The night the unsinkable sank
1958-07-03
$1.7M
123 min
The sinking of the Titanic is presented in a highly realistic fashion in this tense British drama. The disaster is portrayed largely from the perspective of the ocean liner's second officer, Charles Lightoller. Despite numerous warnings about ice, the ship sails on, with Capt. Edward John Smith keeping it going at a steady clip. When the doomed vessel finally hits an iceberg, the crew and passengers discover that they lack enough lifeboats, and tragedy follows.
I am acting on his advice. This ship is going to founder.
Directed by Roy Ward Baker, A Night To Remember is adapted by Eric Ambler from the book written by Walter Lord. Though only met with a lukewarm response at the box office on release, the film has since received critical acclaim and is highly regarded by Titanic historians for its accuracy.
The story of the ill fated voyage of the RMS Titanic is here given a first rate telling by Baker and his crew. Kenneth Moore heads up the multiple cast list (there's over 200 speaking parts), but crucially they let the story be the star. This is about that desperate and distressing night, when people of all classes perished due to a number of circumstances. Circumstances that are all fully formed here. They largely stick to the source story, and by using research with actual survivors they have kept it straightforward and factual. There's also no sub-plots to bog it down, there's time spent with the principals of course, but only enough time to hold our interest when disaster strikes and decisions are to be made.
Given a story with so much detail it's a major achievement that the film never sags, the outcome of which is a classic movie that's as memorable as it is poignant. 8/10
