With James Cameron’s epic Titanic back in theaters for the nth time (this time in 3D!), there’s no better opportunity to watch the other classic Titanic film, 1958’s A Night to Remember. Shot four decades before Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet leaned ecstatically into the wind on the bow of the titular ship, A Night to Remember tells with meticulous detail how the events leading to the tragic sinking occurred. Out of all the Titanic films aside from James Cameron's, A Night to Remember is perhaps the most well-known. It's an exceptional film that looks at the events with a broader scope rather than focusing in on a few specific protagonists whose personal fates unwind amidst all the tragedy.
In a way, comparisons between the two most famous Titanic films is inevitable. The facts of the sinking are heavily documented, and unless one wants to pervert the truth of it all too grotesquely, the basic plot beats are already written by history. Yes, Cameron was undeniably inspired by A Night to Remember when making Titanic, and really, it wouldn’t take much to cut a side-by-side comparison of all the similarities shared between the two considering how frequently they occur. Still, each film is a unique dramatization of the ship’s sinking. Even if you’ve seen Titanic, A Night to Remember still has plenty to offer you. Plus, if you aren’t one for three-plus-hour epic romance films, A Night to Remember might be more of your style.
'A Night to Remember' Is a Historically Accurate Telling of the Titanic’s Sinking
Though spectacular in its presentation towards the climax, A Night to Remember sets out with the ambitious goal of juggling a dozen or so storylines while telling the Titanic’s story as a whole, and it doesn't slip up. The majority of the characters appearing in the film (excluding extras and those with particularly minor roles) are actual historical figures that were on the Titanic on its fateful voyage. There’s Charles Lightoller (KennethMore), the ship’s second officer who strictly enforced the “women and children first” rule for the lifeboats; there’s Thomas Andrews (MichaelGoodliffe), the ship’s architect; we also see the Unsinkable Molly Brown (TuckerMcGuire), Captain Edward Smith (KennethGriffith), and Chief Baker Charles Joughin (GeorgeRose).
A Night to Remember focuses primarily on these figures, and on the ship itself, to tell the story without needless narrative flair or creative liberties. The stories intertwined are minimal and simple, and though the occurrences on the ship before its sinking retain some importance, the film is more interested in capturing the tragedy inherent in the voyage. When the Titanic starts to take on water, it keeps its focus kaleidoscopic. It cuts quickly between the captain, the passengers, and the sailors of the surrounding ships who interpret the Titanic’s distress signals far too late.
There’s a reason why Lightoller's widow Sylvia lauded the picture’s historical accuracy. It makes the effort of showing as much information about the sinking as possible in two hours, and although there will undeniably be some altering of the recorded facts (unavoidable, considering it’s not a documentary on the subject), there’s very little of the film that doesn’t feel authentic.
'A Night to Remember' Is a Feat of Excellent Classical Filmmaking
The lasting power of A Night to Remember isn't dependent on its accuracy. While it's true that the reality of the lives lost during the Titanic's sinking heightens the tragedy of the film, the quality of filmmaking showcased in the movie is particularly impressive. The film's director, Roy Ward Baker, would never match the success of A Night to Remember, later directing a string of schlocky British horror pictures like Scars of Dracula and The Vampire Lovers. In his Titanic film, though, Baker boasts a mastery of classical filmmaking techniques. Because of the limitations of the era's technology, the movie leans on simple effects to achieve the broad, staggering scope of the events.
Camera tilts give great urgency to the ship's descent. Skillfully placed insert shots of still objects—a rocking horse, or a wheeled dinner cart, for example—show that the ship remains level. Later, these same objects show up again, only this time moving chaotically, and it's clear that the ship is going down...and fast.
With no time to lose, the film jumps from cut to cut. Often the edits are sharp, quick, and they move in such a way to properly portray how quickly the events played out. A distress call is sent and ignored. An iceberg is spotted, and the captain is alerted. The ship moves on, hits the iceberg, and water rushes on board. It all happens so quickly, and the whip-like editing show how crucial seconds are in a disaster.
Just around the halfway point, the tragedy begins, but the true magnitude of the resulting chaos won't appear for nearly another hour. If it all happens quickly, the film allows itself the time to transition from concern to fear to complete bedlam. Once the ship starts to submerge, A Night to Remember offers some of the finest disaster filmmaking you'll see, full stop. Few others can so powerfully portray the absolute madness of panic, the senselessness of a selfish fight for survival.
At Its Core, 'A Night to Remember' Is Deeply Human
None of this is meant to suggest that A Night to Remember is coldly technical in its pursuit of accuracy. It isn't detached. Though its characters are too innumerable for any to serve as its main focus, the time spent with each one makes sure to see them as human beings and not just as figures in the play. There is no main character—they all are the main characters. The film is rife with calm, tender moments in which they live peaceful moments in their lives before tragedy strikes. The humanity in them is abundantly clear. In one scene, while the band plucks away at their instruments, a man (Patrick McAlinney) catches the eye of a young woman (Christina Lubicz) and the two dance gracefully to the music. In another, a group of steerage passengers play an impromptu game of soccer with chunks of ice. A mother (Honor Blackman), a wealthy first-class passenger, tucks her children into bed.
A Night to Remember also reflects on the concept of morality and caring for others. Few if any of the men on board—regardless of their class or background—express any qualms with the women and children taking the minimal places on the lifeboats. Even if desperate, they'd rather accept their fate as a consequence of their societal obligation. Near the end, in a lifeboat, Molly Brown demands to return to collect some of the strandees. Before the ship goes under, Mrs. Clarke (Jill Dixon) vows to stay behind on the ship with her husband (Ronald Allen) until a spot in a lifeboat can be secured for both. A man (John Cairney) finds a stranded, wailing child (JohnMartin) and holds him dearly in desperate attempt to save the boy. It's all very touching, and it's a crucial counterweight to the film's heavy finale.
It all ends, of course, on a melancholic note, with at least 1,500 lives lost in the sinking. But, as the film's final moments play out, A Night to Remember remembers the passengers fondly. It recognizes the sacrifices made for those who survived. A vigil for those lost in the sinking plays out, and the survivors, fortunate as they are, look mournfully on the departed. And in the moment, after all the spectacle of the tragedy passes, the audience, too, reflects on all those lives lost when the ship went down.
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