One hundred years after the sinking of the RMS Titanic, James Cameron is re-releasing his TITANIC epic in 3D. This sadly draws the attention away from a re-release which should be rightly acknowledged. A NIGHT TO REMEMBER is Roy Ward Baker’s fantastic film adaptation of the event which shows amazing techniques, considering the time it was made.
In 1912, the so far biggest luxury cruiser, the RMS Titanic was built and was said to be unsinkable. On its maiden voyage, the ship crushed into an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean, which ripped the ship open and caused it to sink very fast. This resulted in the deaths of 1514 people, due to the lack of preparation and life rafts.
The film shows a few of the very different passengers, from 3rd class to 1st, from cook to captain. It keeps the events in perspective and shows a believable reconstruction of the ship’s last hours.
Different from James Cameron’s film, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER leaves out the melodrama. One might argue in fact that in the beginning it might be a bit underplayed. When the news of the accident are spread, everybody seems to keep a bit too cool. But this quickly changes as panic spreads fast. The film is said to be the most historically accurate of all films about the RMS Titanic. Rather than showing the catastrophe from the passenger’s perspective, Baker made the right decision to show how the crew handled the situation and whose fault was the actual accident. This seems to be the more important choice. Nor did he focus on a main character, but showed the actions of many. This is rather satisfying as it seems more realistic than modern overdone Hollywood drama.
Some of the rich passengers refuse to go on the life rafts. We see old ladies worrying about the overcrowded boats, or how they will look with the life jacket on. It seems tragically comic how in a moment of immense crisis, when every second decides upon life and death, the members of the crew have to use their British charm to convince rich ladies to kindly put on the jackets and move. In a way, this leads the audience to engage much more with the film due to the immense dislike for the upper class created here. While rich women can afford to argue with the people who want to save them, the third class passengers are kept under deck, where the water is already rising.
It is no mystery how the film will end, but nevertheless it is very entertaining as to see the portraits of different characters and their way of dealing with the crisis. Also the technical aspect impresses for a piece from the late 50s, from the surprisingly realistic sets to the convincing model of the Titanic which makes the audience believe they are watching the actual ship sinking.
All in all can be said that A NIGHT TO REMEMBER is a great watch for anyone interested in this historical catastrophe, and who is tired of modern melodrama and overdone Hollywood love stories.