Post by: Tom on May 31, 2009, 04:54:39 PM
Titanic Marathon
My recent purchase of the 1953 Titanic movie (which I came attention to because scenes from it where used in the first "The Time Tunnel" episode) lead me to start watching my collection of Titanic movies in chronological order.
Post by: Tom on May 31, 2009, 04:55:36 PM
Title: Titanic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_(1943_film)) (http://www.invelos.com/images/DVDLogo.png)
Year: 1943
Director: Herbert Selpin
Rating: FSK-12
Length: 85 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: German: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: German
Stars:
Sybille Schmitz
Hans Nielsen
Kirsten Heiberg
E.F. Fürbringer
Karl Schönböck
Extras:
Featurettes
Scene Access
Trailers
My Thoughts:
This is the oldest Titanic movie I have and I think it is the first talkie about the Titanic disaster. It was produced in Nazi Germany in 1942.Besides the fact that the movie blames the greed of the capitalistic Britain for causing the disaster by having the Titanic go at full speed despite the ice warnings, this movie is quite similar to later attempts.
Many elements of Cameron's Titanic can already seen here.
For its time the movie had great effects. Not once is there is a scene which looked cheap.
Rating:
Post by: Najemikon on May 31, 2009, 05:37:51 PM
Post by: Tom on May 31, 2009, 05:41:17 PM
My favourite is A Night To Remember. Do you have that one?
Yes, I have it and will be part of this marathon.
Post by: Tom on May 31, 2009, 06:55:30 PM
Title: Titanic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_(1953_film)) (http://www.invelos.com/images/DVDLogo.png)
Year: 1953
Director: Jean Negulesco
Rating: PG
Length: 94 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English
Stars:
Clifton Webb
Barbara Stanwyck
Robert Wagner
Audrey Dalton
Thelma Ritter
Plot:
CLIFTON WEBB, BARBARA STANWYCK and ROBERT WAGNER star in this gripping re-enactment of the tragic 1912 sinking of the Titanic in which over 1,500 people lost their lives.
Supposedly an unsinkable ship, the huge British luxury liner met with disaster on its maiden voyage when its captain ignored numerous warnings of impending danger. Though based on facts culled from eyewitnesses, fictional characters depict the men and women, many of them international celebrities, who courageoulsy faced this unexpected tragedy in the icy, bleak waters of the North Atlantic.
This tremendously moving and extraordinary film continues to captivate audiences around the world.
Extras:
Featurettes
Scene Access
Trailers
My Thoughts:
In my opinion this effort is inferior to the German movie released 10 years previously. The sets are cheap, scenes set outside even cheaper. Two third of the movie are showing rather uninteresting storylines. Only the last 25 minutes or so are about the disaster. And that is handled very unrealistic. There is hardly any panic involved. Everybody is going in very orderly fashion to the lifeboats. The men are only willing to stay behind. Everybody has time to have a nice undisturbed dramatic little last chat with their squeaze.Beside those glaringly obvious flaws, this movie is still watchable. The cast is good. You can see a young Robert Wagner in an early role. Wouldn't it have been for his way of talking, I wouldn't have recognized him at all.
Rating:
Post by: Tom on May 31, 2009, 08:53:48 PM
Post by: Tom on May 31, 2009, 10:13:29 PM
Post by: Tom on May 31, 2009, 11:20:31 PM
Title: A Night to Remember (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Night_to_Remember_(1958_film)) (http://www.invelos.com/images/DVDLogo.png)
Year: 1958
Director: Roy Baker
Rating: FSK-16
Length: 118 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: German: Dolby Digital Mono, English: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: English, German
Stars:
Kenneth More
Ronald Allen
Robert Ayres
Honor Blackman
Anthony Bushell
Extras:
Production Notes
Scene Access
Trailers
My Thoughts:
After the attempt from Hollywood a few years before, this UK production is obviously on a much bigger scale. It passes on providing much backstory for the characters. Instead it chooses to dive right into the action. The iceberg is hit about 30 minutes into the movie (and most of the first 30 minutes is spent on iceberg warnings and other nautical stuff). That leaves about 90 minutes of showing the sinking. Just about the same time as in Cameron's movie, if I remember correctly.
The 1997 Cameron movie obviously has taken much of this movie as an example. Even re-creating a lot of the scenes. This movie's portayal of the disaster can easily keep up with the newer Cameron movie (especially taking its age into account).
Rating:
Post by: richierich on May 31, 2009, 11:40:09 PM
Title: A Night to Remember (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Night_to_Remember_(1958_film)) After the attempt from Hollywood a few years before, this UK production is obviously on a much bigger scale.
It passes on providing much backstory for the characters. Instead it chooses to dive right into the action. The iceberg is hit about 30 minutes into the movie (and most of the first 30 minutes is spent on iceberg warnings and other nautical stuff). That leaves about 90 minutes of showing the sinking. Just about the same time as in Cameron's movie, if I remember correctly.
