Apologies, I have noticed some errors with the audio I made, particularly at around the 13 minute mark (it is a little out of sync). I may re-upload the video if people notice a lot but, since I am currently dealing with a copyright strike from ITV on the video, I don't want to remove it for now.
@@laurahubbard6906 Sorry, I literally just noticed this reply (TH-cam is weird with when it decides to notify me when someone has replied!) I might come back some day and upload proper subtitles for it (think I still have my script somewhere). Can't promise if/when though. I did link the original interviews so maybe they have subtitles?
The special effects in this movie are truly astonishing considering it was made in 1958. Also it is the most accurate depiction of what really happened as opposed to the exaggerated versions of other productions
This is one Titanic film which has not lost any of its impact/power even after 62 years. I cry every time I see the final scene and the epilogue--and I've seen it quite a number of times. I personally consider it the best Titanic movie out there. Cameron's Titanic was nice for its accurate sets, but the love story is pretty corny and absurd. "A Night to Remember" did it almost 40 years before Cameron and MacQuitty did it best.
Firmly agree, although, to be fair, I have heard that Cameron effectively wanted to do a remake but in order to get the higher ups to finance his flick, he had market it to them as 'Rome and Juliet on the Titanic'. I do yearn for another 'A Night to Remember'style one (perhaps as a TV series?)
Well titanic does the job of making you feel the loss watching the story of jack and Ross because you grow to bond with them and watching the end hits harder and Cameron being able to catch the true horror of the water scenes is a lot more intense. So he was a more intensive nought to remember. Here we follow too many Characters to feel the same way. Someone made this point and it makes so much sense. Be dude yo yo this day the ending has many fans upset with Cameron.
Mr. More was indeed one of Britain's finest actors. In addition to ANTR, he played ace RAF fighter pilot Douglas Bader in REACH FOR THE SKY and Royal Navy Captain Jonathan Shepard in SINK THE BISMARCK!
Piece of advice: If you're going to amend your videos with subtitled footnotes that's fine. Just leave them on screen for more than 3 or 4 frames. We can't read that fast.
forgedby2112 I can’t agree more. I had to rewind and stop the video multiple times so I could read your footnotes. Otherwise, this is an excellent video.
It’s one of MY greatest peeves with YT videos. Slides that don’t stay on the screen long enough to read them; theme music that is too loud & instructional videos where the person races through the steps & you spend forever trying to rewind to see what they are doing. People seem to assume that just because they know the subject that the new viewer or person wanting to learn how to do something should easily be able to follow along & sadly that is all too often NOT the case.
Lord's book was my introduction to the Titanic story. The passage that basically just lists a miscellany of items falling and crashing is haunting. In this movie, the last scene with the musicians and the plaintive notes of "Nearer My God" is chilling. Thank you for this in-depth look at this no-frills, compassionate film.
This is my favourite and most-watched Titanic movie. The closing scenes where the wireless operator says that the Californian has just contacted them and is asking if she can do anything, and Rostron said, "No. Tell them that everything humanly possible has been done. Then Lightoller looking down at flotsam from the Titanic. These scenes have lost none of their power in the 63 years since the film had its premiere.
Kenneth More in roles to me is the quintessential British officer, whether on the bridge of the Titanic trying to stop it from sinking, or trying to sink the Bismark.
Fantastic review, it's my favourite adaptation too (so far as something so tragic can be anyone's favourite anything). The scene where the band are playing their last song still makes a tear come to the eye for me, whichever song it really was
Brilliant review and analysis. One of my all time favourite films as well, and I also have Walter Lord’s book. I like this version so much better than Cameron’s romantic codswallop. Thank you. 👍😃
The man who first sights the iceberg is Bernard Fox. He was not just famous for comedic roles in "Bewitched" & "Hogan's Heroes", but he was in James Cameron's "Titanic" as well.
I don't come to these videos often . I don't think many people realize how many lives are wrapped up in this Disaster . I'm not going into it to much but my Great Grand mother Alberta sheriton Fenwich was traveling with my Grand mother Ida Fenwich on the Carpathia when she turned course & went full steam to the Titanic . My Grand Mother gave up her suite & went to stay with Great Grand Mothers suite . It was MRS Margret Brown who took my Grand Mothers suite . I also have the letter written from Margret Brown thanking my Great Grand Mother & my Grand Mother Ida for them being so kind as to turn over Grand Mothers room . She wished my Great Grand mother & Grand mother a full thank you & said that night was a night to remember . Little did I ever know that would make a movie after that comment . I still have her return address 1340 Pennsylvania street, Denver, CO, 80203 . Yes I had it put under glass & with out acid backing paper so it should last . I Hope !!!
That's an amazing story - and I don't mean "story" in the "made-up" sense. It would have been "aboard the Titanic" if it were. I've never seen much said about the Carpathia going at full speed through the night - and going through the same ice-filled patch of ocean. It could have happened to them, too.
@@KeepCalmContemplateYourChoices in truth, most of the wealthy 1st Class Men went down with the ship....Astor, Guggenheim. Straus, Thayer, Gracie, Major Butt, W.T. Stead and on and on....
Speaking of stars in the movie the steward , telling people to put on life belts , Chop!Chop! also played The Beatles road manager in A Hard Day's Night and the waiter that said they dropped a propeller blade , was the hotel waiter in A Hard Day's Night.
The third-class steward saying "chop! chop! savvy?" was Norman Rossington (1928-1999), who appeared in dozens of British movies and television shows from the 60s and 70s. One of his most memorable roles for me was as Lorenzo, Casanova's jailer in the Venetian prison (i piombi), in "Casanova" the six-episode BBC mini-series (1971) starring Frank Finlay. He was also in several "Carry-on" movies, as well as "Lawrence of Arabia| (uncredited), "The Wrong Box," "Young Winston", and "I, Claudius."
Also in 1979’s SOS Titanic as Master-at-Arms T. King. There’s a scene where he berates third class passengers for entering first class, but lets the women through to the lifeboats.
@@bradwalton8373 I remember him mostly for ANTR, but also as a English soldier who, along with his friend Sean Connery, can't stand the playing of the bagpipes by his superior officer in The Longest Day after they capture Pegasus Bridge.
HI The ' Skaubryn', the ship I boarded with my parents and brother in Bremerhaven to migrate to Australia, caught fire and we had to get into life boats 'Just for a precaution' [ Advice given us to prevent panic ] in the Indian Ocean at 9. 30pm April the 1st 1958, the same year this film came out about the sinking of the Titanic! The Skaubryn sank while being towed away the next day as an engine room explosion blew a hole in the keel. All passengers and crew rowed for 3 hours to the ' City of Sydney' [ A freighter ] during the night. Thanks to the Titanic disaster we had enough life boats for all of us! Shalom to us only in Christ Yeshua.
Interesting to note that Laurence Naismith (Captain Smith) and Kenneth More (Lightoller) reunited for the 1970 movie musical Scrooge...as Mr. Fezziwig and The Ghost Of Christmas Present, respectively.
I live in Denver where the "Molly Brown house" has been preserved and restored to what it like when she lived there, at least to the extent possible. There are not any silver dollars in the flooring that I'm aware of, but maybe she's referring to another house or the silver dollars were removed at one time. And yes, when you tour the home, the guides do remind us that her real name was Margaret, not Molly, although her preserved home still uses the name "Molly".
That's interesting, I didn't know they had preserved her house. I know there is a hotel in Liverpool (?) that has a whole room furnished with the fittings from the Olympic's (Titanic's sister ship) dining room. Currently, they are also restoring one of the tenders that transferred people to the Titanic in Cherbourg (think the tender is now in Belfast).
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier She also had a summer/country house about 10 miles southwest of central Denver. It is still standing in the suburb of Lakewood. It has been used for various purposes. I think now it's an event center for weddings and such.
True among her friends her shortened name was Maggie, and no one referred to her as "the unsinkable molly brown" until the stage musical, she was once quoted as saying "the titanic wasn't unsinkable, but I am".
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier I think the hotel you're referring to is The White Swan in Alnwick, Northumberland. The dining room in that hotel was furnished with fittings taken from the Olympic after she was broken up nearby in Jarrow.
This was the BEST version and black and white is a fantastic way to tell the story. It is fun to pick out discrepancies and I appreciate that.. Motion pictures are like oil on canvas paintings which can express themselves better than raw photographs.
Honestly that conversation between Lights and Gracie pretty much sums up my thoughts on the actions of the crew: that they did the best they could in a situation where everything was working against them
I HATED the way James Cameron’s movie made Lightoller look like a cowardly twit. He was not. He was a fine officer. Cameron loved this movie and lifted many things from it, by his own admission. So, why he did that is a mystery to me and shameful.
Whatever errors Lightoller may have made, he was a hero of Dunkirk. (Mark Rylance's character in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk is said to be inspired by him.)
@@jenniferschillig3768 true he didn't worry about overfilling boats then, in one go he managed to get 130 onto his boat the sundowner and to show how loaded it was click my link and imagine 130 people on that boat en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundowner_%28yacht%29?wprov=sfla1
@Punch - I agree about Cameron’s portrayal of Lightoller. He made him seem somewhat strange and wild-eyed and almost a bit demonic. I have no idea why Cameron chose to do that. It seemed like a great disservice to Lightoller’s memory as well as any surviving family members of his.
