Review of A Night to Remember (1958) by Richard L — 26 Nov 2012

'A Night to Remember' is a non-fiction re-creation of the maiden voyage and fateful sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic, and it is directed by Roy Ward Baker. It is an adaptation of Walter Lord's non-fiction novel of the same name.

This film simply tries to tell the story of the R.M.S. Titanic's sinking without trying to add heaps of more unneeded drama in a story that is already drama-filled. This is partly why I find it so admirable.

They did not feel the need to add a fictional story as the focal point of the movie. They attempt to stick to the facts as close as possible given the information at the time. Although it tries to be very accurate, there are still some inaccuracies, such as the christening at the beginning of the movie that did not happen, the real Titanic did not have a playroom/daycare for children, and the ship not breaking along an expansion joint.

Even though it is inaccurate in some places, it still comes across as the most historically accurate Titanic film. The film, itself, is held up by great performances and a great attention to detail. Honestly, I think the film is more emotionally affective than any other Titanic film due to it showing the tragic sinking as it was without being distracted by fictional characters as the main focus of the movie.

Overall, 'A Night to Remember' is probably the definitive Titanic film.