Classic Movie Monday: A Night to Remember

Welcome to Classic Movie Monday. Every Monday, I watch a film at least 25 years old that I have never seen before. I will then write my comments on the film, telling you what I thought of it. This is an attempt to beef up my classic film knowledge as well as highlight some forgotten gems of Hollywood's heyday. So without further ado...

A Night to Remember
Released: July 1, 1958
Directed by: Roy Ward Baker
Starring: Kenneth More, Ronald Allen, & Robert Ayres

Plot in a Nutshell:
The Titanic was considered unsinkable, until she sank. This is the story of that horrific night when she went down.

What I thought:
You can't make a bad film about the Titanic. Her sinking is filled with so many remarkable stories. These are the things that are ingrained into the Titanic legacy. An unsinkable ship, not enough boats, steerage being locked up, how the band played on, etc. There are so many heart-wrenching moments to be told, that I think it is not possible to tell this story without jerking at your heart strings. That said, give me a little more than this.

This book adaptation is a fantastic telling of Titanic's sinking. It is obvious that a great amount of attention was given to make this film authentic. Hell, there were still living survivors with plenty of stories to tell when the film was made. This film is stuffed to the brim with stories, moments, and anecdotes. But I began to want a center, a focus point. At times it felt all over the place with no core to the story other than the feeling of "this actually happened." I feel very similar to this film as I did with the Longest Day. After watching that film, I felt that while it had been made with a great attention to detail and the facts, it never felt as though there were a through line. Things just happened. Events took place, but weren't set up. Characters introduced, then forgotten.

A Night to Remember has all the moments of the Titanic story, but it doesn't really explore the whys. It documents, rather vividly, the last few hours of the fated voyage. It isn't bad that it chooses to only focus on the sinking, I just felt like there was more to be said. When the lifeboats were rescued, I wanted to know about the survivors, the backlash, the crew of the Californian. What about these people? Filling a film with 40 or so supporting speaking roles, and no real lead performer, doesn't make for a very grounded story.

I enjoyed this film. It is chock full of details on the sinking, and me being a huge history buff, I ate it all up. I love the little moments; White star employees yelling at steerage for damaging a gate; Molly Brown demanding to return to help those in the water; Mr. Andrews going over minute details while the ship lists precariously. The stories here are legendary. But that's all there is here. I want more than a simple retelling of a story. It is a very powerful and emotional story to tell, but give us a little bit more to grab onto. Craft characters with intros, conflict, and resolution, don't just show a true life instance just for accuracy's sake. Set things up properly, and I guarantee they will pay off more effectively in the end. Regardless, A Night to Remember is still a great film that manages to adequately tell what happened. But why?

Bottom Line:
The gripping story of Titanic's last hours are told vividly and with great attention to detail, if not a little too respectful and dry.

B+

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