Considering this film was made in 1958 it is brilliant, much better than Titanic I hated the stupid love story, you would think they were the only ones on the boat! ANTR covered all the passengers, which made it more interesting. I think ANTR is oveall a better film.
the depiction of the iceberg is also better than any other film - there is one photograph of the actual iceberg and the shape of it as shown in this film just before the collision is accurate
I like this version and Cameron’s both, but for different reasons. Cameron really stressed how the titanic was in life before she struck the berg. Cameron also contributed to the historical research of the titanic and continued to for years after. The romance was a bit of a framing devise for that, and it worked to get the project greenlit. I like this film’s more somber tone and how it is through different perspectives. The disaster starts more polite and slow and then keeps steadily increasing in intensity and horror, just like in real life. They are both great films imo.
I'm a huge Titanic buff. I have well over a dozen books about the ship at my house, some of them I've had ever since I was a kid. I first saw this film when I was about 11 and read the original book around that time as well. I didn't really get into the film as much as 1997's "Titanic" (still one of my all-time favorites). Now as an adult, I really love the authenticity of this film considering it was made almost 30 years before the shipwreck was found. The sets are very good and I am glad they used original deck plans to bring the ship to life. A few flaws here and there, but I'm only nitpicking. Now compare the sets in this film to the 1953 "Titanic" with Barbara Stanwyck. God, were they incredibly inaccurate in that film, and it ticks me off. Other than that, the cast in this film is great, and the special effects are very impressive for that time. I am kinda disappointed this film was snubbed at the Oscars. It could've gotten a few nominations I think.
Oh yes the 1953 one, I remember seeing that one years ago! If it had just been a story about a guy and his estranged wife on a cruise liner that meets with tragedy it probably would have been better, but since they added the 'Titanic' label to it... I will probably be making a Rant video about Titanic dramas (like my Tudor Drama rants) for the next anniversary, will probably have to add the 1953 one to the list! Like you said, A Night to Remember is a really good film. I am sure they used to show it on BBC 2 years ago, but I haven't seen it on the main channels for years.
If you thought the sets in Titanic (1953) were inaccurate, then don't watch SOS Titanic (1979). They used the Queen Mary as a stand-in for Titanic and there's even a scene where Bruce Ismay shouts down from a balcony above the gymnasium to Thomas Andrews! It's only notable for the fact it was the first Titanic movie made in colour, other than that it's pretty forgettable film (though it does have David Warner as Lawrence Beesley)
I love this review, it’s nice to have ANTR reviewed by a person that reads up on the real history, but to correct you , Andrews and Captain Smith did split up to make their own inspections, even Ismay did his own inspection
Definitely agree. Sadly we haven't had too many ones that have tried to be accurate, I still remember that god awful 2012 one written by Julian Fellowes who thought he was writing Downton Abbey on Sea!
41:50 -- Arthur Peuchen: he was a citizen of my home town, Toronto, and his house on Jarvis St. survived until about 1972, when it was pulled down. He also had a large estate on Lake Simcoe, of which the main house still exists. He owned an acetone factory at the bottom of Jones St (if I remember correctly) in the east end. He was also a close friend of Sir Henry Pellatt, the builder of Casa Loma and another member of the Queen's Own Rifles. Peuchen had the misfortune of surviving not only the Titanic, but also WWI, which people chose to regard as suspicious. His son, Alan (who appears in some press photos meeting his father in New York after the Titanic) served in the Imperial Royal Field Artillery in WWI and suffered a crippling injury "to the loins." He never married or had children, apparently. After his father's death, Alan lived with his mother, Mrs. Peuchen, for at least a few years in the Annex neighbourhood. He apparently died in 2004 at the age of 106, which would seem to make him one of Canada's last surviving WW1 veterans. Peuchen's daughter Jesse married her brother's fellow officer Henry Chichele Lefroy (1890-1965) grandson of Sir John Henry Lerfroy, the distinguished colonial administrator and scientist. Major Peuchen had a lot of ups and downs after the Titanic, (I think he was virtually homeless at one point in the 1920s, while living in Alberta, where he owned a lumber company ), but he seems always to have bounced back, one way or another. He never gave up yachting and, if I remember correctly, took his family on a yachting trip to the Caribbean in the late 1920s. His final Toronto residence was on Roxborough St.E. in Rosedale. Major Peuchen is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery beside his wife, Jessie Thomson Peuchen of Orillia (d, 1951). He has descendants still living, but I don't know whether anyone has properly interviewed them on the details of his life and and that of his other family members.
One of the best British films ever. Much better than the Hollywood version which is over-dramatized except for the truly haunting song sung by Céline Dion.
There was so much publicity about Titanic sailing. How did the California not know about this? Also they did not know about the flares. What the heck. I also wanted to know who was the woman who extended her arm to a gentleman who entered her boudaire. Apologize for misspelling.
Excellent and detailed review of the movie treatment of Walter Lord's classic account. One comment about the writer's changing the names of historical passengers and creating semi-fictional blends of others. Remember that in 1958, when the movie was released, many survivors were still living as well as their offspring or relatives. While Walter Lord's book is based on his personal interviews of more than 60 such survivors, it is unlikely the film studio obtained their permission to portray them in a filmed version. It is unlikely that descendants of Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon would have consented, given the controversy that followed them after the disaster. And Capt. Lord of the Californian took up his case to clear his name (initially threatening to sue Walter Lord) based on how he was portrayed in the movie. Many survivors were invited to the various premieres of the movie, and would have been no doubt concerned to see themselves portrayed without their permission. So ... there is good reason that many passengers' names were changed
Okay so I’m a complete idiot, I found out that Colonel Archibald Grace was actually an American, not British as I was led to believe in the 1997 Titanic film. He was surprisingly Southern, from Mobile Alabama, and his father was a Confederate Colonel who fought in the battle of Chickamauga (A battle I reenacted in, it was a re creation in my home state in Illinois, so not the real battle field). I’ve been a titanic buff for a long time (mainly from the Officers perspective, I cannot tell you the amount of school reports I must have done on Wilde or Murdoch throughout my middle school years- Which is when my titanic craze was in full swing) I was aware that there were a few Americans on the ship but I never realized there were so many. For the longest time I never got why us “Yanks” cared so much about the ship, when I just assumed it was mainly British history for many years. It was only until embarrassingly recently that I realized that there were over 300 aboard the titanic (I only thought there were around 30 or so). I don’t know how I didn’t realize this, I thought that only Astor and some of the other 1st class passengers were Americans and the rest were Brit’s. Well, I guess there are worse Idiot moments about history I could be having (some people don’t even know the ship was real: unfortunately I’m not joking)
I haven't seen Cameron's Titanic in a while but I remember that they cast Bernard Fox, a British actor, as Gracie in that (funnily enough, Fox played one of the lookouts in a Night to Remember!). Gracie also wrote a book about the Titanic, there is a link on Archive.org: archive.org/details/truthabouttitan00gracgoog/page/n9 Also, whilst the White Star Line was technically British, J.P. Morgan owned it, although he (luckily for him) missed the Maiden voyage. If you like looking at the officers then within the next month I should have a video out looking at the officer suicide controversy.
Me too; he was a very capable captain. As soon as he heart Cottam out he took such wise step as to turn his ship to the scene first and then check on the story. As Walter Lord wisely observed "Nine out of ten captains would've done it the other way around."
@27:00, Harold Cottam actually lived until 1984, dying at the age of 93. It's rather amazing to think of the events and technological advances he'd have seen in his lifetime. The wreck of the Titanic was discovered fifteen months after he passed away.
Well I like your review this is one of my favourite films and the Titanic has been a part of my life for over 65 years.I think we must understand that this film was on a slim budget and very nearly came close to not being made at all but thanks to producer William MacQuitty he got his way. In my book it's better than James Cameron's way over budget version, and after all at the end of the day we have to accept what they call Artistic License.Thanks for sharing.
Nice overview of the movie. One goof I never noticed before. Around the 38:00 minute mark here, when Mr. Lucas is convincing his wife to take the lifeboat and take their three children with her, the boy at first is seen very much awake in Robert's arms, with his eyes wide open and clutching his little doll. However, a few seconds later, when Robert hands the boy over to Lightoller, the child is limp and fast asleep, and he is no longer clutching the black-face doll.
I cry when ship goes down in A night to remember taking all those people with it. Cameron an action director and did titanic in that vein who ever wrote ANTR did it like a horror film and it pays off.
I have great fondness for the movie (and the book) “A Night To Remember”. The movie was the start of my lifelong fascination with the Titanic way back in 1960. After seeing it, I practically ran to the library to find the book. Even in 2023, the movie still holds up. It’s far superior to Cameron’s “Titanic” despite all that movie’s bells and whistles. I always say that there is no perfect Titanic movie. The best movies get some things wrong and the worst movies surprise us and get a few things right. But overall, “A Night To Remember”, although over a half a century old and done years before the Titanic was discovered on the ocean floor by Dr. Robert Ballard, remains somewhat the gold standard for Titanic movies.
Fun Fact: Norman Rossington, who played Chief Steerage Steward James Kiernan trying to convince non-English passengers to put on lifebelts, would later play the Master-At-Arms Thomas King in *"S.O.S. TITANIC"* (1979).
I think that he was supposed to, per the original shooting script, but that got cut for time--along with a fair chunk of other stuff, including everything that established who the Strausses were and what they decided to do before we saw them in their cabin with the water rushing in.
