They did do research for Titanic 1953. If you read the acknowledgments in Walter Lord's book (published in 1955), he writes, "Helen Hernandez of 20th Century-Fox has been a gold mine of useful leads." Hernandez was writer-producer Charles Brackett's assistant and pointed Lord toward many Titanic survivors and records the studio had researched for the film.
The problem is that most of that research was ignored, except in superficial aspects. The idiotic notion of the remaining passengers and crew standing stolidly on deck singing "Nearer My God to Thee" before the ship abruptly suffers an explosion (which never happened) and sinks is so asinine it almost defies belief...quite apart from the brazen falseness of its depiction.
Cameron's bubble-gum romance and addled-brained theme of "the crazed nobility of the proletariat" permeate his movie-for-dummies dramatic approach, but it has its cognate in the crazed nobility of the upper classes shown in this film, in which the rich are all good, kindly, down-to-Earth, selfless "plain folks" beneath their modestly-displayed wealth, who gallantly help the befuddled oafs in steerage, too helpless and dumb even to save themselves until some "better" arrives to yank them, oxen-like, to safety. In this respect, 1953 and 1997 are indeed the mirror-images of one another, each vision as warped and untruthful as the other, each the product of its creator's political biases.
Even the basics of the plots between the two are somewhat similar -- the dysfunctional rich family and the the tiresome boy-meets-girl scenario. But Audrey Dalton's character in '53 is a far more realistic portrait of a stuck-up rich girl of 1912 than is Kate Winslet's all-seeing, all-knowing, all-prescient, all-suicidal (what's next -- all-bulemic?) rich girl of 1997 by way of 1912 costumes.
Anyway, I agree, the actors and the acting of '53 are far better and more entertaining than the cardboard characters of 1997, who are an insult to cardboard. I like Leonardo DiCaprio and (usually) Kate Winslet (though not in this movie), but the entire cast of '97 is predictable and dull, with the single exception of Gloria Stuart -- not surprisingly, an old pro from Hollywood's glory days. The 1953 film shows the value of having experienced character actors who can invest their roles with some meaning and surmount the weaknesses of the script, which are legion. Historical and factual discrepancies aside, '53's resort to "Oi there, guv'nuh!" dialogue for the crew as well as its class and behavioral mythology make it as annoying as it is inaccurate.
Of course, the one thing '97 excels in is its depiction of the sinking. Even granted the advantages of technology, money and actual knowledge of the wreck it enjoyed compared to any other film, Cameron has to be commended for the realism and accuracy of his effects. I particularly like his continuing resort to shots of the sinking as seen from inside the ship, in minute detail, which brings the tragedy down to the level of an individual's experience. I don't think anyone disputes the quality of '97's visuals, far superior to anything ever put on screen before.
If only Cameron could write his way out of a paper bag, he might have had a truly great movie instead of a bunch of half-wits adrift on a sea of superb special effects.
Still, for overall accuracy and a balanced, proper approach to characters, class and real human beings, nothing beats ANTR. Certainly it has its mistakes and limitations, but historically it's by far the most accurate account of the sinking, its characters are real people instead of clichés, and its script catches all the true horror of that night, which more than a spectacle was a great human tragedy.
Too bad the strengths of each film couldn't have been combined into one definitive Titanic drama. Anyone got a spare $400,000,000 for a remake?
P.S. We don't do made-for-TV Titanics here! They're all lousy anyway.
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Eric-62-2
10 years ago
I wouldn't say they're all lousy, Hob. I do believe "SOS Titanic" is a commendable effort provided you see the original long-cut that aired on ABC and not the butchered video version that played theatrically overseas. And the Kraft Theater production of "A Night To Remember" (not Playhouse 90 as we earlier reported) is also a great effort for its time.
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hobnob53
10 years ago
I did see SOS Titanic when it originally aired and thought it was awful. Never saw the theatrical version. After I wrote my final line above I thought of the Playhouse 90 production of ANTR, which I've never seen. But from what I understand it was very good. Of course, in 1956 TV lacked the facilities to depict the sinking as such, and so had to dwell on the human aspect, which by its nature would narrow the focus to something real and manageable -- character over spectacle. And as that play was based on the factual account, with no invented characters and social situations, it would have been more true-to-life.
