Titanic (1953)

Titanic is a 1953 American drama film directed by Jean Negulesco. Its plot centers on an estranged couple sailing on the Maiden Voyage of the RMS Titanic. It was the first Titanic movie by 20^th Century Fox.

Plot[]

At the last minute, a wealthy American expatriate in Europe, Richard Sturges (Clifton Webb), buys a steerage-class ticket for the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic from a Basque immigrant. Once aboard he seeks out his runaway wife, Julia (Barbara Stanwyck). He discovers she is trying to take their two unsuspecting children, 18-year-old Annette (Audrey Dalton) and ten-year-old Norman (Harper Carter), to her hometown of Mackinac, Michigan, to raise as down-to-earth Americans rather than rootless elitists like Richard himself.

As the ship prepares for departure, her captain, E. J. Smith (Brian Aherne), receives a hint from the shipping company representative that a record-setting speedy passage would be welcomed. Other passengers include a wealthy woman of a working-class origin (based on a real-life Titanic survivor Molly Brown), Maude Young (Thelma Ritter); social-climbing Earl Meeker (Allyn Joslyn); a 20-year-old Purdue University tennis player, Gifford "Giff" Rogers (Robert Wagner); and George S. Healey (Richard Basehart), a Catholic priest who has been defrocked for alcoholism.

When Annette learns her mother's intentions, she insists on returning to Europe with her father on the next ship as soon as they reach America. Julia concedes that her daughter is old enough to make her own decisions, but she insists on keeping custody of Norman. This angers Richard, forcing Julia to reveal that Norman is not his child, but rather the result of a one-night stand after one of their many bitter arguments. Upon hearing that, he agrees to give up all claim to Norman. Richard joins Maude, Earl, and George Widener in the lounge to play bridge with them. The next morning, when Norman reminds Richard about a shuffleboard game they had scheduled, Richard coldly brushes him off.

Meanwhile Giff falls for Annette at first glance. At first she repulses his brash attempts to become better acquainted, but eventually she warms to him. That night, Giff, Annette and a group of young people sing and play the piano in the dining room, while Captain Smith watches from a corner table.

Second Officer Lightoller (uncredited Edmund Purdom) expresses his concern to Captain Smith about the ship's speed when they receive two messages from other ships warning of iceberg sightings near their route. Smith, however, assures him that there is no danger.

That night, however, a lookout spots an iceberg dead ahead. Although the crew tries to steer clear of danger, the ship is gashed below the waterline and begins taking on water. When Richard finds the captain, he insists on being told the truth: the ship is doomed. He tells his family to dress warmly but properly; then they head outside.

Richard and Julia have a tearful reconciliation on the Boat Deck, as he places Julia and the children into a lifeboat. Unnoticed by Julia, Norman gives up his seat to an older woman and goes looking for his nominal father. When one of the lines becomes tangled, preventing the lifeboat from being lowered, Giff climbs down and fixes the problem, only to lose his grip and fall into the water. His unconscious body is dragged into the boat.

Meeker disguises himself as a woman to get aboard a lifeboat but Maude Young notices his shoes and unmasks him in front of the others in the lifeboat. At the other end of the spectrum of courage and unselfishness, George Healey heads down into one of the boiler rooms to comfort trapped crewmen.

As the Titanic is in her final moments, Norman and Richard find each other. Richard tells a passing steward that Norman is his "son" and then tells the boy that he has been proud of him every day of his life. Then they join the rest of the doomed passengers and the crew in singing the hymn "Nearer My God To Thee". As the last boiler explodes killing all on deck, the Titanic's bow plunges, forcing her stern high in the air, then the ship rapidly slides into the icy water. The remaining survivors are last seen waiting in the lifeboats for help to come as dawn approaches.

Trivia[]

Filming was from October 23^rd, 1952 to December 8^th, 1952 at Stage 4, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Charles Brackett, who co-wrote and produced the film, told the press that some of the stories had to be discarded, "because they are too fantastic for movie audiences to believe."

Titanic survivors Emily Borie Ryerson and her brother Jack visited the set and meet with the actors.

Characters[]

Historical[]

Fictional[]

Richard Ward Sturges
Julia Sturges
Annette Sturges
Norman Sturges
Gifford Rogers
Maude Young
George S. Healey
Earl Meeker
Sandy Comstock
Uzcadum Family
Harry (Bar Steward)
Emma (Stewardess)
Mr. McDermott
Devlin (Lookout) (Based on Frederick Fleet)
Symons (Lookout) (Based on Reginald Lee)
Mr. Webster
Jean Pablo Uzcadum (not on the Titanic)
Mr. Sanderson (not on the Titanic)

Historical inaccuracies[]

Isidor and Ida Straus are shown boarding the Titanic at Cherbourg. They boarded the Titanic at Southampton actually.

The iceberg is shown, correctly, hitting the right (Starboard) side of the ship. But in the underwater shot, we see the iceberg cutting into the Titanic's left (Port) side.

The Chairman of the White Star Line in fact sailed on the ship.

The watertight doors on Titanic closed vertically, not horizontally.

The passengers did not stand up on deck and sing a chorus of "Nearer My God To Thee". The band played it on their instruments, but passengers were all rushing about. No one stood and sang.

The Titanic is shown sinking with lights in her portholes, yet the electrical power failed a few seconds before she went down.

The siren which sounds throughout the sinking is purely fictional.

The band did not have a horn section.

The ship's boilers did not explode.

As is common with works produced before the discovery of the wreck, the ship is shown sinking in one piece.

Tickets to the ship were impossible to transfer. Thus, Richard getting the ticket from another passenger could not have happened.

The voyage was not sold out. In fact, she was only carrying about 70% of her full capacity, and more than half the First-Class cabins were unoccupied.