A Night to Remember - Criterion Collection
by Roy Ward Baker
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DVD details
Actor: Kenneth More, Laurence Naismith, Ray Johnson, Walter Lord, William MacQuittyDirector: Roy Ward Baker
Brand: Image Entertainment
Producer: Ray Johnson
Writer: Walter Lord
Producer: William MacQuitty
Cinematographer: Geoffrey Unsworth
Cinematographer: Rod Pratt
Producer: Earl St. John
Writer: Eric Ambler
DVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Letterboxed, NTSC
Picture Format: Letterbox, 1.66:1
Running Time: 123 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-05-13
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
DVD Reviews of A Night to Remember - Criterion Collection
DVD Review: An older Criterion Collection DVD release but "A Night To Remember" is a wonderful release worth owning!
Summary: 5 Stars
For advertising employee/writer Walter Lord, he has always been fascinated with the RMS Titanic since he was a young child. In 1955, Lord wrote a non-fiction book on the RMS Titanic, the largest ship at its time which hit an iceberg in 1912 and sank. Of the 2,200+ survivors, over 700 were saved and Lord was able to interview dozens of survivors for his book and the details that took place of what happened during the night of April 14, 1912.
From the time Lord wrote his book, nothing has been written about the Titanic since 1913. In 1953, there was a melodrama from Twentieth Century Fox titled "Titanic" but Lord, who has always been fascinated by the stories of what happened during the night of April 1912, wanted to prioritize his story of the Titanic on historical documents and first-hand accounts of survivors. A minute-by-minute record of what happened and not make a drama.
Not long after the book was published, the book received its adaptation and filming began in the United Kingdom with Roy Ward Baker ("Asylum", "The Monster Club") taking on the directorial role and a screenplay written by Eric Ambler ("The Cruel Sea", "The Purple Plain") and produced by William MacQuitty ("Street Corner", "The Happy Family", "The Informers").
The film crew was very concerned with authenticity that they used the actual blueprints of the Titanic to recreate the sets and survivors such as the Titanic's fourth officer Joseph Boxhal and ex-cunard Commodore Harry Grattidge worked as technical advisors. The film premiered in the UK and the US in 1958 and won a Golden Globe Award for "Best Foreign Film" and received mostly all positive reviews from critics.
"A Night to Remember" is a film that doesn't focus on any primary characters but focuses on what took place on the fateful night the Titanic sunk and over 1,500 died. The film highlights how people felt they were not in any harm because the Titanic was thought of as unsinkable.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"A Night to Remember" is featured in Black and White. For the most part, the 1958 film actually looks very good for the majority of the scenes. Some close-up scenes show its age and show the most dust and scratches. According to The Criterion Collection, "A Night to Remember" is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1:66:1. The digital transfer was created from a 35mm composite fine grain master. Granted restoration was done back in 1998, so as we have seen with what the Criterion was able to accomplish with their 1998 "Seven Samurai" release and their 2006 re-release, if Criterion chooses to re-release it, I have no doubt that we would see much more detail and a more pristine film.
But for the most part, the film does look good for being a film over 50-years-old. After being spoiled with James Cameron's 1997 "Titanic" film, I was a bit skeptical to see how the special effects of the recreation of the Titanic would look but to my surprise, the chaotic view of the boats moving away from the Titanic was actually well-created. Of course, the destruction and breaking at the center did not happen in this film (if I recall, more was learned of the Titanic and how it sunk was learned once the wreckage was discovered in the mid-80's) but there is a fair amount of destruction featured in "A Night to Remember".
The audio is featured in Dolby Digital, Monaraul. The film is center channel driven but for those with modern home theater receivers that can send sound to all channels, will probably prefer that audio setting (which I did).
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"A Night to Remember" contains the following special features:
* Audio Commentary - Featuring audio commentary recorded in 1995 featuring Don Lynch (author) and Ken Marschall (illustrator) of "Titanic-An Ilustrated History". The duo talks about differences that were learned from recent discoveries of the Titanic, class distinction on the ship, the Californian controversy, how big a gash was on the site of the Titanic, the decision making of the crew, was their a mass panic?, the survivors that Lynch spoke to and more. A very enjoyable and informative audio commentary for those interested in the Titanic.