Say, Eric, I'm sure you've seen the 1943 "Nazi version" also called Titanic. The truth is pretty incidental in that one, too, but the basic story is a howl -- basically Ismay deliberately risking his ship in order to rescue the plummeting values of White Star stock, with the sinking almost a financial relief! And the only honest man aboard a fictitious German First Officer named Petersen who gallantly strives to make the truth known against the perfidy of the ship's corrupt command and evil British capitalist interests.
How do you suppose Walter Lord missed all that?
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Eric-62-2
10 years ago
I have a copy of the German version but have never watched it all the way since I know about its propaganda reputation. I have seen the 1929 movie "Atlantic" which isn't very good.
And to keep it straight, it's Kraft Theatre, not Playhouse 90 for the ANTR TV production. They were two separate anthology series entirely.
Probably the best TV episode of a series with a Titanic related plot is Rod Serling's "Lone Survivor" from Season 1 of "Night Gallery".
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hobnob53
10 years ago
Yes, Kraft Theatre -- I was sitting here reading your post and still wrote the wrong show in my reply! Not bright of me. Of course I know they were two separate series, even remember seeing bits of both when I was very young and unappreciative.
I don't know why you won't watch Titanic '43 all the way through. So what if it's propaganda? It's still interesting to see, including the effects scenes later lifted for ANTR. There's a History Channel documentary about the making of the film called "Nazi Titanic", which is quite fascinating. What I'd like to see is the first film depicting the sinking, which came out three months afterwards, but which is probably lost, along with all the cinematic realism of 1912 special effects.
Which NG episode was "Lone Survivor"? I seem to remember the title but can't recall the plot.
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Eric-62-2
10 years ago
The chief problem with the 43 German film is also the fact it has no subtitles on the copy I have so even though I took German in high school and could get a few words, it wouldn't make a good viewing experience (I won't even watch a kaiju movie without subtitles).
"Lone Survivor" starred John Colicos (Battlestar Galactica) as a sailor picked up in a lifeboat. It emerges that he was a stoker who slipped off dressed as a woman and now he has become a Flying Dutchman cursed to be picked up only by other doomed ships. Because the ship that's picked him up is the Lusitania! (and that's not the final punchline of the story).
One Titanic related episode I have not seen in decades is "You Are There". I still remember Hayden Rorke ("I Dream Of Jeannie") in the cast as passenger Frederick Hoyt. I remember also it ends before the ship sinks (since they couldn't spring for an F/X shot then). Even though I have plenty of "You Are There" episodes this one keeps eluding me.
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hobnob53
10 years ago
Oh, yeah, now I remember that "Lone Survivor" episode. Funny, every once in a while I got vague flashbacks about that episode (not this time, though), but couldn't remember what show it came from. It seemed Twilight Zone-ish to me, though I knew it wasn't a Zone, but my mind never made the obvious link to Night Gallery. Like I said, not very bright. That was a good episode, and I remember it all now. Thanks!
Come to think of it, wasn't there a TZ with Nehemiah Persoff playing a U-boat Captain who finds himself aboard the bridge of the ship (the Lusitania?) he's about to torpedo? Or something like that? Or am I simply losing it?
I never saw the You Are There Titanic episode but it sounds interesting. I always liked the concept of that program. Educational as well as entertaining. Budget aside, showing the sinking would sort have undermined the show's purpose and format. I suspect it was much more effective not having it anyway...though as little kids we would have been disappointed!
Where did you get your un-subtitled copy of Titanic 1943? The one I have is from Kino, released about 11 years ago. It has subtitles and some extras and is a very good print. The DVD is still in print, though you need to shop around a bit to get the best price, which varies widely (I think the SRP is $26.95 but you can get it for much less).
When Kino released Titanic they also released another UFA classic from the same year, Munchhausen. As they say on the DVD cover, this was Josef Goebbels's answer to The Wizard of Oz and The Thief of Bagdad and was UFA's prestige project of 1943, the film chosen to mark the studio's 25th anniversary. It's really an amazing movie, especially considering when and where it was made -- in color, with surprisingly good effects, script, acting, even poignancy, and a few neat twists -- not to mention some topless women in a Turkish harem! Much of it was filmed on locations, notably a sequence in Venice -- astonishing not only when you think of the ongoing world war but for the sumptuousness of the scenes, there and in the entire production, for which Goebbels spared no expense. Plus, more surprisingly, no propaganda. It's really worth getting if you don't have it already. Same price and availability as Titanic, but a lot jollier.
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