tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post8305903837771637037..comments2024-03-05T21:05:36.848-05:00Comments on CommentaramaFilms: "A Night To Remember" -- The Titanic In Film Since 1953AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-76956107475619776602014-11-19T15:09:37.209-05:002014-11-19T15:09:37.209-05:00I hate to say this, but even "A NIGHT TO REME...I hate to say this, but even "A NIGHT TO REMEMBER" also had its share of flaws and historical mistakes.The Rush Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-18726764706216773902013-07-09T13:07:18.786-04:002013-07-09T13:07:18.786-04:00Thoough the color and big budget was great for the...Thoough the color and big budget was great for the DiCaprio 1997 version, the blasphemy of using God's name in vain and the nudie scene (that didn't really need to be there) ruined it for me.<br />So I will take A Night to Remember as my first choice.<br />I wish they would colorize it though, as that would really add something special and make it much more vibrant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-71026718055840964722012-05-21T07:39:34.559-04:002012-05-21T07:39:34.559-04:00It's fantastic.So great!!!I like it very much!...It's fantastic.So great!!!I like it very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-65764995826500979932012-04-15T20:45:30.069-04:002012-04-15T20:45:30.069-04:00Anonymous - thanks for your comments! Yes, the fil...Anonymous - thanks for your comments! Yes, the film by the Rank Organisation did use some footage from the German film. I think they might have used a couple of the boiler room scenes. For what it's worth, "A Night to Remember" is what I chose to screen last night in my own theatre on the actual 100th anniversary. The DVD and now Blu-Ray are part of the Criterion Collection. Only great films are chosen, and the telecine is always first rate. Hope you join us at Commentarama films. We are always looking for new people to join the discussion :)Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-83835106413127208472012-04-15T18:59:59.088-04:002012-04-15T18:59:59.088-04:00Just discovered this page---( bit late --what? )Th...Just discovered this page---( bit late --what? )The Nazi film version of 1943 you refered to, was a recent subject on TV of a documentary, here in the UK. To my astonishment, it states that much footage from this film was used in the British 'A Night To Remember'. Well they kept that quiet. Scenes depicting the full view of the ship, and in particular, the sinking, were lifted straight from the Nazi film, which as you said, was intended to be a anti British Disaster movie, but was never shown because the war had taken a bad turn for the Nazis, and Goebels thought it might look more like a metaphor for their loosing the war, and not a bash at British Class snobbery etc. I watched the 1958 film today 15/04/2012, and it still looks good.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-76204378621615181312012-01-19T00:11:25.758-05:002012-01-19T00:11:25.758-05:00thanks to all for a great discussion.thanks to all for a great discussion.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-38317675760251275612012-01-19T00:09:51.776-05:002012-01-19T00:09:51.776-05:00Andrew, I agree. The Titanic disaster is exactly t...Andrew, I agree. The Titanic disaster is exactly that; a window into humanity at it's best and worst.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-83376211813595947452012-01-19T00:06:24.976-05:002012-01-19T00:06:24.976-05:00Oiginally, I wanted Andrew to post this in April a...Oiginally, I wanted Andrew to post this in April at the 100th anniversary, but given what just happened in Italy, I think it appropriate and highly ironic we are discussing this right now. :)Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-88097068708668532122012-01-18T23:18:22.529-05:002012-01-18T23:18:22.529-05:00Robert Ballard, the man who discovered the Titanic...Robert Ballard, the man who discovered the Titanic's wreck and went on to explore the Lusitania, the Britannia, and other ships, wrote once that what fascinates us about these disasters is that they're an example of man being undone by his own technology and hubris. Many of these wrecks were caused by people who got careless with the sophisticated craft they were using, such as the Titanic being considered unsinkable and thus sailing through ice fields with not enough lifeboats and so on. I don't think that's all of it, but it's worth thinking about. Fortunately, of course, nothing like that could ever happen today.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-19305950385907900342012-01-18T22:46:43.090-05:002012-01-18T22:46:43.090-05:00Jed and T-Rav, I don't think it's morbid a...Jed and T-Rav, I don't think it's morbid at all. History gives us a window into humanity and this is one of the most fascinating and dramatic windows we have to ourselves, our society and to an entire era. There is little else I can think of that presents such a crystal clear example of how humans respond to moments of crisis.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-67647755340260431802012-01-18T22:44:02.432-05:002012-01-18T22:44:02.432-05:00T-Rav, That's what you get when you try to hav...T-Rav, That's what you get when you try to have a life off the internet. Tsk tsk.<br /><br />On Cameron, I can appreciate his technical ability, but not his storytelling ability or his politics.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-22581077219172645512012-01-18T22:41:14.961-05:002012-01-18T22:41:14.961-05:00hey Cris - you are right, the notion of modern tec...hey Cris - you are right, the notion of modern technique would be lost on most of us. Look, Cameron went at the film trying to take aspects of all the predecessors. At it's heart (no pun intended) he went for a real romance. To that, he threw in a little p.c. class warfare, and tried hard to get most of the historical details correct.