@@jenniferschillig3768 The elimination of the Strauses in Cameron’s “Titanic” was unforgivable. They are represented in every other Titanic movie or series. They easily could have been mentioned in the scene when Rose was pointing out various first class passengers to Jack in the dining room scene. Meanwhile, the Countess of Rothes is mentioned several times. Unless you already knew the story of the Strauses, one might have thought they were just an old couple in their cabin in Cameron’s film.
Ok so that scene with the stoker stealing the lifebelt just doesn't cut it for me. In Bride's actual account, the Stoker leaned over Phillips and was trying to steal the lifebelt off Phillips's actual person. Which is horrifying.
While Cameron’s Titanic followed one fictional couple, I think it gives very good sense of everyone on board as well, while making it feel as if you are there by following one story so closely and giving their emotional responses. However this film shows the events better from the crews perspective.
What an excellent video you've created here. "A Night to Remember" is, imo an excellent film (far better than Cameron's bloated lazy-arse monstrosity). I have the dvd which features as an extra a commentary by 2 reps from the Titanic Society which is very interesting to listen to from an accuracy point of view. They certainly rate the movie pretty highly.
@Matthew Bennett hardly surprising as Cameron ripped off Night To Remember in perhaps about 50% of the scenes in Titanic 🙄 My recollection (I last saw Titanic a long time ago) is that they have a good laugh from time to time.
@42:39, Isidor Strauss is depicted as speaking with an "old country" German accent. While he had been born in Bavaria, he had immigrated (with his family) to the United States when he was nine or ten years old. So, in all likelihood, he would have lost his accent long before. In fact, his family had first settled in Georgia; so if he might have actually had a southern accent.
This is the last video of yours I had never gotten around to watching. Finally did and I actually think it's one of your best. Thanks as always, your channel is easily one of my favorites on YT. Please start a Patreon and take my money ;) .
Olympic’s reception and dining room (as well as Titanic’s) were always paneled in white/light colors, but the staircase and the landings from boat to c decks were paneled in classic brown oak. Olympic’s staircase was painted over in light green around 1932 in order to “refresh” the interiors. By all accounts, it was an epic fiasco, but that didn’t really matter because she would be retired and sent to the breakers three years later.
The Laughing Cavalier Apparently it was a lot more subtle and lighter than most renderings on the internet, but it was probably still ghastly and didn’t match the interior design in the slightest.
Regarding the "creaks", as you'll no doubt know, they built an entire partial ship set for the upper decks, life boats etc. This was placed on hydraulics so that the set could gradually be titled to represent the ship sinking. A side effect of this was that the hydraulic system creaked and this sound was kept in the movie as it sounded like the ship timbers creaking. Also, Captain Smith has/had been criticised in some quarters for being very passive in the aftermath of the iceberg collision. It has been suggested that he wasn't as proactive as he might have been and had to be prompted to carry out actions. I have no idea how accurate that criticism is. However, it's worth noting that Smith had had a hugely succesful career with White Star and had been promoted to Comodore (basically head Captain). He was about to retire and as a recognition of his service, White Star gave him command of Titanic, their premier liner, on her maiden voyage. This was to be his final voyage (in more ways than one sadly) as he was to retire after this voyage. It's suggested therefore that the whole disaster may have overwhelmed him. As I say, I have no idea ho accruate the claims are. Also, regarding the painting in the first class smoking lounge, they knew full well, when they made the movie that this was the wrong painting for Titanic. The painting used "The Approach to the New World" was actually on Titanic's sister ship Olympic. However, as there was/is no visual record of Titanic's actual painting, they used Olympic's instead. Great movie and great video - thank you!
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier I forgot to mention something else - the band/orchestra members in the movie are too old. they were all in their twenties. I shall go look for your mini series video. Something I also spotted in a re-watch is that the extra standing in the background of Collapsable D at 57:15 is doing a very good job of appearing cold. I suspect the water was probably pretty chilly which no doubt helped.😀 I've been happily enjoying many of your other videos as a particular bugbear of mine is lack of effort put into accurate clothing by film/tv companies. Keep up the good work!
@@redcardinalist The lifeboat sequences were filmed in Ruislip Lido, in the middle of Winter. They didn't need to fake the icy breath of the survivors!
Someone may have already commented on your thoughts on Greenwich Mean Time but I’ll repeat just in case. In navigating at sea, pre satellite days, you could use the sun and stars to located your position north to south but not east to west. Ships kept a clock set for GMT and knew by the sun how far beyond GMT they were to establish their east west coordinate.
50:10 -- I haven't heard of any evidence that Captain Smith made a general command of "Abandon Ship!" What I have read is that he walked a little aft along the promenade deck advising individual crew members that there was no more they could usefully do, and that they were relieved from duty. He may have used the phrase "It's every man for himself," but, again, only to individual crew, or small groups of them.
A great review! Thank you. Upon your suggestion I watched it and I agree. It is quite good. I wish that it would have gone into Mr. Murdoch's side a bit more. I very much like how it showed Mr. Lightoller firing off several shots, INTO THE AIR, in order to maintain order. From all of my research, that is how it happened. I do not believe a White Star Line crewmember killed any passengers, or themselves, the night of the disaster.
it was Officer Lowe who fired 3 times as his lifeboat was lowering, to make sure no group tried to jump into the lowering boat....NO other shots that night....unlike the Wild West gunplay of the 1997 farce
at around 25:39 into the video, I believe the elderly lady is suppose to be Ella White, a first class passenger and the younger woman by her side is Marie young. Ella was quite the figure, it was reported she has a cane with a light in it which she gestered while in a lifeboat with Marie
52:46 "Approach to the New World" was actually the painting in the Olympic; the one in the Titanic was 'Plymouth Harbor". Both paintings are by Norman Wilkinson who in 1917 invented dazzle painting .
Your rant on the Titanic drama series is hilarious ! LMAO ! Far better than the real production & it's like Mystery History Theater 1912. Great stuff, You should do more of this.
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier You could also do a short rant on The Time Tunnel where the two heroes wind up on the Titanic & try to stop Smith from sinking the ship. Video was on YT the last I looked.
19:50 Shipbuilder Magazine said of WS's new superliners that they were "practically unsinkable" but somewhere in the retelling (early into it I'm sure) the adverb was dropped and everyone just went and said they were unsinkable
The soundtrack composer of this film was alive for only ten more days after Robert Ballard's expedition found the Titanic's wreck. His name was William Alwyn, and he died on September 11 1985
A Titanic film that actually tries to accurately recreate the tragedy, and tried to accurately recreate the ship itself? Impossible. No such film exists. I'm half-joking, but, if there was a perfect Titanic film, this film would be the closest to it. I would like to make it known that I am very OCD about the Titanic. I like everything to be as accurate as possible. The usage of stock footage, such as footage of the launch of the RMS Queen Elizabeth, and footage of the RMS Lusitania departing, and the RMS Asturias being used as a stand-in for the Titanic, somewhat bug me, as none of those ships resemble the Titanic that well. However, I'm probably being a bit too harsh. I know that William MacQuitty wanted to make his film as accurate as possible, and I say that he did a good job. They tried, and, in my opinion, succeeded in making an excellent account of the sinking. No wonder that footage from the film was reused in the made-for-television film S.O.S. Titanic, in 1979. Anyways, since this comment is getting painfully long, I would just like to mention that I find it interesting that the Asturias was built by Harland and Wolff, the same shipyard that built the Titanic.
I agree ; possibly the next best was the Hollywood version of around the same time simply called 'Titanic' and staring Barbara Stanwick . Some of the stock footage from that film was also used in the pilot episode of The Time Tunnel . There was also a wartime propaganda film about the sinking , made by the Nazis in order to show the British upper classes in a bad light .
There’s something that has always really really gotten under my skin about this movie… Why aren’t the first class male passengers wearing evening clothes in the dining room? It’s not the first night on board, and it was not meant to be the last as it unexpectedly would turn out… Does it have anything to do with it being Sunday? This was still an era In which one would change clothes for dinner. Any fashion historians or sartorial experts care to comment?
Reading about 6th officer Moody and Chief Telegraph Officer Jack Phillips and I'm crying a bit here. In the last twenty or so years we've had three titanic projects that focused to varying degrees on the exact same thing: the passengers. There's a romance of some kind and needless fabricated chatacters. What i want now is a drama that focuses primarily on the Officers and Crew. With some focus on some of the more notable real life passengers. I think that would actually be a fresh take.
34:48 Lifeboat #1 (capacity 40 people, occupancy 12) was the one lowered with the lowest occupancy rate, 30%. #6 (capacity 65, occupancy 22) was the one lowered with the most empty seats, 43. Of those 12 people in #1, only five were passengers, the other seven were all crew .
43:54 They were also worried the boats would buckle and break; this although Harland & Wolff stated they could be filled right up to their specified capacities .
Also really enjoy hearing your take on this one as well, as a fan of the Titanic ever since I was a 90s kid seeing Cameron's film - I devoured all things Titanic. I really did enjoy the broader angle of characters based off of historic/historically fictional characters in this film as opposed to Cameron's film, where a fictional pair of star-crossed lovers take up most of the screen time. What I really enjoy about this film is the more impactful feel of the film, and use of camera angles, but perhaps what I really enjoy about this film is it's portrayal of Margret Brown.
I also have to confess that I get somewhat misty eyed whenever the father says goodbye to his son for the last time before getting him into a boat, and at the climax and the sinking where, as you say, we get a much more impactful version than Cameron’s film.
