List Price: $14.98Price: $0.48 You Save: $14.50 (97%)as of 03/21/2010 12:05 EDT
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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9781574920796
Format: Black & White, NTSC
ISBN: 1574920790
Label: Hallmark
Languages: EnglishOriginal LanguageGermanOriginal LanguageItalianOriginal Language
Manufacturer: Hallmark
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Hallmark
Release Date: October 10, 1995
Running Time: 123 minutes
Studio: Hallmark
Theatrical Release Date: December 16, 1958
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
Two years after 20th Century Fox released its melodramatic disaster film Titanic in 1953, Walter Lord's meticulously researched book A Night to Remember surprised its publishers by becoming a phenomenal bestseller. Lord had an intuition that readers craved the reality of the Titanic disaster and not the romantically mythologized translations (like Fox's film, starring Barbara Stanwyck), which relied on fictional characters to "enhance" the world's worst maritime disaster. Lord's book proved that the truth was far more compelling than fiction, outlining the many "if onlys" (if only the iceberg had been spotted a few minutes earlier, etc.) that lent somber irony to the loss of 1,500 Titanic passengers. Three years after Lord's book appeared, it was brought to the screen with the kind of riveting authenticity that Lord had insisted upon in his own research. The 1958 British production of A Night to Remember remains a definitive dramatization of the disaster, adhering to the known facts of the time and achieving a documentary-like immediacy that matches (and in some ways surpasses) the James Cameron epic released 39 years later. The film erroneously perpetuates the once-common belief that the Titanic sunk in one piece (instead of breaking in half as its bow began to plunge), but many other misconceptions are accurately corrected, and the intelligent screenplay by thriller master Eric Ambler is a model of factual suspense. By making Titanic the star of the film, director Roy Baker emphasizes the excessive confidence of the booming industrial age and creates an intense you-are-there realism that pays tribute to Walter Lord's tenacious quest for truth. Matching its laserdisc edition, the Criterion Collection's DVD of A Night to Remember includes feature-length audio commentary by expert Titanic historians Don Lynch and Ken Marschall (authors of Titanic: An Illustrated History and advisors on James Cameron's Titanic); an hour-long British TV documentary about the making of the film; and both the U.S. and British theatrical trailers. A must-have for Titanic buffs, A Night to Remember has stood the test of time, compares favorably to Cameron's later epic, and is superbly presented on Criterion's splendid DVD. --Jeff Shannon
Average Rating: 
Rating: -
For advertising employee/writer Walter Lord, he has always been fascinated with the RMS Titanic since he was a young child. In 1955, Lord wrote a non-fiction book on the RMS Titanic, the largest ship at its time which hit an iceberg in 1912 and sank. Of the 2,200+ survivors, over 700 were saved and Lord was able to interview dozens of survivors for his book and the details that took place of what happened during the night of April 14, 1912.
From the time Lord wrote his book, nothing has been written about the Titanic since 1913. In 1953, there was a melodrama from Twentieth Century Fox titled "Titanic" but Lord, who has always been fascinated by the stories of what happened during the night of April 1912, wanted to prioritize his story of the Titanic on historical documents and first-hand accounts of survivors. A minute-by-minute record of what happened and not make a drama.
Not long after the book was published, the book received its adaptation and filming began in the United Kingdom with Roy Ward Baker ("Asylum", "The Monster Club") taking on the directorial role and a screenplay written by Eric Ambler ("The Cruel Sea", "The Purple Plain") and produced by William MacQuitty ("Street Corner", "The Happy Family", "The Informers").
The film crew was very concerned with authenticity that they used the actual blueprints of the Titanic to recreate the sets and survivors such as the Titanic's fourth officer Joseph Boxhal and ex-cunard Commodore Harry Grattidge worked as technical advisors. The film premiered in the UK and the US in 1958 and won a Golden Globe Award for "Best Foreign Film" and received mostly all positive reviews from critics.
"A Night to Remember" is a film that doesn't focus on any primary characters but focuses on what took place on the fateful night the Titanic sunk and over 1,500 died. The film highlights how people felt they were not in any harm because the Titanic was thought of as unsinkable.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"A Night to Remember" is featured in Black and White. For the most part, the 1958 film actually looks very good for the majority of the scenes. Some close-up scenes show its age and show the most dust and scratches. According to The Criterion Collection, "A Night to Remember" is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1:66:1. The digital transfer was created from a 35mm composite fine grain master. Granted restoration was done back in 1998, so as we have seen with what the Criterion was able to accomplish with their 1998 "Seven Samurai" release and their 2006 re-release, if Criterion chooses to re-release it, I have no doubt that we would see much more detail and a more pristine film.
