One of the most fateful and foreboding stories ever committed to film, this version is by far the best cinematic treatment of the epic ocean disaster of 1912. A fictional but plausible story of the breakup of a marriage and the effects on a wealthy family overlay the real-life cataclysmic end to the unsinkable boat, the largest moving object ever built at the time. This blatant irony is unnerving.
The fictional story is well written with good plot flow and transitions. Characters are well defined and interesting. What I like here is the contrast between the personal pettiness of Julia (Barbara Stanwyck) and Richard (Clifton Webb), against the ominous and overarching doom toward which they are unknowingly moving.
Similarly, Captain Smith (Brian Aherne) goes about his ship duties in a most nonchalant manner, just one more voyage among countless others. Arguably, the ship itself is the main character, majestic, stately, grand, and luxurious, matching its first-class passengers, the focus of this story.
The script is terrific but the production may be even better. Production design and costumes are detailed and seem authentic for that era. Photographic effects of the ship sinking, combined with that mournful wailing sound, magnify the drama. Absence of score enhances realism, and songs are appropriately melancholy. Casting and acting range from acceptable to great; Thelma Ritter gives an unusually good performance.
Some Titanic films convey a semi-documentary look and feel; characters in these films are mere props, lacking humanity. By contrast, "Titanic" (1953) has heart and soul. After all, the epic event was first and foremost a story about people, individuals with personal problems and dreams for the future. That's what makes this film so emotionally rich.
With its poetic script and terrific execution, "Titanic" (1953) gives us a timeless story of ominous fate, a poignant humanistic story of misplaced trust in technology, and the dramatic contrast between short-term pettiness and misfortune so dire as to overwhelm those affected for the rest of their lives.
The fictional story is well written with good plot flow and transitions. Characters are well defined and interesting. What I like here is the contrast between the personal pettiness of Julia (Barbara Stanwyck) and Richard (Clifton Webb), against the ominous and overarching doom toward which they are unknowingly moving.
Similarly, Captain Smith (Brian Aherne) goes about his ship duties in a most nonchalant manner, just one more voyage among countless others. Arguably, the ship itself is the main character, majestic, stately, grand, and luxurious, matching its first-class passengers, the focus of this story.
The script is terrific but the production may be even better. Production design and costumes are detailed and seem authentic for that era. Photographic effects of the ship sinking, combined with that mournful wailing sound, magnify the drama. Absence of score enhances realism, and songs are appropriately melancholy. Casting and acting range from acceptable to great; Thelma Ritter gives an unusually good performance.
Some Titanic films convey a semi-documentary look and feel; characters in these films are mere props, lacking humanity. By contrast, "Titanic" (1953) has heart and soul. After all, the epic event was first and foremost a story about people, individuals with personal problems and dreams for the future. That's what makes this film so emotionally rich.
With its poetic script and terrific execution, "Titanic" (1953) gives us a timeless story of ominous fate, a poignant humanistic story of misplaced trust in technology, and the dramatic contrast between short-term pettiness and misfortune so dire as to overwhelm those affected for the rest of their lives.