27:51 I think Rostron was the type who would listen first and resort to reprimanding only if there was good, cogent reason. And, what Rostron did right after Cottam told him about the Titanic, he phoned the bridge and ordered First Officer Horace Dean to turn the ship right to the disaster scene, and then he asked Cottam if he was sure . That's the mark of a good captain.
Though we don't know if "Nearer My God To Thee" was played during the sinking. The version that would most likely be played would be the methodist version, also known as "Propior Dio". This is possibly the version played because Wallace Hartley grew up knowing the methodist version as his dad introduced him to that version. He did state before that he would never try to play the hymn due to how depressing and sad it is. But a few reports said that before he was on the Titanic, he was asked a question what song he would play if he was on a sinking ship. And some people stated that he would play the hymn. Even if he did play it, he probably would of played it after the band was dismissed and he possibly could have played the hymn for a short time
I learnt quite a bit from this review. This film is one of my favourite films, so much so that I like to watch it on my way to school. I also found that the portrayal of more than 2 characters to be more impactful than the ‘97 Titanic film, especially the part when the man was trying to comfort the child as the ship was enduring its final plunge. I’m glad I watched this review from beginning to end, as it was a well thought and put to together video. Hope you have a wonderful day!
Ismay attended elstree prep and harrow, so the chances are he spoke with an upper class english accent, not his native lancashire. His father was from new money, so he would most likely have wanted his son to behave as a gentleman
I enjoyed this canter through what is one of my all-time favourites, too, but to review it AS a film I think you could have said more about some aspects. For example, Eric Ambler's script which manages to be suspenseful and exciting, even though we all know the story; Sidney Hayers' editing, particularly in the final scenes of the sinking where people are diving into the water one after another, and; Geoffrey Unsworth's cinematography which kept the continuity of the tilting decks to perfection. (Look at SOS Titanic from 1979 where deck angles change all over the place.)
I am at the 18 minute mark. I will finish the rest tomorrow, but I really like what I see so far. I actually like the Cameron collision scene and the water coming in and the music, etc.
If I could travel back in history and do one single thing, it would be to hold a gun to the captain of the Californian and demand he start the engines and move in the direction of the Titanic. (Edit:) let me also say the heroism of the people of this age make you weep. The bravery of the crew, especially the Black Gang and the crew that worked to keep the lights on in the face of certain death makes them live on forever.
Or how about the captain of the titanic reversed towards the Californian over its last couple of hours? Rather than sitting and waiting for oblivion. If only the captain of the SS Arctic hand been at the helm of the titanic.
56:03 Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon had no inkling that a few acts of his such as giving the crew money to replace lost items, to have people gathered for a "team picture", and to have a festive champagne at the hotel would be misinterpreted .
A follow up on accents: 1st Officer Murdoch was Scottish; 4th Officer Lowe was Welsh; 6th Officer Mooday was from Scarborough, Yorkshire; Rostron of the Carpathia was from Bolton, Lancashire, as was Lord of the Californian. Here they all have the accepted BBC English pronunciation. No wonder Britain is so class-bound.
Although Lowe was born in Wales, he was of English descent and according to his son, he spoke with an English accent. He was however fluent in welsh but spoke it with an English accent.
There was a previous American Titanic film, in the 50s I believe; Barbara Stanwyck Clifton Webb and Robert Wager. I've only seen a very few clips of it [about the same as Cameron's Titanic] and I don't feel inclined to investigate either: had chances to do both, declined both. Both concentrate on made-up people doing made-up things, and the Titanic is - literally - just the vehicle to carry the story. If you're going to write a disaster story that's mainly about lurve, then it doesn't matter where it's set: it could be on the Hindenburg, an airliner in trouble, a runaway train, or a wagon train in the Old West, and the story could be told without needing any significant changes. But A Night To Remember can only be set aboard the Titanic, because it's about the ship PS Interesting snippet: the DVD commentary says that the film was shown on another ocean liner voyage - I think the Queen Mary but I'm not sure. As the titles opened with the camera angle rolling as the film Titanic made her way across the sea, the Queen Mary started to roll in exactly the same cadence, to the same degree and with the same timing. They said it was rather eerie. I bet it was.
@@Ion_Petrov - I've got the DVD - not watched the film, I kept it for the documentary that came with it. Very interesting. I supposed that it would be a Cameron love-in, but it's a fair overview. One thing I didn't know was that the first Titanic film was made by Nazi Germany as propaganda!
@@franl155 Im sure there was a movie that came out just a few weeks after the sinking! It starred one of the survivors and she wore the outfit she had on the night of the sinking
Do you have a screenshot or clip of that? Most things I have read say that is in a urban myth, the Encyclopedia Titanic Forum has had some discussions about it: www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/community/threads/complete-cast-list-of-a-night-to-remember.13095/page-3
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier I don't know how to link to the clip but you can find it by searching the words open the gates a night ro remember 1958 it's the first that comes up Connery is the man who grabs and uses the fire axe. He is confirmed by the titanic wikia page of the movie.
@@whovianhistorybuff th-cam.com/video/YAuQ7gItqB0/w-d-xo.html Had a look at it, not entirely convinced it his him but it could be. The source the Wiki cited has sadly been taken down from the looks of things. Might be worth posting on the Encyclopedia Titanica forum about it since I imagine they have people there who know that film like the back of their hand!
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier I have a link a about it he may have also been a bearded deck hand www.classicmoviehub.com/facts-and-trivia/film/a-night-to-remember-1958/
Great review. We're in the month of the sinking of the Titanic once more. How about reviewing the Titanic mini series from the 90s? The one with Tim Curry.
Oh dear, I remember that series having a few problems with accuracy! Paul Lee has a good article going through all the inaccuracies with that series: www.paullee.com/titanic/TT1996goofs.php I have a video coming out soon (aiming for the 14th/15th) about the officer suicide so keep an eye out for that.
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier Neat. Thanks for the link. Might I also recomend Titanic Blood and Steel, which is another mini series. That one focuses on the building of the Titanic.
Apologies, I have noticed some errors with the audio I made, particularly at around the 13 minute mark (it is a little out of sync). I may re-upload the video if people notice a lot but, since I am currently dealing with a copyright strike from ITV on the video, I don't want to remove it for now.
Some of the film and interview audio is hard to hear. Perhaps you could subtitle those bits.
@@laurahubbard6906 Sorry, I literally just noticed this reply (TH-cam is weird with when it decides to notify me when someone has replied!) I might come back some day and upload proper subtitles for it (think I still have my script somewhere). Can't promise if/when though. I did link the original interviews so maybe they have subtitles?
Have you seen the 1943 German titanic film? It is a testimony to the poor quality of British engineering.
The Laughing Cavalier nice
The model of the ship under way at the beginning, just after the screen caption of Sunday, April 14, is actually a clip from the 1943 film.
The special effects in this movie are truly astonishing considering it was made in 1958. Also it is the most accurate depiction of what really happened as opposed to the exaggerated versions of other productions
Idk, titanic 1953 gives them all a run for their money
This is one Titanic film which has not lost any of its impact/power even after 62 years. I cry every time I see the final scene and the epilogue--and I've seen it quite a number of times. I personally consider it the best Titanic movie out there. Cameron's Titanic was nice for its accurate sets, but the love story is pretty corny and absurd. "A Night to Remember" did it almost 40 years before Cameron and MacQuitty did it best.
Firmly agree, although, to be fair, I have heard that Cameron effectively wanted to do a remake but in order to get the higher ups to finance his flick, he had market it to them as 'Rome and Juliet on the Titanic'. I do yearn for another 'A Night to Remember'style one (perhaps as a TV series?)
Well titanic does the job of making you feel the loss watching the story of jack and Ross because you grow to bond with them and watching the end hits harder and Cameron being able to catch the true horror of the water scenes is a lot more intense. So he was a more intensive nought to remember. Here we follow too many Characters to feel the same way. Someone made this point and it makes so much sense. Be dude yo yo this day the ending has many fans upset with Cameron.
agree 100% this is the BEST Titanic film
Kenneth More: one of our greatest actors with incredible screen presence from the golden age of cinema.
Mr. More was indeed one of Britain's finest actors. In addition to ANTR, he played ace RAF fighter pilot Douglas Bader in REACH FOR THE SKY and Royal Navy Captain Jonathan Shepard in SINK THE BISMARCK!
Piece of advice: If you're going to amend your videos with subtitled footnotes that's fine. Just leave them on screen for more than 3 or 4 frames. We can't read that fast.
forgedby2112 I can’t agree more. I had to rewind and stop the video multiple times so I could read your footnotes. Otherwise, this is an excellent video.
exactly plus speaking while the subs are shown defeats the purpose.
It’s one of MY greatest peeves with YT videos. Slides that don’t stay on the screen long enough to read them; theme music that is too loud & instructional videos where the person races through the steps & you spend forever trying to rewind to see what they are doing.
People seem to assume that just because they know the subject that the new viewer or person wanting to learn how to do something should easily be able to follow along & sadly that is all too often NOT the case.
just click the PAUSE button! works well
My God, what an enormous amount of planning and work went into this review. Exceptional. Great narration. Thanks.
32:15, hey that's Desmond Llewelyn, Q from most of the James Bond movies
Lord's book was my introduction to the Titanic story. The passage that basically just lists a miscellany of items falling and crashing is haunting. In this movie, the last scene with the musicians and the plaintive notes of "Nearer My God" is chilling. Thank you for this in-depth look at this no-frills, compassionate film.