* The Making of "A Night to Remember" - (57:49) The making of "A Night to Remember" with interviews with original author Walter Lord, producer Walter McQuitty about his experiences when he saw the Titanic being built to making the film, the challenges they faced during filming and the success the film received in the UK and the US.
* Theatrical Trailer - (3:18) The original theatrical trailer.
* 4-page Insert - (1:42) The insert features a three-page writeup by Michael Sragow (reviewer for SF Weekly and formerly of the New Yorker) about "A Night to Remember" and the crew behind the film.
JUDGMENT CALL:
I have been wanting to watch this film for so many years and I know that for most people, they tend to compare the 1958 film "A Night to Remember" and the 1997 film "Titanic" and which film was better. Personally, I loved the "Titanic" when it was first released in theaters and watched it multiple times.
But of course, the two films are different. With James Cameron having modern technology at the time, 3 hours, an incredible amount of money to make the film and most of all, focusing on the characters and a dramatic film that would become one the highest earning films of all time. But with that being said, "A Night to Remember" was an incredible film when it was released. A film that would incorporate actual footage of the Titanic from 1912 to detailed information from the survivors, nothing like it had been done ever before. In fact, Before Walter Lord wrote his book, there was nothing written about the Titanic in over 40-years since 1912.
There was a melodrama film titled "Titanic" in 1953 but Lord captured in his book a minute-by-minute detail courtesy of the survivors he spoke to and the documents he was able to obtain. "A Night to Remember" used the actual blueprints of the Titanic as well. The film was not much about the characters but the ship and the people who were on the Titanic, the Carpathia and the Californian. A film that would pay respects to those who perished but also to acknowledge the positive that came out, in terms of rules and regulations and acknowledging that there was quite amount of human error that led to the Titanic's sinking. Warnings of icebergs that were not followed up on, a ship nearby who saw the emergency rockets but didn't take action until hours after the ship had sunk and a ship four hours away that came, although the damage was done and there were an incredible number of people who lost their lives.
It's obvious that James Cameron was inspired by "A Night to Remember" as certain scenes did make it to his film. But for the most part, the two films are quite different from one another. Again, "Titanic" focused more on the dramatic aspect and then using modern special effects of the sinking/breaking of the Titanic while "A Night to Remember" focused on the Titanic and its crew and people who were trying to survive, escape or just accepted their fate as well as the crew of the Carpathia and Californian. Special effects were solid for a film at that time and acting was very well done. "A Night to Remember" was a very good film and I was very impressed!
As mentioned in the video and audio portion, this is an older DVD release from 1998 and The Criterion Collection restoration and remastering has evolved greatly since then. With a few of their single digit titles earning a re-release (such as "The Lady Vanishing", "Amarcord" and "The Seven Samurai"), its unfortunate that "A Night to Remember" has not be re-released yet, especially with a good number of documentaries on the Titanic that have since aired after this film's release on DVD. But the DVD release does have a pretty awesome commentary track and an informative featurette included in this early Criterion Collection release. If you can find this DVD for a great deal, I definitely recommend checking it out!
DVD Review: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Most everyone is familiar with the story of the Titanic but if you've only seen the recent film versions, you may not know the real story. This is, arguably, the most accurate version of what happened that fateful night on April 15, 1912 to a ship that was 'unsinkable'. The film has the feel of a docudrama with no villains or fictional romances. The story of what actually happened is more than interesting. There are archival clips from the actual launching of the Titanic mixed in. In addition to the obvious arrogance of people thinking they had built an unsinkable ship, there was the arrogance of 'class' in society. The difference between those traveling first class and those in 'steerage' is shocking and , in the end, heart breaking, seeing the lower class passengers trying to escape the sinking ship. There are no CGI's but it was state of the art for that time and probably more realistic than CGI's. The extras on this Criterion version are excellent and very helpful in understanding the culture and setting for this tragic event. For example, there are two memorials side by side in the home of the Titanic, one for Titanic victims and one for war casualties. The names of the shipwreck victims are in order of importance and the soldiers are listed alphabetically. As tragic as the event was, caused by human error and poor decisions, there are true heroes and many more lives would have been lost if not for them. It was A Night To Remember. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 12/12/09.
