A Night to Remember . Nashville Scene . 03-02-98

A Night to Remember

DIRECTED BY: Roy Ward Baker

REVIEWED: 03-02-98

Until last Christmas, this sterling British docudrama from 1958 was regarded as the ultimate cinematic recreation of the Titanic's ill-fated voyage. Director Roy Ward Baker wasn't blessed with Hollywood starpower, digital resources, or James Cameron's naive dynamism, but that only makes his spectacular, taut retelling even more impressive. You'll be amazed to see how many shots and details turned up 40 years later in Cameron's version. But it isn't just the movie that makes this Criterion two-disc edition so essential It's the remarkable analog commentary by Titanic historians Don Lynch and Ken Marshall, who speak authoritatively on passengers, props, and even which version of "Nearer My God to Thee" accompanied the ship to Davy Jones' locker. Best of all is a documentary on the movie's making in 1958. To see a Godzilla-sized technician fixing miniature mechanized rowboats is to marvel at the filmmakers' ingenuity with the resources at hand. Then as now, the heroic efforts onscreen inspired them offscreen as well.

--Jim Ridley

Full Length Reviews
A Night to Remember
A Night to Remember

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