This is my favourite and most-watched Titanic movie. The closing scenes where the wireless operator says that the Californian has just contacted them and is asking if she can do anything, and Rostron said, "No. Tell them that everything humanly possible has been done. Then Lightoller looking down at flotsam from the Titanic. These scenes have lost none of their power in the 63 years since the film had its premiere.
Kenneth More in roles to me is the quintessential British officer, whether on the bridge of the Titanic trying to stop it from sinking, or trying to sink the Bismark.
Agreed.
@@georgemartin1436Amen!
He died in Fulham the same area in West London where the Goodwins lived .
Fantastic review, it's my favourite adaptation too (so far as something so tragic can be anyone's favourite anything). The scene where the band are playing their last song still makes a tear come to the eye for me, whichever song it really was
Brilliant review and analysis. One of my all time favourite films as well, and I also have Walter Lord’s book. I like this version so much better than Cameron’s romantic codswallop. Thank you. 👍😃
BRAVO ! Cod's wallop is 100% right!
The man who first sights the iceberg is Bernard Fox. He was not just famous for comedic roles in "Bewitched" & "Hogan's Heroes", but he was in James Cameron's "Titanic" as well.
Yes he played Archibald Gracie (although Gracie was an American from Alabama).
I don't come to these videos often . I don't think many people realize how many lives are wrapped up in this Disaster . I'm not going into it to much but my Great Grand mother Alberta sheriton Fenwich was traveling with my Grand mother Ida Fenwich on the Carpathia when she turned course & went full steam to the Titanic . My Grand Mother gave up her suite & went to stay with Great Grand Mothers suite . It was MRS Margret Brown who took my Grand Mothers suite . I also have the letter written from Margret Brown thanking my Great Grand Mother & my Grand Mother Ida for them being so kind as to turn over Grand Mothers room . She wished my Great Grand mother & Grand mother a full thank you & said that night was a night to remember . Little did I ever know that would make a movie after that comment . I still have her return address 1340 Pennsylvania street, Denver, CO, 80203 . Yes I had it put under glass & with out acid backing paper so it should last . I Hope !!!
That's an amazing story - and I don't mean "story" in the "made-up" sense. It would have been "aboard the Titanic" if it were.
I've never seen much said about the Carpathia going at full speed through the night - and going through the same ice-filled patch of ocean. It could have happened to them, too.
Wow!! What a wonderful story!! And a unique piece of Titanic-related memorabilia, too.
What a piece of history to own
@@KeepCalmContemplateYourChoices in truth, most of the wealthy 1st Class Men went down with the ship....Astor, Guggenheim. Straus, Thayer, Gracie, Major Butt, W.T. Stead and on and on....
Speaking of stars in the movie the steward , telling people to put on life belts , Chop!Chop! also played The Beatles road manager in A Hard Day's Night and the waiter that said they dropped a propeller blade , was the hotel waiter in A Hard Day's Night.
The third-class steward saying "chop! chop! savvy?" was Norman Rossington (1928-1999), who appeared in dozens of British movies and television shows from the 60s and 70s. One of his most memorable roles for me was as Lorenzo, Casanova's jailer in the Venetian prison (i piombi), in "Casanova" the six-episode BBC mini-series (1971) starring Frank Finlay. He was also in several "Carry-on" movies, as well as "Lawrence of Arabia| (uncredited), "The Wrong Box," "Young Winston", and "I, Claudius."
Also in 1979’s SOS Titanic as Master-at-Arms T. King. There’s a scene where he berates third class passengers for entering first class, but lets the women through to the lifeboats.
"Stop bein' taller than me!"
@@jenniferschillig3768 I got a good mind to thump you!
@@bradwalton8373 I remember him mostly for ANTR, but also as a English soldier who, along with his friend Sean Connery, can't stand the playing of the bagpipes by his superior officer in The Longest Day after they capture Pegasus Bridge.
A Night to remember starring Sean Connery, Honor Blackman and Desmond Llewelyn.
Goldfinger was basically an “A Night To Remember” reunion
Ummm Sean Connery wasn’t in a night to remember
@@knownpleasures yes that's a myth.
HI
The ' Skaubryn', the ship I boarded with my parents and brother in Bremerhaven to migrate to Australia, caught fire and we had to get into life boats 'Just for a precaution' [ Advice given us to prevent panic ] in the Indian Ocean at 9. 30pm April the 1st 1958, the same year this film came out about the sinking of the Titanic! The Skaubryn sank while being towed away the next day as an engine room explosion blew a hole in the keel. All passengers and crew rowed for 3 hours to the ' City of Sydney' [ A freighter ] during the night. Thanks to the Titanic disaster we had enough life boats for all of us! Shalom to us only in Christ Yeshua.
It doesn't add up right.listen closely to what he says:first class etc.
You talk to fast,can't understand half of it sir.
And you need to leave the words on longer.
That must have been very frightening!
Interesting to note that Laurence Naismith (Captain Smith) and Kenneth More (Lightoller) reunited for the 1970 movie musical Scrooge...as Mr. Fezziwig and The Ghost Of Christmas Present, respectively.
Naismith, More, and Michael Goodliffe (Thomas Andrews) reunite in "Sink the Bismarck!" (1960 or 1961) also.
I live in Denver where the "Molly Brown house" has been preserved and restored to what it like when she lived there, at least to the extent possible. There are not any silver dollars in the flooring that I'm aware of, but maybe she's referring to another house or the silver dollars were removed at one time. And yes, when you tour the home, the guides do remind us that her real name was Margaret, not Molly, although her preserved home still uses the name "Molly".
That's interesting, I didn't know they had preserved her house. I know there is a hotel in Liverpool (?) that has a whole room furnished with the fittings from the Olympic's (Titanic's sister ship) dining room. Currently, they are also restoring one of the tenders that transferred people to the Titanic in Cherbourg (think the tender is now in Belfast).
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier She also had a summer/country house about 10 miles southwest of central Denver. It is still standing in the suburb of Lakewood. It has been used for various purposes. I think now it's an event center for weddings and such.
True among her friends her shortened name was Maggie, and no one referred to her as "the unsinkable molly brown" until the stage musical, she was once quoted as saying "the titanic wasn't unsinkable, but I am".
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier I think the hotel you're referring to is The White Swan in Alnwick, Northumberland. The dining room in that hotel was furnished with fittings taken from the Olympic after she was broken up nearby in Jarrow.
This was the BEST version and black and white is a fantastic way to tell the story. It is fun to pick out discrepancies and I appreciate that.. Motion pictures are like oil on canvas paintings which can express themselves better than raw photographs.
8-year old Cavalier death glare be like "Don't you bring that iceberg near my Lego Titanic!"
Honestly that conversation between Lights and Gracie pretty much sums up my thoughts on the actions of the crew: that they did the best they could in a situation where everything was working against them
I HATED the way James Cameron’s movie made Lightoller look like a cowardly twit. He was not. He was a fine officer. Cameron loved this movie and lifted many things from it, by his own admission. So, why he did that is a mystery to me and shameful.
Lightholler was a shit and is responsible himself for the deaths of about 200 of them because of his lack of filling the lifeboats.
Whatever errors Lightoller may have made, he was a hero of Dunkirk. (Mark Rylance's character in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk is said to be inspired by him.)
@@jenniferschillig3768 true he didn't worry about overfilling boats then, in one go he managed to get 130 onto his boat the sundowner and to show how loaded it was click my link and imagine 130 people on that boat
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundowner_%28yacht%29?wprov=sfla1
@Punch - I agree about Cameron’s portrayal of Lightoller. He made him seem somewhat strange and wild-eyed and almost a bit demonic. I have no idea why Cameron chose to do that. It seemed like a great disservice to Lightoller’s memory as well as any surviving family members of his.
Murdoch easily got the worst portrayal in Cameron’s movie. He shoots people and then commits suicide.
Considering this film was made in 1958 it is brilliant, much better than Titanic I hated the stupid love story, you would think they were the only ones on the boat! ANTR covered all the passengers, which made it more interesting. I think ANTR is oveall a better film.
ANTR is indeed a cinematic masterwork. Compared to it, the Cameron film was nothing!
agree...the plot of the 1997 film is like a comic book written for 12 year old girls.......THIS film was written for grown ups
the depiction of the iceberg is also better than any other film - there is one photograph of the actual iceberg and the shape of it as shown in this film just before the collision is accurate
I like this version and Cameron’s both, but for different reasons. Cameron really stressed how the titanic was in life before she struck the berg. Cameron also contributed to the historical research of the titanic and continued to for years after. The romance was a bit of a framing devise for that, and it worked to get the project greenlit.
I like this film’s more somber tone and how it is through different perspectives. The disaster starts more polite and slow and then keeps steadily increasing in intensity and horror, just like in real life.
They are both great films imo.
I'm a huge Titanic buff. I have well over a dozen books about the ship at my house, some of them I've had ever since I was a kid. I first saw this film when I was about 11 and read the original book around that time as well. I didn't really get into the film as much as 1997's "Titanic" (still one of my all-time favorites). Now as an adult, I really love the authenticity of this film considering it was made almost 30 years before the shipwreck was found. The sets are very good and I am glad they used original deck plans to bring the ship to life. A few flaws here and there, but I'm only nitpicking. Now compare the sets in this film to the 1953 "Titanic" with Barbara Stanwyck. God, were they incredibly inaccurate in that film, and it ticks me off. Other than that, the cast in this film is great, and the special effects are very impressive for that time. I am kinda disappointed this film was snubbed at the Oscars. It could've gotten a few nominations I think.
