Titanic (1953)

"Titanic" is (stop me if you've heard this one before), the one about the boat that hits an iceberg and sinks. Whoops! Gave it away. This version stars Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb as a married couple on the cusp of divorce. She can't stand his guts he finds redemption before it all gets too cold and wet. Pure fiction but hey, it's Titanic and its masterfully told.

TRANSFER: Fox is at its usual middle of the road with this transfer quality. Some scenes are nicely balanced with good gray scale. Others seem to suffer from low contrast and black levels. There's ample pixelization, aliasing and shimmering of fine details throughout. The audio's been remixed to feeble stereo. At this point does anybody care?

EXTRAS: Ah, here's the real treat of this DVD. You get "Beyond Titanic" a masterfully told 1 1/2 hr. documentary that really gets to the bottom of things (no pun intended)and covers the full history of both the ship and its many film incarnations.

BOTTOM LINE: This is a worth while DVD for two reasons the documentary and its price tag cheaper than most low budget no-name studio releases. If nothing else, you're buying the documentary and for that reason alone, it's definitely worth it!

One of my all-time 10 favorite movies (along with ALL ABOUT EVE, GONE WITH THE WIND, AUNTIE MAME, Jane Wyman's THE BLUE VEIL, Garland's A STAR IS BORN, CABARET, Lana Turner's career highlight in MADAME X, 1939's THE WOMEN, and 1953's SO BIG) THIS is the only version of TITANIC anyone should want to keep in their collection of classics. This is the one that should have been an Academy Award champion.....and it is a sin that Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck not only didn't win 1953 Oscars, but were not even nominated. Ditto the wonderful performance of the greatest supporting actress in movie history, Thelma Ritter, as the indomitable Unsinkable Molly Brown. I will never forget the hysteria in Barbara Stanwyck's voice as she screamed "Norman! Norman!" when she realized her young son had slipped out of their life-boat to remain with his dad as the ship sank.....nor the tears in Clifton Webb's eyes when he told the boy what pride he felt for him as the end drew near. Please, don't anyone tell me there was an ounce of reality in the blockbuster, phony '97 version.....This simple black & white movie told the REAL story of the very rich and the very poor suddenly equalized in the face of disaster. And I dare you not to smile as millionaire John Jacob Astor reassures his young, pregnant, second wife with the immortal words "My dear, God himself could not sink THIS ship"......and I defy you not to cry when old Mrs. Strauss refuses to board a life-boat, saying "I've been with Mr. Strauss for more than fifty years....I don't intend to leave him now." This is a classic. This is THE classic. And these people, brilliantly portrayed by brilliant actors, become the ones who were really aboard the TITANIC in 1912.

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I enjoyed watching the James Cameron super-production of TITANIC released a few years ago. But after one viewing that was it. It's the l950 version of TITANIC, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb that keeps drawing me back through repeated viewings. These characters are the ones who can really connect with a viewer. Stanwyck brings a fantastic down-to-earth quality that you instantly connect to. Webb is equally good as the dispicable fop who wants his kids to live like royal spoilt brats. My only complaint about this DVD are the two commentaries. Film critic Richard Shickel's has to be heard to be believed for he literally sounds like he's half-asleep. He starts off with: "Uh,and....uh, uh, and, uh, Barbara, uh, uh, Stanwyck, uh (long pause)is a fine, uh, uh, ehhhhhhh, ummmm, good actress." The second one is slightly better because you can hear Audrey Dalton recall those long-gone days on the 20th Century lot making TITANIC. She's witty, interesting, but unfortunately has about ten minutes on the commentary. You're forced to listen to cameraman Michael Lonza's relentless spill about miniatures, special effects and water tanks. Worse, is the "audio essay" by Silvia Stoddard, who tells us such fascinating tidbits that "Titanic was, well, just incredibly big!" Robert Wagner repeats over and over again "how lucky I was to be on a production like TITANIC." We'd all be considered lucky, Robert, but I just wish you could have thrown some more color about individual scenes. Other than these two commentaries, the DVD restoration looks great!

Read Best Reviews of Titanic (1953) Here

Anyone would have to agree that the best FILM ever made about the Titanic is "A Night to Remember" because it tells the blow by blow true story, from sailing to sinking, based on Walter Lord's excellent book of the same name. But if you're looking for a MOVIE, that is, something which is like an historical novel version of the tragedy, then I'd steer you to this one starring Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck.

Stanwyck has boarded the ship with her son and daughter while running away from her husband Webb. She has lost most of her respect for her sartorially resplendent husband and believes that he is making a snob out of the teenaged daughter. Webb has outwitted her, however, and bought an immigrant's ticket in order to make the passage. He and Stanwyck do an excellent job of portraying a bad marriage gone even worse when, trying to inflict more pain on her husband, Stanwyck makes a startling disclosure that hits Webb just about as hard as the iceberg will the ship.

Lots of other interesting passengers aboard too: The daughter is being courted by college man Robert Wagner, while Richard Basehart is a defrocked priest who finally gets his act together when the presence of a clergyman is needed most. And as real-life passengers, Thelma Ritter as Molly Brown and Brian Aherne as Captain Smith both do a great job.

Best scenes? The aforementioned bombshell Stanwyck delivers to Webb; Captain Smith realizing that the ship is listing to one side as he listens to some college kids singing their alma mater; and finally, Webb's tear-filled eyes as he bids farewell to Stanwyck just before she gets into a lifeboat. This is a "Titanic" with characters who care about each other, and whom we can consequently care about ourselves.

If you're looking for something sudsier than the factual "A Night to Remember", then your ship has come in with this great tearjerker.

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Any film with Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck, and the indomitable Thelma Ritter is worth a "look see." Sure, James Cameron had 200 million bucks and state-of-the-art special effects (along with the camera-friendly Leo and Kate). But, this 1953 film has class in its performances from the principals. Much shorter than the 1997 epic and filmed in black and white, the film holds its own as a good movie. In fact, the B & W adds stark realism to the tragedy. Watch carefully for the stunning announcement Stanwyck makes to husband Webb in their cabin prior to the fateful collision. This was somewhat shocking for the time! I know when I saw this scene upon first viewing, my mouth dropped open!

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