A Night to Remember

Introduction

Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared my thoughts about the film Victor/Victoria. This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film A Night to Remember.

On March 30, the TCM TV channel played A Night to Remember during the day as part of their Tcm Weekend Movies lineup.

Enjoy!

A Night to Remember

A Night to Remember is a 1958 British historical disaster film, directed by Roy Ward Baker. It's screenplay by Eric Ambler was based on the 1955 book by Walter Lord, depicting the sinking of the RMS Titanic on 15th of April, 1912, after it struck an iceberg. The film recounts the events of that night in a documentary-style fashion in considerable detail. It stars Kenneth More as the ship's Second Officer Charles Lightoller and features Michael Goodliffe, Laurence Naismith, Kenneth Griffith, David McCallum and Tucker McGuire.

A Night to Remember was filmed at Pinewood Studios from October 1957 to March 1958. The production team, supervised by producer William MacQuitty, used blueprints of the ship to create authentic sets, while Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall and ex-Cunard Commodore Harry Gratidge worked as technical advisors on the film. Its estimated budget of up to ₤600,000 made it the most expensive film ever made in Britain up to that time. The film's score was written by William Alwyn.

Released on July 4, 1958, A Night to Remember disappointed at the box office. However, it received widespread critical acclaim, with praise going to its sets, soundtrack, cinematography, historical accuracy and the performances; it won the 1959 "Samuel Goldwyn International Award" at the Golden Globe Awards. Among the many films about the Titanic, A Night to Remember is regarded highly by Titanic historians and survivors for its accuracy, despite its modest production values, compared with the 1997 film Titanic.

Plot: The sinking of the Titanic is presented in a highly realistic fashion in this tense British drama. The disaster is portrayed largely from the perspective of the ocean liner's second officer, Charles Lightoller (Kenneth More). Despite numerous warnings about the ice, the ship sails on, with Capt. Edward John Smith (Laurence Naismith) keeping it going at a steady clip. When the doomed vessel finally hits an iceberg, the crew and passengers discover that they lack enough lifeboats, and tragedy follows.

Acting: A Night to Remember is a little different in the acting aspect than other movies I've written about for my column. Unlike other movies, A Night to Remember doesn't focus on one character or a specific group of characters. In other words, there aren't any stars, at least I don't think so. I suppose in a sense the ship itself is the main character, the star.

Some of the main actors were: Kenneth More played Second Officer Charles Lightoller. I would say he had the most screen time of any of the actors. Michael Goodliffe played shipbuilder Thomas Andrews. Laurence Naismith played Captain Edward Smith. Kenneth Griffith played Wireless Operator Jack Phillips. David McCallum (Ducky from NCIS!) played Assistant Wireless Operator Harold Bride. Tucker McGuire played Mrs. Margaret "Molly" Brown.

Technical Aspects: The film is based on Walter Lord's book A Night to Remember (1955). In Ray Johnson's documentary The Making of 'A Night to Remember' (1993), Lord says that when he wrote his book, there was no mass interest in the Titanic, and he was the first writer in four decades to attempt a grand-scale history of the disaster, synthesizing written sources and survivors' first-hand accounts. Lord dated the genesis of his interest in the subject to childhood. So did producer MacQuitty, who had vivid memories of, as a boy of six, watching the launch of the Titanic at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast on May 31, 1911, and seeing it depart on its maiden voyage the following April.

I watched The Making Of: A Night to Remember too. From that night, it was obvious how important accuracy was the filmmakers, particularly the producer. They spoke to survivors of the Titanic o get the real stories and facts. Everything from the paintings hanging in the background to the costumes the actors wore were completed with the most accuracy possible. I applaud the filmmakers for that.

Final Thoughts: I never knew how many Titanic movies there were. A heck of a lot! I may never get them all watched. I'm sure there aren't a lot of people who haven't seen the 1997 Titanic movie; at the same time, I'm sure they haven't seen A Night to Remember. If you could only ever see one of the movies about the Titanic, I would seriously recommend watching A Night to Remember. It's very powerful and emotional. Knowing that it's highly praised for its accuracy is another highlight.

Where to watch it: According to Google, A Night to Remember is available to watch on the streaming services: Tubi, Pluto TV, Sling TV, The Roku Channel, PLEX, Hulu, and YouTube TV. Or you can purchase of rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.

That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!