Oh yes the 1953 one, I remember seeing that one years ago! If it had just been a story about a guy and his estranged wife on a cruise liner that meets with tragedy it probably would have been better, but since they added the 'Titanic' label to it...
I will probably be making a Rant video about Titanic dramas (like my Tudor Drama rants) for the next anniversary, will probably have to add the 1953 one to the list!
Like you said, A Night to Remember is a really good film. I am sure they used to show it on BBC 2 years ago, but I haven't seen it on the main channels for years.
If you thought the sets in Titanic (1953) were inaccurate, then don't watch SOS Titanic (1979). They used the Queen Mary as a stand-in for Titanic and there's even a scene where Bruce Ismay shouts down from a balcony above the gymnasium to Thomas Andrews! It's only notable for the fact it was the first Titanic movie made in colour, other than that it's pretty forgettable film (though it does have David Warner as Lawrence Beesley)
I love this review, it’s nice to have ANTR reviewed by a person that reads up on the real history, but to correct you , Andrews and Captain Smith did split up to make their own inspections, even Ismay did his own inspection
Flawed or not, it is still the best Titanic film made to date.
Definitely agree. Sadly we haven't had too many ones that have tried to be accurate, I still remember that god awful 2012 one written by Julian Fellowes who thought he was writing Downton Abbey on Sea!
41:50 -- Arthur Peuchen: he was a citizen of my home town, Toronto, and his house on Jarvis St. survived until about 1972, when it was pulled down. He also had a large estate on Lake Simcoe, of which the main house still exists. He owned an acetone factory at the bottom of Jones St (if I remember correctly) in the east end. He was also a close friend of Sir Henry Pellatt, the builder of Casa Loma and another member of the Queen's Own Rifles. Peuchen had the misfortune of surviving not only the Titanic, but also WWI, which people chose to regard as suspicious. His son, Alan (who appears in some press photos meeting his father in New York after the Titanic) served in the Imperial Royal Field Artillery in WWI and suffered a crippling injury "to the loins." He never married or had children, apparently. After his father's death, Alan lived with his mother, Mrs. Peuchen, for at least a few years in the Annex neighbourhood. He apparently died in 2004 at the age of 106, which would seem to make him one of Canada's last surviving WW1 veterans. Peuchen's daughter Jesse married her brother's fellow officer Henry Chichele Lefroy (1890-1965) grandson of Sir John Henry Lerfroy, the distinguished colonial administrator and scientist. Major Peuchen had a lot of ups and downs after the Titanic, (I think he was virtually homeless at one point in the 1920s, while living in Alberta, where he owned a lumber company ), but he seems always to have bounced back, one way or another. He never gave up yachting and, if I remember correctly, took his family on a yachting trip to the Caribbean in the late 1920s. His final Toronto residence was on Roxborough St.E. in Rosedale. Major Peuchen is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery beside his wife, Jessie Thomson Peuchen of Orillia (d, 1951). He has descendants still living, but I don't know whether anyone has properly interviewed them on the details of his life and and that of his other family members.
Oh so he lived in Toronto I knew he was born in Montreal
One of the best British films ever. Much better than the Hollywood version which is over-dramatized except for the truly haunting song sung by Céline Dion.
There was so much publicity about Titanic sailing. How did the California not know about this? Also they did not know about the flares. What the heck.
I also wanted to know who was the woman who extended her arm to a gentleman who entered her boudaire. Apologize for misspelling.
Excellent and detailed review of the movie treatment of Walter Lord's classic account. One comment about the writer's changing the names of historical passengers and creating semi-fictional blends of others. Remember that in 1958, when the movie was released, many survivors were still living as well as their offspring or relatives. While Walter Lord's book is based on his personal interviews of more than 60 such survivors, it is unlikely the film studio obtained their permission to portray them in a filmed version. It is unlikely that descendants of Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon would have consented, given the controversy that followed them after the disaster. And Capt. Lord of the Californian took up his case to clear his name (initially threatening to sue Walter Lord) based on how he was portrayed in the movie. Many survivors were invited to the various premieres of the movie, and would have been no doubt concerned to see themselves portrayed without their permission. So ... there is good reason that many passengers' names were changed
I didn't know that Cpt Lord threatened to sue Walter Lord at one point
I like this movie. This one tells more about the actual story of the ship. The 1997 one is really just romance, But I like both of them
Okay so I’m a complete idiot, I found out that Colonel Archibald Grace was actually an American, not British as I was led to believe in the 1997 Titanic film. He was surprisingly Southern, from Mobile Alabama, and his father was a Confederate Colonel who fought in the battle of Chickamauga (A battle I reenacted in, it was a re creation in my home state in Illinois, so not the real battle field).
I’ve been a titanic buff for a long time (mainly from the Officers perspective, I cannot tell you the amount of school reports I must have done on Wilde or Murdoch throughout my middle school years- Which is when my titanic craze was in full swing) I was aware that there were a few Americans on the ship but I never realized there were so many. For the longest time I never got why us “Yanks” cared so much about the ship, when I just assumed it was mainly British history for many years. It was only until embarrassingly recently that I realized that there were over 300 aboard the titanic (I only thought there were around 30 or so). I don’t know how I didn’t realize this, I thought that only Astor and some of the other 1st class passengers were Americans and the rest were Brit’s.
Well, I guess there are worse Idiot moments about history I could be having (some people don’t even know the ship was real: unfortunately I’m not joking)
I haven't seen Cameron's Titanic in a while but I remember that they cast Bernard Fox, a British actor, as Gracie in that (funnily enough, Fox played one of the lookouts in a Night to Remember!). Gracie also wrote a book about the Titanic, there is a link on Archive.org: archive.org/details/truthabouttitan00gracgoog/page/n9
Also, whilst the White Star Line was technically British, J.P. Morgan owned it, although he (luckily for him) missed the Maiden voyage.
If you like looking at the officers then within the next month I should have a video out looking at the officer suicide controversy.
Don't worry, I'm Australian and I only found out recently, there were 6 Australians on board the Titanic (2 of whom survived the sinking).
I’ve listened to Captain Rostron’s interview and I love it!
Me too; he was a very capable captain. As soon as he heart Cottam out he took such wise step as to turn his ship to the scene first and then check on the story. As Walter Lord wisely observed "Nine out of ten captains would've done it the other way around."
@27:00, Harold Cottam actually lived until 1984, dying at the age of 93. It's rather amazing to think of the events and technological advances he'd have seen in his lifetime. The wreck of the Titanic was discovered fifteen months after he passed away.
Imagine if he lived long enough to here that the wreck was finally found
Well I like your review this is one of my favourite films and the Titanic has been a part of my life for over 65 years.I think we must understand that this film was on a slim budget and very nearly came close to not being made at all but thanks to producer William MacQuitty he got his way. In my book it's better than James Cameron's way over budget version, and after all at the end of the day we have to accept what they call Artistic License.Thanks for sharing.
Great film, well acted , best film to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon xx
The soundtrack composer died only ten days after Robert Ballard's expedition found the wreck
Nice overview of the movie. One goof I never noticed before. Around the 38:00 minute mark here, when Mr. Lucas is convincing his wife to take the lifeboat and take their three children with her, the boy at first is seen very much awake in Robert's arms, with his eyes wide open and clutching his little doll. However, a few seconds later, when Robert hands the boy over to Lightoller, the child is limp and fast asleep, and he is no longer clutching the black-face doll.
I just love how you added clips of actual people from the events speaking. It makes the horror of that night much more real.
I cry when ship goes down in A night to remember taking all those people with it. Cameron an action director and did titanic in that vein who ever wrote ANTR did it like a horror film and it pays off.
Roy Ward Baker actually did direct several horror films.
My favourite movie. I’ve seen it many many times.
The best Titanic film of all 🕊🙏✝️
Talk about it; I've been going back to it quite a few times myself
31:34 - actor who VERY MUCH resembles Connery is visible at one point of lowering of lifeboats.
No he isn't, that's a myth. An actor called Larry Taylor is the deck hand lowering the boat in the claimed scene, not Sean Connery.
I have great fondness for the movie (and the book) “A Night To Remember”. The movie was the start of my lifelong fascination with the Titanic way back in 1960. After seeing it, I practically ran to the library to find the book. Even in 2023, the movie still holds up. It’s far superior to Cameron’s “Titanic” despite all that movie’s bells and whistles. I always say that there is no perfect Titanic movie. The best movies get some things wrong and the worst movies surprise us and get a few things right. But overall, “A Night To Remember”, although over a half a century old and done years before the Titanic was discovered on the ocean floor by Dr. Robert Ballard, remains somewhat the gold standard for Titanic movies.
all true!
Fun Fact:
Norman Rossington, who played Chief Steerage Steward James Kiernan trying to convince non-English passengers to put on lifebelts, would later play the Master-At-Arms Thomas King in *"S.O.S. TITANIC"* (1979).
A major shame Cameron didn't include the Californian and Carpathian in his film. Understandable given the already bloated running time.
