A Night to Remember

"Titanic... the greatest sea drama in living memory."

1958 2h 3m EN

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 304

DramaActionHistory

Synopsis

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The sinking of the Titanic is presented in a highly realistic fashion in this tense British drama. The disaster is portrayed largely from the perspective of the ocean liner's second officer, Charles Lightoller. Despite numerous warnings about ice, the ship sails on, with Capt. Edward John Smith keeping it going at a steady clip. When the doomed vessel finally hits an iceberg, the crew and passengers discover that they lack enough lifeboats, and tragedy follows.

“Titanic... the greatest sea drama in living memory.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Kenneth More
Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller
Ronald Allen
Mr. Clarke
Robert Ayres
Maj. Arthur Peuchen
Honor Blackman
Mrs. Liz Lucas
Anthony Bushell
Capt. Arthur Rostron
John Cairney
Mr. Murphy
Jill Dixon
Mrs. Clarke
Jane Downs
Mrs. Sylvia Lightoller

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roy Ward Baker
Writers: Eric Ambler
Languages: German, English, Italian, Polish, Russian
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

68 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 5 languages: German, English, Italian, Polish, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Roy Ward Baker, shot by Geoffrey Unsworth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by William Alwyn. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sidney Hayers shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kenneth More and Ronald Allen and Robert Ayres carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Titanic... the greatest sea drama in living memory.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roy Ward Baker directs. Geoffrey Unsworth behind the camera. William Alwyn scores. Sidney Hayers cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in German, English, Italian, Polish, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
268 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 5 languages: German, English, Italian, Polish, Russian.
4Directed by Roy Ward Baker, shot by Geoffrey Unsworth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by William Alwyn. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Sidney Hayers shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Kenneth More and Ronald Allen and Robert Ayres carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Titanic... the greatest sea drama in living memory.".
9IMDB entry: tt0051994 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 14 themes, including "ship", "atlantic ocean", "iceberg", "titanic".

The technical file

Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth
Original score: William Alwyn
Editing: Sidney Hayers
Costume design: Yvonne Caffin
Makeup / hair: W.T. Partleton
Runtime: 123 min · 2h 3m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,680,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: A Night to Remember (1958)

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Roy Ward Baker

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-05-24
★ 8/10
I am acting on his advice. This ship is going to founder. Directed by Roy Ward Baker, A Night To Remember is adapted by Eric Ambler from the book written by Walter Lord. Though only met with a lukewarm response at the box office on release, the film has since received critical acclaim and is highly regarded by Titanic historians for its accuracy. The story of the ill fated voyage of the RMS Titanic is here given a first rate telling by Baker and his crew. Kenneth Moore heads up the multiple cast list (there's over 200 speaking parts), but crucially they let the story be the star. This is about that desperate and distressing night, when people of all classes perished due to a number of circumstances. Circumstances that are all fully formed here. They largely stick to the source story, and by using research with actual survivors they have kept it straightforward and factual. There's also no sub-plots to bog it down, there's time spent with the principals of course, but only enough time to hold our interest when disaster strikes and decisions are to be made. Given a story with so much detail it's a major achievement that the film never sags, the outcome of which is a classic movie that's as memorable as it is poignant. 8/10

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