<br /><br />Part of the issue for you, and at least a little for me, is that typically a romance like that one typically doesn't come to fruition that quickly in real life. Given the lasting Victorian morality in place in 1912, it would be even less likely to happen between a steerage passenger and a first class passenger. To help pull that off, he made the Billy Zane character over the top unlikable. But for most, they are willing to get drawn in and overlook that.<br /><br />So what we have is a romanticized, unrealistic relationship contrasting with an otherwise extremely realistic depiction of an actual disaster. Now there is always the possibility that for some, the chemistry in a romance doesn't work. But my original take was that it is hard to come up with a fresh angle. While not perfect, I thought Cameron actually did that. Clearly, he wanted to make a blockbuster to recoup the huge unprecedented budget, and go down in history.<br /><br />In order to do so, he wanted to have something for everybody. And in that regard, he certainly suceeded based on sales. Chick flick, action adventure, special effects, a little mystery. And in particular, I was So set up to be disappointed due to the hype, that I was pleasantly surprised.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-37310813096497955032012-01-18T22:19:45.215-05:002012-01-18T22:19:45.215-05:00ScottD-
I don't know if you are still on here ...ScottD-<br />I don't know if you are still on here but let me just say that I thought the drawing (by Cameron)itself was agood drawing--what I noticed was that it looked like someone who had modern training Its hard to tell you how I know this--it has to do with dimensions and the pencil strokes. You have to see drawings done by artists of the time. I know this would go right over the head of most people but it didn't suprise me totally that it was Cameron himself--it looked like straight off a modern day story board not like, for instance,a Thomas Eakin's drawing for an oil.<br />Anyway, Jed got my drift hokey paintng, hokey idea that she would have been seduced to do this. (maybe a successful painter on board with upper class???)<br /><br />I think the idea is that the movie goer is under a spell by a movie and can get into it and overlook things. I found myself having to really try to overlook things. Especially that Billy Zane was not hot enough for the Winslet gal. Just kidding, but for girls, he was hot AND manly, not boyish like DiCaprio.CrisDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-48296370672332074582012-01-18T21:02:19.856-05:002012-01-18T21:02:19.856-05:00Rav - the Beasley book is interesting, and one of ...Rav - the Beasley book is interesting, and one of the better resources on the subject. Sadly, they make him more of a class warrior in S.O.S. Titanic. Looking at different survivor accounts helps make one realize how the same events can be seen differently depending on where one was.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-25515864487747520922012-01-18T20:46:02.943-05:002012-01-18T20:46:02.943-05:00Jed, I'll put it on my "things to see&quo...Jed, I'll put it on my "things to see" list. :-)<br /><br />Like I said, on the whole I like Cameron's work on <i>Titanic</i>. In light of CGI-fests like <i>Avatar</i>, I especially like the fact that this movie involved actual set work. For example, for the depiction of the ship they built a half-size replica (no easy feet, considering the actual ship was almost 900 feet long), and for the flooding of the Grand Ballroom--well, they actually flooded the Grand Ballroom. What an idea, huh? And frankly, I didn't have a problem with Leo DiCaprio or the Jack-Rose romance. I thought they were both compelling characters, and he and Kate Winslet did a fine job. So while there's stuff to criticize, I do like it. <br /><br />Incidentally, since you mention Lawrence Beesley, I have his book on the sinking, which I highly recommend. It defends a lot of the traditional scapegoats for the tragedy, and is useful for those who want to keep in mind the 1912 viewpoint on these events.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-11218841230833135042012-01-18T20:37:10.324-05:002012-01-18T20:37:10.324-05:00Oh, and Rav - I don't think an interest in Tit...Oh, and Rav - I don't think an interest in Titanic is morbid at all. One of the themes of the National Geographic specials (and even touched on by Cameron) is that some of the newer modern day 'explorers' are looking to cash in on it. That is all well and good if we remember that the wreck of the Titanic is actually a mass grave. A certain amount of respect and dignity is not out of place.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-20121332503319297362012-01-18T20:31:47.797-05:002012-01-18T20:31:47.797-05:00Thanks, Rav - given what you have just said, I rea...Thanks, Rav - given what you have just said, I really do recommend you rent/download etc. "A Night to Remember." There is a little bit of the class thing in there, but that is because there is a little bit of the class thing in the Titanic disaster. What they don't do is sermonize or beat you over the head with it. The Clifton Webb Barbara Stanwyck production was true Hollywood production of that era. Highly romanticized and fairly inaccurate in it's details, it does go with the nobility of those who died in the way they stoically and nobly faced their death.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-52756515376223441852012-01-18T20:13:42.945-05:002012-01-18T20:13:42.945-05:00Crap, looks like I missed a great discussion!