I think that he was supposed to, per the original shooting script, but that got cut for time--along with a fair chunk of other stuff, including everything that established who the Strausses were and what they decided to do before we saw them in their cabin with the water rushing in.
@@jenniferschillig3768 The elimination of the Strauses in Cameron’s “Titanic” was unforgivable. They are represented in every other Titanic movie or series. They easily could have been mentioned in the scene when Rose was pointing out various first class passengers to Jack in the dining room scene. Meanwhile, the Countess of Rothes is mentioned several times. Unless you already knew the story of the Strauses, one might have thought they were just an old couple in their cabin in Cameron’s film.
The Horbury version of Nearer My God to Thee also made an appearance in James Cameron's 2003 documentary film Ghosts of the Abyss.
I just think the melody's better than the Bethany one (is that the one they used in ANTR?).
@@jenniferschillig3768 The Holbury version is the one used in ANTR
Ok so that scene with the stoker stealing the lifebelt just doesn't cut it for me. In Bride's actual account, the Stoker leaned over Phillips and was trying to steal the lifebelt off Phillips's actual person. Which is horrifying.
While Cameron’s Titanic followed one fictional couple, I think it gives very good sense of everyone on board as well, while making it feel as if you are there by following one story so closely and giving their emotional responses. However this film shows the events better from the crews perspective.
What an excellent video you've created here. "A Night to Remember" is, imo an excellent film (far better than Cameron's bloated lazy-arse monstrosity). I have the dvd which features as an extra a commentary by 2 reps from the Titanic Society which is very interesting to listen to from an accuracy point of view. They certainly rate the movie pretty highly.
@Matthew Bennett hardly surprising as Cameron ripped off Night To Remember in perhaps about 50% of the scenes in Titanic 🙄 My recollection (I last saw Titanic a long time ago) is that they have a good laugh from time to time.
Not just ANTR. That scene of Jack getting locked up in the Master-at-Arms office? It was based on something similar from the 1943 Nazi film.
@42:39, Isidor Strauss is depicted as speaking with an "old country" German accent. While he had been born in Bavaria, he had immigrated (with his family) to the United States when he was nine or ten years old. So, in all likelihood, he would have lost his accent long before. In fact, his family had first settled in Georgia; so if he might have actually had a southern accent.
This is the last video of yours I had never gotten around to watching. Finally did and I actually think it's one of your best. Thanks as always, your channel is easily one of my favorites on YT. Please start a Patreon and take my money ;) .
Olympic’s reception and dining room (as well as Titanic’s) were always paneled in white/light colors, but the staircase and the landings from boat to c decks were paneled in classic brown oak. Olympic’s staircase was painted over in light green around 1932 in order to “refresh” the interiors. By all accounts, it was an epic fiasco, but that didn’t really matter because she would be retired and sent to the breakers three years later.
I saw an artists depiction of the green Olympic Grand Staircase once, it was certainly very "interesting" shall we say!
The Laughing Cavalier Apparently it was a lot more subtle and lighter than most renderings on the internet, but it was probably still ghastly and didn’t match the interior design in the slightest.
Wish "Olympic" was spared from the scrapyard. She could've made an excellent floating hotel as well as a museum for her tragic sisters.
I watched this great film last night here on TH-cam. Still my favourite of all titanic films
Me too I think it's the best one with or without CGI
Regarding the "creaks", as you'll no doubt know, they built an entire partial ship set for the upper decks, life boats etc. This was placed on hydraulics so that the set could gradually be titled to represent the ship sinking. A side effect of this was that the hydraulic system creaked and this sound was kept in the movie as it sounded like the ship timbers creaking.
Also, Captain Smith has/had been criticised in some quarters for being very passive in the aftermath of the iceberg collision. It has been suggested that he wasn't as proactive as he might have been and had to be prompted to carry out actions. I have no idea how accurate that criticism is. However, it's worth noting that Smith had had a hugely succesful career with White Star and had been promoted to Comodore (basically head Captain). He was about to retire and as a recognition of his service, White Star gave him command of Titanic, their premier liner, on her maiden voyage. This was to be his final voyage (in more ways than one sadly) as he was to retire after this voyage. It's suggested therefore that the whole disaster may have overwhelmed him. As I say, I have no idea ho accruate the claims are.
Also, regarding the painting in the first class smoking lounge, they knew full well, when they made the movie that this was the wrong painting for Titanic. The painting used "The Approach to the New World" was actually on Titanic's sister ship Olympic. However, as there was/is no visual record of Titanic's actual painting, they used Olympic's instead.
Great movie and great video - thank you!
No problem, currently working on a video on the horrible 1996 Titanic mini series (the one with Tim Curry, Catherine Zeta-Jones etc.)
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier I forgot to mention something else - the band/orchestra members in the movie are too old. they were all in their twenties. I shall go look for your mini series video.
Something I also spotted in a re-watch is that the extra standing in the background of Collapsable D at 57:15 is doing a very good job of appearing cold. I suspect the water was probably pretty chilly which no doubt helped.😀
I've been happily enjoying many of your other videos as a particular bugbear of mine is lack of effort put into accurate clothing by film/tv companies. Keep up the good work!
@@redcardinalist The lifeboat sequences were filmed in Ruislip Lido, in the middle of Winter. They didn't need to fake the icy breath of the survivors!
What a great Movie!
Someone may have already commented on your thoughts on Greenwich Mean Time but I’ll repeat just in case. In navigating at sea, pre satellite days, you could use the sun and stars to located your position north to south but not east to west. Ships kept a clock set for GMT and knew by the sun how far beyond GMT they were to establish their east west coordinate.
Thanks 🙏
Happy 2022
Shout out from Oz
50:10 -- I haven't heard of any evidence that Captain Smith made a general command of "Abandon Ship!" What I have read is that he walked a little aft along the promenade deck advising individual crew members that there was no more they could usefully do, and that they were relieved from duty. He may have used the phrase "It's every man for himself," but, again, only to individual crew, or small groups of them.
A great review! Thank you. Upon your suggestion I watched it and I agree. It is quite good. I wish that it would have gone into Mr. Murdoch's side a bit more. I very much like how it showed Mr. Lightoller firing off several shots, INTO THE AIR, in order to maintain order. From all of my research, that is how it happened. I do not believe a White Star Line crewmember killed any passengers, or themselves, the night of the disaster.
it was Officer Lowe who fired 3 times as his lifeboat was lowering, to make sure no group tried to jump into the lowering boat....NO other shots that night....unlike the Wild West gunplay of the 1997
farce
at around 25:39 into the video, I believe the elderly lady is suppose to be Ella White, a first class passenger and the younger woman by her side is Marie young. Ella was quite the figure, it was reported she has a cane with a light in it which she gestered while in a lifeboat with Marie
This film is far superior to Cameron's version.
52:46 "Approach to the New World" was actually the painting in the Olympic; the one in the Titanic was 'Plymouth Harbor". Both paintings are by Norman Wilkinson who in 1917 invented dazzle painting .
Your rant on the Titanic drama series is hilarious ! LMAO ! Far better than the real production & it's like Mystery History Theater 1912. Great stuff, You should do more of this.
Thanks, at some point this year I will be doing a rant on the 1996 mini series.
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier You could also do a short rant on The Time Tunnel where the two heroes wind up on the Titanic & try to stop Smith from sinking the ship.
Video was on YT the last I looked.
There must be no alarm and no panic. 2 hours later. excellent!
How can there be "no alarm and no panic" if there were no lifeboats for the remaining 1,500 or so people on board
19:50 Shipbuilder Magazine said of WS's new superliners that they were "practically unsinkable" but somewhere in the retelling (early into it I'm sure) the adverb was dropped and everyone just went and said they were unsinkable
19:42 'The Titanic was not designed for this scenario" (David McCallum as narrator of A&E's "Titanic: The Complete Story")
Captain smith be calm
A few hours later abandon ship but be british about it
some terrible dark humour
If he really said that then he was a real crook .
1:01:28 That was one of the many good things Rostron did this brief service in memory of those lost and in thanksgiving for those saved .
The soundtrack composer of this film was alive for only ten more days after Robert Ballard's expedition found the Titanic's wreck. His name was William Alwyn, and he died on September 11 1985
It's so good that James Cameron took ALL THE GOOD SCENES!
A Titanic film that actually tries to accurately recreate the tragedy, and tried to accurately recreate the ship itself? Impossible. No such film exists. I'm half-joking, but, if there was a perfect Titanic film, this film would be the closest to it. I would like to make it known that I am very OCD about the Titanic. I like everything to be as accurate as possible. The usage of stock footage, such as footage of the launch of the RMS Queen Elizabeth, and footage of the RMS Lusitania departing, and the RMS Asturias being used as a stand-in for the Titanic, somewhat bug me, as none of those ships resemble the Titanic that well. However, I'm probably being a bit too harsh. I know that William MacQuitty wanted to make his film as accurate as possible, and I say that he did a good job. They tried, and, in my opinion, succeeded in making an excellent account of the sinking. No wonder that footage from the film was reused in the made-for-television film S.O.S. Titanic, in 1979. Anyways, since this comment is getting painfully long, I would just like to mention that I find it interesting that the Asturias was built by Harland and Wolff, the same shipyard that built the Titanic.
I agree ; possibly the next best was the Hollywood version of around the same time simply called 'Titanic' and staring Barbara Stanwick . Some of the stock footage from that film was also used in the pilot episode of The Time Tunnel . There was also a wartime propaganda film about the sinking , made by the Nazis in order to show the British upper classes in a bad light .
