around the studio watching the movie being filmed and offering their advice. Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall acted as technical adviser. James Cameron watched this movie many times and while I appreciate his attention to detail and historical accuracy, his version is basically a love story that took place aboard the Titanic. "A Night to Remember" is about the ship itself, based on Walter Lord's 1955 best selling book.For anyone that knows anything about the Titanic and its cast of characters, you can easily pick out Thomas Andrews, J. Bruce Ismay, "unsinkable" Molly Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Isadore Strauss, Captain Smith, etc. One aspect of this great movie that sets it apart from most of the others--particularly Cameron's movie--is the "Californian controversy." A ship, the Californian, was about 12 miles away while the Titanic was sinking and the crewmen on watch saw rockets being fired. But their telegraph operator had gone to sleep & missed the SOS. Nothing was reported to the ship's captain, Stanley Lord. Supposedly the ship couldn't have reached the Titanic in time even if it moved at top speed due to the ice--but it should have tried anyway. So please watch this movie on YouTube, it's one of my favorites and I'm so glad I can watch it any time I want, it's a little over 2 hours long, you won't be disappointed!

A far more definitive, if slightly less emotional re-telling of the sinking of the Titanic than the huge James Cameron version.Obviously the special effects are several generations behind those in the new film, and there's very little character development. The film, focuses instead on an almost documentary like overview. But that approach feels both more telling and more real. Also, some of the most dramatic and tragic parts of the real story -(spoiler ahead)like the presence of a boat a mere 10 miles away that simply didn't understand what was happening to their neighbor at sea - are included here and not in the recent version. It has really stuck with me.

A Night to Remember is, on the face of it, a straightforward account of the sinking of the Titanic. The film wields great emotional power, however, in its portrayal of the lives and backgrounds of a varied cross section of the passengers, showing us how the tragedy touches each of them. The historical setting is Edwardian England, a time often looked back on in Britain as a golden age of prosperity and peace, despite the pronounced class divisions in British society at the time. Very soon the Edwardian age would be shattered forever by the First World War, and maybe the film portrays the 'impossible' sinking of the Titanic, and the effects on its passengers and crew, as a dark foreshadowing of that terrible war. We follow the preparation of 2nd Officer Charles Lightoller, played by Kenneth More, for the voyage and journey to the port. An aristocratic couple in their elegant horse and carriage are waved off by children of the local workhouse; in rural Ireland, a group of men of more modest means set off in their horse and cart to board at Belfast, destined for ship's quarters far removed from the opulence of first class.There is a huge cast of mostly British character actors. Many of them had recently come through the events of the Second World War, many serving in the armed forces, and were no stranger to hardship; the strain is etched on the faces. This lends the acting great conviction. Kenneth More, who served in the Royal Navy, is superb as the epitome of the unflappable British officer, but there are good performances throughout the cast.The realism is reinforced by the scenes of the ship's interior, and the sinking itself is well portrayed for the special effects standards of the time. Tension is stretched to breaking point as we see the crews of the other ships in the area either mistake the distress signals for celebratory fireworks or realise they are too far away to effect a rescue.Every human emotion, good and bad, is on display, particularly in the desperate scramble for the limited lifeboat space. It really was 'women and children first' in those days and we are treated to some of the most poignant scenes ever committed to celluloid as fathers are separated from their families, a lost child is comforted by an old, kindly, steward, and the band plays 'Nearer, My God, to Thee' on the steeply inclined deck. The film leaves you with a deep sympathy for the hundreds who lost their lives, and the sense that hubris and humility are flip sides of the same coin.

*NOTE* I am going to compare this film to the James Cameron version a lot. Listen. I don't hate his version. Its just that I found it very hard to watch and a lot of things bothered me in that film which I will explain in this review. I just think Roy Ward Baker's version is better.I rented this film on ITunes from the Criterion Collection. To begin with, this is one of the greatest films ever made and I am so glad I rented it. This is my first time watching it and I must say it is better than James Cameron's version. Why? For starters, there are no heroes or villains in this film. The main problem I had with this film is that the "Villains" in Cameron's version got away safely without any consequences. Also, the women in Cameron's film felt weaker being told off by the people on the boats.In this film, you don't need protagonists or antagonists, you just need the ship and the iceberg and the many extras that play the scared passengers to make one of the most shocking exhibitions ever put on film.Technically, the film looks amazing for the late 50's. There is so much going on in the background and it is awesome.I like how the film takes the POV's of passengers and crew members instead of focusing on 1 or 2 people like in Cameron's version. It gives us more space to explore around the ship with these characters.Very little music is put into this film. Mainly because director Baker did not want to ruin the frightening atmosphere of the sinking unsinkable ship.I loved everything about this film. It is one of the greatest films of all time. People must experience this eye capturing movie that you cannot take your eyes off of.100/100 A+