Gr...Crap, looks like I missed a great discussion! <br /><br />Great rundown, Jed. I was big into <i>Titanic</i> stuff as a kid--guess that makes me a tad morbid--and it has always interested me. I haven't seen these, except of course for Cameron's film (and a snippet of the '96 TV production, which even at a glance did not impress me). I'm kind of ambivalent about his movie. On the one hand, the class-warfare stuff is more obvious to me now than it was then, and therefore more annoying; and the "Rose freeing herself from rich stuffiness" subplot was rather too cliche-ridden. On the other, the film clearly shows why Cameron is considered a master of cinematography; the visuals are just amazing, especially when the 1912 reproduction is overlaid with the wreck footage. And the final scenes are (for me, at least) genuinely intense and heartbreaking. I guess on balance I still like it, despite its flaws.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-33823491572892654302012-01-18T19:56:53.004-05:002012-01-18T19:56:53.004-05:00Jed, I don't think so. She grew up in East Ge...Jed, I don't think so. She grew up in East Germany and didn't get to the US until the mid-1960s and she's never been a big television/movies fan.<br /><br />But she has a LOT of books on the subject.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-58179017206565121632012-01-18T19:49:20.687-05:002012-01-18T19:49:20.687-05:00Andrew - I don't blame your mom for being fasc...Andrew - I don't blame your mom for being fascinated. I suspect we are probably similar in age. I wonder if she remembers the old 50's movies?Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-87019476393121522372012-01-18T19:43:31.102-05:002012-01-18T19:43:31.102-05:00Scott, I don't dispute his talent, I do disput...Scott, I don't dispute his talent, I do dispute his politics though.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-3964446481561812602012-01-18T19:42:19.568-05:002012-01-18T19:42:19.568-05:00Jed and TJ, My mother is fascinated by it too. Sh...Jed and TJ, My mother is fascinated by it too. She's got all kinds of books on it and even had a painting of the Titanic. I think a lot of people find the incident gripping for a lot of reasons. In fact, I can't think of many other events that have such broad interest continuing for so long.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-53821414649276237782012-01-18T17:28:14.425-05:002012-01-18T17:28:14.425-05:00Another interesting aspect about the evacuation. L...Another interesting aspect about the evacuation. Lightholler took the Women and Children first dictum to mean women and children only. That was not the case on the starboard side where men were permitted to get in if no other women were waiting.<br /><br />The problem is, of course, a ship three football fields long and half a field wide under the most pressure packed circumstances. Not only that, the ship had only done minimal evacuation drill before hand, and it was the maiden voyage. Although there were plenty of experienced crew aboard, they were relatively unfamiliar with this ship.<br /><br />Interestingly, the captain and crew were not really being negligent. They were doing what every other ship was doing. Titanic had only enough boats for half the people. That was more than any other ship and more than were required!!! This is how tragedy occurs. Complacency sets in, a freak set of occurences take place, and voila lesson learned the hard way.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-87528035583802032082012-01-18T17:26:21.596-05:002012-01-18T17:26:21.596-05:00Tennessee: I think that's a very good histori...Tennessee: I think that's a very good historical analysis.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-42130745840059531502012-01-18T17:18:23.511-05:002012-01-18T17:18:23.511-05:00Hawk - in the criterion collection "A Night t...Hawk - in the criterion collection "A Night to Remember" commentary, they talk about how little evidence there was of any crew members intentionally holding back steerage other than one crewman early on. Considering the captain initially instructed the senior crew to keep things quiet to avoid panic, little wonder there was confusion and lack of consistency as to how the evacuation was carried out.<br /><br />As you know, women from 1-3 class all were extremely reluctant to leave their husbands or families and the relative warmth, and light of the luxury ship, under-dressed in the bitter cold.<br /><br />That said, it cannot be denied, the boat deck was closer to first class passenger quarters, and arguably the stewards more accustomed to providing first class service, and a smaller group that they served. As such, 1st class got a solid half hour start in evacuation. In steerage, generally people were patiently waiting for more instructions. Of course, it makes for good p.c. drama to play that aspect up to the hilt.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.com