TITANIC (1953)

(April 1953, U.S.)

Do the research and you'll find there are a lot more films and documentaries (both theatrical and television) about the sinking of the RMS Titanic than you might imagine, including the very first ten minute silent film called SAVED FROM THE TITANIC, released only twenty-nine days after the actual sinking in 1912, and a 1943 German Nazi propaganda film bearing the same name as this. Of course, my generation as well others before will likely most equate the legendary tale with James Cameron's 1997 Oscar-winning epic. As time went on, and each film became just a little more sophisticated in its filming and its special effects, movie audiences got more of a sense, or at least imagined they did, of what occurred on that fateful night of April 15, 1912.

By the 1950s, an American drama like TITANIC would not only rely heavily on whatever special effects could be achieved by then, but also on its star power. Stars like Barbara Stanwyck, Clifton Webb, Thelma Ritter and Robert Wagner were likely as important to a box office draw, as well as the powerful events of history unfolding on the big screen. As an estranged married couple sailing on the ill-fated maiden voyage of the great ocean liner, Webb and Stanwyck have great chemistry together, if for nothing else, in their ability to display great bitterness and animosity toward each other. At the last minute, Richard Sturges (Webb), a wealthy European socialite, manages to buy a steerage-class ticket in order to seek out his runaway wife Julia (Stanwyck) and their two children. He learns that she intends to take their children back to her home state of Michigan, where they'll be brought up as down-to-earth Americans rather than spoiled socialites, like their father. Learning of her mother's intentions, the oldest daughter Annette (played by Audrey Dalton), she insists she'll return to Europe with her father to continue the life she's been brought up on. Julia concedes that she's old enough to make her own decisions, but insists on keeping custody of their son Norman. Richard, unwilling to accept this, learns the shocking truth that Norman is not his child, but rather the result of a one-night stand after one of their many bitter arguments. Upon hearing that, he agrees to give up all claim and emotional ties to Norman.

Meanwhile, as many of us already know from countless other film versions (including Cameron's), the Titanic is picking up speed as she sails closer to iceberg territory. Believing clear skies and calm seas will be their ally, they cannot foresee their dangerous fate ahead. At the moment of impact, the ship is gashed below the waterline and immediately begins taking on water. Remembering that this is a civilized film from the 1950s, there is order and reason aboard between all men, women and children, unlike the chaos we've witnessed before (again, think Cameron). Lifeboats are filled in an orderly fashion and are detached from the ship without incident. Tears are shed, lovers part, and lives are lost with great honor. The most surprising, and I suppose heartfelt, piece of drama is when Richard and Julia, at their moment of facing pending doom, experience a tearful reconciliation on the boat deck, re-declaring their original love for each other. There's great sadness in watching Stanwyck realizing that despite years of hate between them, their true love shines through at the moment when it really matters.

The sinking of Titanic is hardly that of epic proportions. Remember, this is prior to the actual discovery of the sunken vessel by the American and French expedition in 1985, so it was still presumed that the ship went down in one piece. In her final moments, Richard discovers that he truly loves Norman, regardless of biological issues, and declares the great pride he feels toward him now, and always. The two of them join the rest of the doomed passengers and the crew in singing the Welsh hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee". As the last of the ship's boilers explodes, Titanic's bow plunges, pivoting her stern high into the air while the ship rapidly slides into the icy water (again, the way it was presumed to have sunk in real life). As dawn approaches, the remaining survivors wait in their lifeboats for the inevitable rescue from the RMS Carpathia to arrive.

Like Shakespeare's HAMLET or even Bram Stoker's DRACULA, time and history inevitable gets you caught up in countless versions of the same story to the point where you're not sure just how to interpret each and every one of them. One has to wonder what would make a person choose one version of TITANIC over another as compared to say, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (1958) or even a 1979 ABC-TV movie entitled S.O.S. TITANIC. Movie stars surely count for something, and a woman like Barbara Stanwyck shines as not only one trying to break free of a bad situation, but also embracing her own emotions at the point of disaster. Clifton Webb is a perfect English gentleman who knows how to behave not only in life, but also at the point of death, too. Like many tales of the great ship, one must contend with at least an hour or so of prerequisite drama and personal stories of those on board before disaster finally strikes. From then on, its a matter of filming, photography and special effects that will determine just how much the disaster takes a firm grip on our imagination and emotions. Historically, we can never truly count on everything being completely accurate. Certain events and specific passengers (including the names Astor, Guggenheim, and Margaret Brown) have become known as fact, as well as the heroics of Captain Edward Smith and the ship's orchestra continuing to play on the deck during the sinking. Whatever remains as historical nonsense, we must still continue to interpret TITANIC on film as a functional and entertaining story of human drama and survival during what has come to be one of the most historical events of the 20th century.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Richard Sturges: "We have no time to catalog our regrets. All we can do is pretend twenty years years didn't happen. It's June again. You were walking under some Elm trees in a white muslin dress, the loveliest creature I ever laid eyes on. That summer, when I asked you to marry me, I pledged my eternal devotion. I would take it as a very great favor Julia, if you would accept a restatement of that pledge."

Oh, man, that gets me every time!