Hollywood and the general public have been captivated by the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912, for more than a century. Out of the estimated 2,224 passengers onboard, more than 1,500 died when the tragic British ocean liner hit an iceberg in the frigid Atlantic waters just five days into its first trip. Although there has always been interest in the public surrounding the tragic ship, Titanic-mania began to spread after the publication of James Cameron’s masterwork in 1997.
In the wake of the OceanGate Titan tragedy, a submersible that exploded on a dive to the crash site and resulted in the deaths of all five of its passengers, the fabled ship has once again found itself in the spotlight. The legend and mystique surrounding the “unsinkable ship” has persisted in enthralling the public, and Hollywood has never shied away from leveraging the appeal of the legendary catastrophe. These are some of the Titanic-related films that deserve special mention.
The 1958 historical disaster docudrama is regarded by both survivors and historians as one of the most truthful and accurate representations of the maritime tragedy. A Night to Remember is a documentary-style adaptation of the same-titled novel by Walter Lord that describes the circumstances leading up to the ship’s untimely fate on its inaugural voyage. Those who were directly influenced by the loss of the Titanic praised the Roy Ward Baker film. Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller’s widow praised the drama and said, “The film is really the truth and has not been embroidered.”
A Night to Remember debuted to considerable critical acclaim and won the Golden Globe for Best English-Language Foreign Film, despite not succeeding at the box office. According to historian and professor Paul Heyer, the thrilling film “still stands as the definitive cinematic telling of the story and the prototype and finest example of the disaster-film genre.” It is credited with inspiring a massive wave of unforgettable disaster films, including The Poseidon Adventure.
No Greater Love not only describes the horrifying sinking of the well-known ship, but it also goes into detail on how the survivors dealt with the unimaginable loss of their loved ones in the aftermath of the disaster. The emotive television movie does a commendable job of highlighting the frequently ignored element of the Titanic sinking—those who had to keep moving forward and fight with the sadness and guilt of surviving the event.
S.O.S. Titanic
The made-for-TV disaster drama S.O.S. Titanic, which was released in 1979, shows how different the First, Second, and Third Classes’ luxuries and experiences on board the ship and following its collision with the iceberg were by weaving the stories of these three groups of passengers together. The drama was notable for being the first Titanic movie to be shot and released in colour rather of black & white and for starring Helen Mirren in one of her earlier parts as Mary Slon, a real-life surviving stewardess.
S.O.S. Titanic not only shows the lives of those on board, but it also sheds light on those who were responsible for the ship’s premature demise, namely Captain Edward Smith and White Star Line director J. Bruce Ismay, who were driven to break records and disregarded the numerous warnings of icebergs lurking in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The movie does a commendable job of depicting the RMS Titanic’s disaster from a variety of perceptive angles.
Saved from the Titanic
The first of several films to portray the historical occurrence, the silent film Saved from the Titanic, starring actress and socialite Dorothy Gibson, was released just 31 days after the maritime disaster in 1912. The screenplay was co-written by Gibson, who would later describe her role in the short film as a “opportunity to pay tribute to those who gave their lives on that awful night.” The story of the short film used real footage of the Titanic’s captain Edward Smith, icebergs, and the Olympic, and Gibson recounted her own experiences during the disaster.
Reporters observed that Gibson was visibly suffering with her own trauma while on TV and that she had “the appearance of one whose nerves had been greatly shocked.” Gibson re-wore the dress she had been wearing during the real sinking. While Saved from the Titanic attracted large crowds to theatres and received positive reviews during its run, many people believed that because of its time, it profited from the disaster.
The Chambermaid on the Titanic
The 1997 drama The Chambermaid on the Titanic, based on the Didier Decoin French novel of the same name, follows foundry worker Horty (Oliver Martinez), who wins a contest and is given the opportunity to watch the RMS Titanic set sail in Southampton, where he meets the lovely young woman Marie (Romane Bohringer), who will be a chambermaid on the ship. Horty decides to embellish his relationship with Marie, whom he believes to be dead, in order to acquire celebrity and fame after word of its sinking reaches the mainland. He also constructs a travelling stage play that further complicates his story.