There’s something that has always really really gotten under my skin about this movie… Why aren’t the first class male passengers wearing evening clothes in the dining room? It’s not the first night on board, and it was not meant to be the last as it unexpectedly would turn out… Does it have anything to do with it being Sunday? This was still an era In which one would change clothes for dinner. Any fashion historians or sartorial experts care to comment?
Hours away from the anniversary and I am just binge watching Titanic stuff.
Reading about 6th officer Moody and Chief Telegraph Officer Jack Phillips and I'm crying a bit here.
In the last twenty or so years we've had three titanic projects that focused to varying degrees on the exact same thing: the passengers. There's a romance of some kind and needless fabricated chatacters. What i want now is a drama that focuses primarily on the Officers and Crew. With some focus on some of the more notable real life passengers. I think that would actually be a fresh take.
34:48 Lifeboat #1 (capacity 40 people, occupancy 12) was the one lowered with the lowest occupancy rate, 30%. #6 (capacity 65, occupancy 22) was the one lowered with the most empty seats, 43. Of those 12 people in #1, only five were passengers, the other seven were all crew .
43:54 They were also worried the boats would buckle and break; this although Harland & Wolff stated they could be filled right up to their specified capacities .
Also really enjoy hearing your take on this one as well, as a fan of the Titanic ever since I was a 90s kid seeing Cameron's film - I devoured all things Titanic. I really did enjoy the broader angle of characters based off of historic/historically fictional characters in this film as opposed to Cameron's film, where a fictional pair of star-crossed lovers take up most of the screen time. What I really enjoy about this film is the more impactful feel of the film, and use of camera angles, but perhaps what I really enjoy about this film is it's portrayal of Margret Brown.
I also have to confess that I get somewhat misty eyed whenever the father says goodbye to his son for the last time before getting him into a boat, and at the climax and the sinking where, as you say, we get a much more impactful version than Cameron’s film.
17:38 The first chapter of Walter Lord's "A Night to Remember" is called "Another Belfast Trip"
27:51 I think Rostron was the type who would listen first and resort to reprimanding only if there was good, cogent reason. And, what Rostron did right after Cottam told him about the Titanic, he phoned the bridge and ordered First Officer Horace Dean to turn the ship right to the disaster scene, and then he asked Cottam if he was sure . That's the mark of a good captain.
Though we don't know if "Nearer My God To Thee" was played during the sinking. The version that would most likely be played would be the methodist version, also known as "Propior Dio". This is possibly the version played because Wallace Hartley grew up knowing the methodist version as his dad introduced him to that version. He did state before that he would never try to play the hymn due to how depressing and sad it is. But a few reports said that before he was on the Titanic, he was asked a question what song he would play if he was on a sinking ship. And some people stated that he would play the hymn. Even if he did play it, he probably would of played it after the band was dismissed and he possibly could have played the hymn for a short time
I learnt quite a bit from this review. This film is one of my favourite films, so much so that I like to watch it on my way to school. I also found that the portrayal of more than 2 characters to be more impactful than the ‘97 Titanic film, especially the part when the man was trying to comfort the child as the ship was enduring its final plunge.
I’m glad I watched this review from beginning to end, as it was a well thought and put to together video.
Hope you have a wonderful day!
Many thanks, glad you enjoyed it. After my next Six Wives review I should have a Titanic video out investigating the Officer Suicide controversy.
Fantastic! Can't wait! ^_^
Ismay attended elstree prep and harrow, so the chances are he spoke with an upper class english accent, not his native lancashire. His father was from new money, so he would most likely have wanted his son to behave as a gentleman
2:08 Both the Titanic's launch and the death of the Titanic's last survivor took place on the same day, May 31st .
I enjoyed this canter through what is one of my all-time favourites, too, but to review it AS a film I think you could have said more about some aspects. For example, Eric Ambler's script which manages to be suspenseful and exciting, even though we all know the story; Sidney Hayers' editing, particularly in the final scenes of the sinking where people are diving into the water one after another, and; Geoffrey Unsworth's cinematography which kept the continuity of the tilting decks to perfection. (Look at SOS Titanic from 1979 where deck angles change all over the place.)
I am at the 18 minute mark. I will finish the rest tomorrow, but I really like what I see so far. I actually like the Cameron collision scene and the water coming in and the music, etc.
If I could travel back in history and do one single thing, it would be to hold a gun to the captain of the Californian and demand he start the engines and move in the direction of the Titanic. (Edit:) let me also say the heroism of the people of this age make you weep. The bravery of the crew, especially the Black Gang and the crew that worked to keep the lights on in the face of certain death makes them live on forever.
If you could travel back in time you could better ask the Titanic at the right time to go a little more to the left... Or give them binoculars.
Or how about the captain of the titanic reversed towards the Californian over its last couple of hours? Rather than sitting and waiting for oblivion. If only the captain of the SS Arctic hand been at the helm of the titanic.
56:03 Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon had no inkling that a few acts of his such as giving the crew money to replace lost items, to have people gathered for a "team picture", and to have a festive champagne at the hotel would be misinterpreted .
This too is one of my favorite movies. It's preeminently superb!
I watcht the movie, and it's lovely
It is a good one indeed
Why the Californian not turn their radio back on???
0:48 Kenneth More died in Fulham, the same area in West London where the Goodwins lived .
A follow up on accents: 1st Officer Murdoch was Scottish; 4th Officer Lowe was Welsh; 6th Officer Mooday was from Scarborough, Yorkshire; Rostron of the Carpathia was from Bolton, Lancashire, as was Lord of the Californian. Here they all have the accepted BBC English pronunciation. No wonder Britain is so class-bound.
Although Lowe was born in Wales, he was of English descent and according to his son, he spoke with an English accent. He was however fluent in welsh but spoke it with an English accent.
@@karinafox7540 Interesting! Thanks
Lowe was the 5th officer Boxhall was the 4th
There was a previous American Titanic film, in the 50s I believe; Barbara Stanwyck Clifton Webb and Robert Wager. I've only seen a very few clips of it [about the same as Cameron's Titanic] and I don't feel inclined to investigate either: had chances to do both, declined both.
Both concentrate on made-up people doing made-up things, and the Titanic is - literally - just the vehicle to carry the story.
If you're going to write a disaster story that's mainly about lurve, then it doesn't matter where it's set: it could be on the Hindenburg, an airliner in trouble, a runaway train, or a wagon train in the Old West, and the story could be told without needing any significant changes.
But A Night To Remember can only be set aboard the Titanic, because it's about the ship
PS Interesting snippet: the DVD commentary says that the film was shown on another ocean liner voyage - I think the Queen Mary but I'm not sure. As the titles opened with the camera angle rolling as the film Titanic made her way across the sea, the Queen Mary started to roll in exactly the same cadence, to the same degree and with the same timing. They said it was rather eerie. I bet it was.
That's the 1953 Titanic movie
@@Ion_Petrov - I've got the DVD - not watched the film, I kept it for the documentary that came with it. Very interesting. I supposed that it would be a Cameron love-in, but it's a fair overview. One thing I didn't know was that the first Titanic film was made by Nazi Germany as propaganda!
@@franl155 Im sure there was a movie that came out just a few weeks after the sinking! It starred one of the survivors and she wore the outfit she had on the night of the sinking
This is one of my favorite and best movies i have ever seen and i love your review
Many thanks. Might have some more Titanic related stuff on the way in a few months.
More Titanic content is great
I cant wait for more 🙂
Rostron also confirms the version of events in his radio interview which is on TH-cam
Sean Connery is in it he's the man who broke down the gate with the fire axe and was told off by the steward for damaging the ship
Do you have a screenshot or clip of that? Most things I have read say that is in a urban myth, the Encyclopedia Titanic Forum has had some discussions about it: www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/community/threads/complete-cast-list-of-a-night-to-remember.13095/page-3
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier I don't know how to link to the clip but you can find it by searching the words open the gates a night ro remember 1958 it's the first that comes up Connery is the man who grabs and uses the fire axe. He is confirmed by the titanic wikia page of the movie.
@@whovianhistorybuff th-cam.com/video/YAuQ7gItqB0/w-d-xo.html Had a look at it, not entirely convinced it his him but it could be. The source the Wiki cited has sadly been taken down from the looks of things. Might be worth posting on the Encyclopedia Titanica forum about it since I imagine they have people there who know that film like the back of their hand!
I thought Sean Connery was “Pat”. The guy who liked the foreign girl?
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier I have a link a about it he may have also been a bearded deck hand www.classicmoviehub.com/facts-and-trivia/film/a-night-to-remember-1958/
Great review. We're in the month of the sinking of the Titanic once more. How about reviewing the Titanic mini series from the 90s? The one with Tim Curry.
Oh dear, I remember that series having a few problems with accuracy! Paul Lee has a good article going through all the inaccuracies with that series: www.paullee.com/titanic/TT1996goofs.php
I have a video coming out soon (aiming for the 14th/15th) about the officer suicide so keep an eye out for that.
@@The_Laughing_Cavalier Neat. Thanks for the link. Might I also recomend Titanic Blood and Steel, which is another mini series. That one focuses on the building of the Titanic.
@@youtubecreators384 That series was awesome. I also like the movie/documentary that focused on the engineers and electricians
20:04 That reminds me of Walter Lord's if-onlys "If only her bulkheads went one deck higher" .