The 1997 Cameron movie obviously has taken much of this movie as an example. Even re-creating a lot of the scenes. This movie's portayal of the disaster can easily keep up with the newer Cameron movie (especially taking its age into account).
Rating:
Nice review Tom - I've just pulled the dvd out to my 'must watch soon' pile
Post by: Tom on May 31, 2009, 11:43:41 PM
Nice review Tom - I've just pulled the dvd out to my 'must watch soon' pile
Have you watched it before?
Post by: richierich on June 01, 2009, 12:37:58 AM
Nice review Tom - I've just pulled the dvd out to my 'must watch soon' pile
Have you watched it before?
No - I kept on passing it by :hmmmm:
Post by: Najemikon on June 01, 2009, 01:55:02 PM
The 1997 Cameron movie obviously has taken much of this movie as an example. Even re-creating a lot of the scenes. This movie's portayal of the disaster can easily keep up with the newer Cameron movie (especially taking its age into account).
I thought that really there was little difference between the quality of the sets, especially the engine room, considering there was almost 40 years between the two films.
It's a while since I've watched it, but I seem to remember liking how they involved the second ship that tried to answer the distress calls and I was disappointed when Cameron didn't. To me, that seems a very important element and dramatically works very well for the story.
Post by: Tom on June 01, 2009, 08:16:25 PM
Title: The Titanic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_(TV_miniseries)) (http://www.invelos.com/images/DVDLogo.png)
Year: 1996
Director: Robert Lieberman
Rating: FSK-12
Length: 171 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: German: Dolby Digital Stereo, English: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles:
Stars:
Peter Gallagher
George C. Scott
Catherine Zeta Jones
Eva Marie Saint
Tim Curry
My Thoughts:
If Cameron's Titanic is remake of "A Night to Remember", then this two-part TV movie is a remake of the 1953 Titanic. You have a lot of TV movie-style drama going on. This is also the only Titanic movie watch wraps up the different storylines in the last 15 minutes after the lifeboats are salvaged.Tim Curry plays yet another of his typical villain roles, like it seems are the only roles he has played since Rocky Horror.
Rating:
Post by: Achim on June 02, 2009, 06:01:40 AM
It's a while since I've watched it, but I seem to remember liking how they involved the second ship that tried to answer the distress calls and I was disappointed when Cameron didn't. To me, that seems a very important element and dramatically works very well for the story.While maybe disappointing, it was nto the story he was telling. He was telling the Jack and Rose story, which happens to take placew on the Titanic. Bringing in more ships at the end would have distracted from the dramatic scene taking place...
Post by: Najemikon on June 02, 2009, 07:49:52 AM
Post by: Tom on June 02, 2009, 10:45:32 PM
Title: Titanic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_(1997_film)) (http://www.invelos.com/images/DVDLogo.png)
Year: 1997
Director: James Cameron
Rating: FSK-12
Length: 187 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.30
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround EX, German: Dolby Digital Surround EX, German: DTS ES (Matrixed), Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: Commentary, English, German, Turkish
Stars:
Leonardo DiCaprio
Kate Winslet
Billy Zane
Kathy Bates
Frances Fisher
Extras:
Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Music Videos
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
THX certified
Trailers
My Thoughts:
I always enjoyed this movie. Sadly I didn't go to see it at the cinema at the time. I first saw it on VHS, which I had given my mother as a present (she liked this movie so much, that she watched it twice in the cinema).Unlike the other Titanic movies, this one almost exclusively revolves around two characters. What is great about this movie, is, that they build up a strong relationship between the two main characters in the first half of the movie, which brings a great human element to the disaster itself. Thus the sinking of the Titanic has a much more emotional impact on the viewer than the other Titanic movies did.
Kate Winslet is especially great in it. Especially in the second half she did a great job.
From the time Titanic hits the iceberg, this movie is very reminiscent of "A Night to Remember". On a technical standpoint, "Titanic" is a mixed bag. On the one hand, there are a lot of greatly executed scenes. But on the other hand, a lot of the exterior shots look very fake. Especially the CGI shots and green-screen scenes. Compared to "A Night to Remember", it doesn't hold up as well. It will certainly not hold up as good after 40 years as ANtR did.
Rating:
Post by: Tom on June 02, 2009, 10:53:00 PM
I definitely can recommend checking out "A Night to Remember", if you did not already. Especially if you like the Cameron film. But I also was impressed with the 1943 Titanic movie.
As I got a recommendation for another Titanic movie ("La Femme de Chambre du Titanic") at the Invelos forums, one review will follow when this movie arrives.
Post by: Rogmeister on June 22, 2009, 07:26:05 PM