A critical and financial triumph, The Chambermaid on the Titanic won two Goya Awards and was praised for its intricate and deep storyline. The movie changed its name by the time it was released in American theatres the following year, despite having debuted before Cameron’s own Titanic, to avoid appearing to capitalise on the huge success.
Titanic (1953)
The 1953 drama Titanic centres on wealthy socialite Julia Sturges (Barbara Stanwyck) as she attempts to take her two children to her home in America in hope of starting over and returning to her humble roots; when her husband learns of her plan, he boards the tragic vessel in hope of persuading her to stay. The plot of the film follows the strained relationship between a separated married couple on the titular ship. After the Titanic strikes the iceberg, the dysfunctional couple must put their personal problems aside and fight for their lives if they are to survive and leave the ship.
The Spectator wrote in their review of Titanic, “Titanic, the story of the great liner’s first and only trip across the Atlantic, is a perfectly excellent picture, finely balanced between fact and fiction, stocked with plausible characters, working up quietly but strongly to its shattering climax.” Titanic went on to win the Academy Award for Best Screenplay and astounded audiences with its thrilling cinematography and compelling story.
Titanic (1996)
Titanic from 1996, starring Peter Gallagher and Catherine Zeta-JonesEntertainment RHI
The 1996 two-part miniseries/movie Titanic is an Emmy-winning small-screen extravaganza that boasts an impressive ensemble cast led by Peter Gallagher, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Tim Curry. It tells the story of a married first-class passenger’s forbidden romance with her ex-boyfriend as well as the developing love between two third-class passengers who become the target of a sinister presence on board. The James Cameron epic made its premiere a year earlier, and Titanic’s development was hurried in order to capitalise on the excitement surrounding the anticipated Cameron movie.
Titanic was a ratings success for CBS and the first film or television programme to show the ocean liner severing in two after hitting the iceberg. Although the distinguished cast’s performances received praise, some critics believed the miniseries’ historical flaws and errors overshadowed what could have been a very spectacular film.
Titanic (1997)
Known for starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as star-crossed lovers who have a passionate, life-changing romance while on the doomed ship, Titanic was a breakthrough, record-setting 1997 blockbuster success. The big-screen extravaganza’s writer, director, and co-producer James Cameron had a lifelong fascination with shipwrecks and visited the location twelve times in 1995 to film the eerie footage of the fabled ocean liner.
Cameron and the team were inspired to “live up to that level of reality” after visiting the ship’s last resting place. “But there was another level of reaction coming away from the real wreck, which was that it wasn’t just a story, it wasn’t just a drama,” Cameron said. Titanic, which was praised for its astounding visual effects, production, storyline, and stellar performances by its A-list ensemble cast, became the first movie to earn $1 billion worldwide and tied Ben-Hur for the most Oscar awards with eleven, including Best Picture. The epic movie nevertheless ranks as a significant cinematic accomplishment and continues to enthral audiences, despite a decline in critical acclaim over the years.
Titanic II
The 2010 disaster drama Titanic II, a parody of the acclaimed Cameron masterpiece, follows the disastrous maiden voyage of the aptly named RMS Titanic II as it sets sail a century after the tragic voyage of the original ship and meets the same grim demise as its namesake after a violent tsunami pushes deadly icebergs in its path. The movie’s director and actor, Shane Van Dyke (the grandson of Hollywood great Dick Van Dyke), plays the ship’s designer and owner who falls in love with a sympathetic nurse on the cruise ship.
Unsurprisingly, Titanic II received terrible reviews after its debut, with many criticising its weak plot and shoddy photography, however the cast members’ performances did receive some praise. When reviewing the drama, Dread Central asked: “What would James Cameron’s Titanic have been like if most of the digital effects looked like animation from Wii cutscene?”
Titanic: The Legend Goes On
The relationship that develops between affluent upper-class English passenger William and impoverished blue-collar young woman Angelica, both of whom have high aspirations for their careers in America, is at the heart of the 2000 animated musical Titanic: The Legend Goes On, which is set on the fateful ocean liner. The movie was panned by critics because it glossed over the horrific disaster and had bad taste in its storytelling. It featured a surprising number of talking animals, including cats, dogs, and mice, and it took many overt cues from James Cameron’s Titanic. The animated film made multiple worst-ever lists and was described as “so terrible written and drawn that it’s offensive to the Titanic’s memory” by IndieWire.