But for the most part, the film does look good for being a film over 50-years-old. After being spoiled with James Cameron's 1997 "Titanic" film, I was a bit skeptical to see how the special effects of the recreation of the Titanic would look but to my surprise, the chaotic view of the boats moving away from the Titanic was actually well-created. Of course, the destruction and breaking at the center did not happen in this film (if I recall, more was learned of the Titanic and how it sunk was learned once the wreckage was discovered in the mid-80's) but there is a fair amount of destruction featured in "A Night to Remember".
The audio is featured in Dolby Digital, Monaraul. The film is center channel driven but for those with modern home theater receivers that can send sound to all channels, will probably prefer that audio setting (which I did).
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"A Night to Remember" contains the following special features:
* Audio Commentary - Featuring audio commentary recorded in 1995 featuring Don Lynch (author) and Ken Marschall (illustrator) of "Titanic-An Ilustrated History". The duo talks about differences that were learned from recent discoveries of the Titanic, class distinction on the ship, the Californian controversy, how big a gash was on the site of the Titanic, the decision making of the crew, was their a mass panic?, the survivors that Lynch spoke to and more. A very enjoyable and informative audio commentary for those interested in the Titanic.
* The Making of "A Night to Remember" - (57:49) The making of "A Night to Remember" with interviews with original author Walter Lord, producer Walter McQuitty about his experiences when he saw the Titanic being built to making the film, the challenges they faced during filming and the success the film received in the UK and the US.
* Theatrical Trailer - (3:18) The original theatrical trailer.
* 4-page Insert - (1:42) The insert features a three-page writeup by Michael Sragow (reviewer for SF Weekly and formerly of the New Yorker) about "A Night to Remember" and the crew behind the film.
JUDGMENT CALL:
I have been wanting ... Read More
Rating: -
Most everyone is familiar with the story of the Titanic but if you've only seen the recent film versions, you may not know the real story. This is, arguably, the most accurate version of what happened that fateful night on April 15, 1912 to a ship that was 'unsinkable'. The film has the feel of a docudrama with no villains or fictional romances. The story of what actually happened is more than interesting. There are archival clips from the actual launching of the Titanic mixed in. In addition to the obvious arrogance of people thinking they had built an unsinkable ship, there was the arrogance of 'class' in society. The difference between those traveling first class and those in 'steerage' is shocking and , in the end, heart breaking, seeing the lower class passengers trying to escape the sinking ship. There are no CGI's but it was state of the art for that time and probably more realistic than CGI's. The extras on this Criterion version are excellent and very helpful in understanding the culture and setting for this tragic event. For example, there are two memorials side by side in the home of the Titanic, one for Titanic victims and one for war casualties. The names of the shipwreck victims are in order of importance and the soldiers are listed alphabetically. As tragic as the event was, caused by human error and poor decisions, there are true heroes and many more lives would have been lost if not for them. It was A Night To Remember. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 12/12/09.
Rating:  -
This is the best movie about the Titanic disaster, followed by the 1953 version. I consider James Cameron's version the least interesting of all, not even as entertaining as the made-for-TV version with George C. Scott and Eva Marie Saint. A Night to Remember DVD appears to be a 1.66:1 widescreen with fine picture and sound; however, it is not enhanced for 16:9 TVs.
Rating: -
As stated in the other reviews posted here, this is the definitive movie of this disaster. All the aspects of the tragedy are realised through searing black and white photography, which adds an air of authenticity. The whole movie is conveyed with an understated grace. Huge credit to Producer Walter Macquitty and Director Ray Ward Baker - an unsung talent. It is maybe this juxtaposition of the banality of much of it all - the upper class routines, the almost unimaginable scope of riches aboard - and the almost matter of fact way in which the incredible events unfold that makes this film all the more dramatic and ultimately emotionally overwhelming. You don't feel like you are watching a movie, but rather that you are there. Few movies create such a well realized world or group of characters within it. And then it is all torn up and scattered to the four winds. An excellent movie.
Rating: -
I have seen many "Titanic" films and have enjoyed each of them for what they are and bring to the screen. I even owned this film on VHS prior to purchasing the DVD version, but purchased it again on DVD due to VHS becoming obsolete and because I like this version of the Titanic so much for its factual interpretation of that fateful night the Titanic sank. Having said that...If you want action and drama, you have Cameron's 1997 Titanic release which is great in itself, but if you want the straight facts of what occured on the night of April 14,1912 and the morning of April 15,1912, this is a version not to be missed and in my opinion has amazing effects along with the facts that many Titanic films fail to deliver. This continues to be extraordinary to me considereing the year this film was released back in 1958, and no matter how many times I watch "A Night to Remember," I still get the chills when I try to imagine what it must of been like to be aboard the Titanic that frigid night...mind you these are the same chills I get when I watch Cameron's 1997 version of the Titanic, but without the modern day movie special effects. What a great accomplishment this still continues to deliver even with all the other Titanic films in existance I must state yet again!!!
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