A Night to Remember Review- By Michael Carlisle

 Title: A Night To Remember
Year: 1958
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Country: UK
Language: English

As a child I went to James Cameron's Titanic in theaters in 1997 with my parents and was quite mesmerized by the visual effects during the second half of the film. It would be more than a decade later when I would watch Roy Ward Baker's A Night To Remember on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) . Both tell the story of the Titanic tragedy, but both tell it in very unique ways. A year ago I watched both films back to back and have come to the conclusion of which is the better film.

A Night to Remember is about a glorious ship called the Titanic, thought of as the greatest ship ever made. Made in Belfast, the ship travels to England before its maiden voyage, which it makes loaded with over 2,100 people ranging from the richest gentlemen in first class down to those in stowage seeking a new life in America. Unfortunately a series of human errors results in the Titanic hitting an iceberg and having this "unsinkable" ship meet its ultimate demise.

In this film version of the Titanic's demise, there is no cute love story. The focus is not necessarily on one or two people, but on the lives of everyone on the Titanic. It lets the real facts and horrors of this event take hold and grip our emotions. We hear the screams of thousands, and we watch as most of them perish. It is haunting and works better on an emotional scale than Cameron's film could ever dream of. Admittedly the effects aren't as good, but they don't need to be. This is a film about emotion, about life and about death, not about simple aesthetics.

A great theme in A Night to Remember that isn't present in Cameron's Titanic is the tragedy of surviving. There is great guilt shown by the men who were able to climb onto a life boat when so many people couldn't. There is great guilt shown by the survivors who have to hear the screams of the dying, who have to watch the giant ship sink into the sea. It shows us that even surviving a traumatic experience is a traumatic experience itself. The film doesn't show people in black and white, good or evil terms. Rather everybody is human, even the rich folks aren't snobby when tragedy strikes, a lot of them wish to help as much as they can. Some don't, but the reason they give is understandable.

In conclusion, A Night to Remember is obviously the better film regarding the sinking of the Titanic by far. It is rich with emotion and detail, infused with humanity. If you don't feel anything for any character, I'm afraid your heart may be made of stone. It's devoid of Hollywood garbage and pointless romance. Some argue that it's too bleak, I say it's quite truthful. Praise it! 5/5