DVD Review: A Night to Remember DVD Review
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the best movie about the Titanic disaster, followed by the 1953 version. I consider James Cameron's version the least interesting of all, not even as entertaining as the made-for-TV version with George C. Scott and Eva Marie Saint. A Night to Remember DVD appears to be a 1.66:1 widescreen with fine picture and sound; however, it is not enhanced for 16:9 TVs.DVD Review: A Night To Remeber - a film to be seen
Summary: 5 Stars
As stated in the other reviews posted here, this is the definitive movie of this disaster. All the aspects of the tragedy are realised through searing black and white photography, which adds an air of authenticity. The whole movie is conveyed with an understated grace. Huge credit to Producer Walter Macquitty and Director Ray Ward Baker - an unsung talent. It is maybe this juxtaposition of the banality of much of it all - the upper class routines, the almost unimaginable scope of riches aboard - and the almost matter of fact way in which the incredible events unfold that makes this film all the more dramatic and ultimately emotionally overwhelming. You don't feel like you are watching a movie, but rather that you are there. Few movies create such a well realized world or group of characters within it. And then it is all torn up and scattered to the four winds. An excellent movie.
DVD Review: A Night to Remember...exceptional film!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have seen many "Titanic" films and have enjoyed each of them for what they are and bring to the screen. I even owned this film on VHS prior to purchasing the DVD version, but purchased it again on DVD due to VHS becoming obsolete and because I like this version of the Titanic so much for its factual interpretation of that fateful night the Titanic sank. Having said that...If you want action and drama, you have Cameron's 1997 Titanic release which is great in itself, but if you want the straight facts of what occured on the night of April 14,1912 and the morning of April 15,1912, this is a version not to be missed and in my opinion has amazing effects along with the facts that many Titanic films fail to deliver. This continues to be extraordinary to me considereing the year this film was released back in 1958, and no matter how many times I watch "A Night to Remember," I still get the chills when I try to imagine what it must of been like to be aboard the Titanic that frigid night...mind you these are the same chills I get when I watch Cameron's 1997 version of the Titanic, but without the modern day movie special effects. What a great accomplishment this still continues to deliver even with all the other Titanic films in existance I must state yet again!!!
Description of A Night to Remember - Criterion Collection
On april 14 1912 just before midnight the unsinkable titanic struck an iceberg. In less than three hours it had plunged to the bottom of the sea taking with it more than half of its passengers. This depicts the ships final hours in an unforgettable rendering of walter lords book. Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 07/07/1998 Run time: 123 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Roy BakerTwo years after Twentieth Century Fox released its melodramatic disaster film Titanic in 1953, Walter Lord's meticulously researched book A Night to Remember surprised its publishers by becoming a phenomenal bestseller. Lord had an intuition that readers craved the reality of the Titanic disaster, and not the romantically mythologized translations that relied on fictional characters to enhance the world's worst maritime disaster. Lord's book proved that truth is far more compelling than fiction. Three years after it appeared, the book was brought to the screen with the kind of riveting authenticity he had insisted upon in his own research. The 1958 British production of A Night to Remember remains a definitive dramatization of the disaster, adhering to the known facts of the time and achieving a documentary-like immediacy that matches (and in some ways surpasses) the James Cameron epic released 39 years later. The film erroneously perpetuates the once-common belief that Titanic sunk in one piece (instead of breaking in half as its bow began to plunge), but many other misconceptions are accurately corrected, and the intelligent screenplay by thrill-master Eric Ambler is a model of factual suspense. By making Titanic the star of the film, director Roy Baker emphasizes the excessive confidence of the booming industrial age and creates an intense realism that pays tribute to Walter Lord's tenacious quest for truth. --Jeff Shannon
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