What Titanic's Survivors Thought of the Movies

Most of us nowadays tend to learn about parts of history from movies - it's hard not to get swept up in the excitement of cinema! For some the truth is the opposite - they experience incredible events only to see them represented in hollywood down the line. So it was with Titanic's survivors, with movies coming out about the sinking less than a month after the vessel was lost. In this video we'll explore what Titanic's survivors thought of the various movies made about their experiences. From Dorothy Gibson's 'Saved from the Titanic' of 1912 to 'Titanic' of 1953, 'A Night to Remember' of 1958 and 'Titanic' of 1997.

Thanks to our partners @TitanicHG for their spectacular animations, created by the brilliant Jack Gibson @jackganimations

This video could not have been possible without the exceptional research of two websites; the first, Encyclopedia Titanica which is the absolute go-to source for all information about Titanic’s passengers and crew. You can actually lose a whole day just browsing this site. This video is based on an article originally written and researched by Mike Poirier for the Titanic International Society journal:

The second is ‘Titanic’s Officers’ which goes into great detail on the story behind Boxhall’s involvement with A Night to Remember, I highly recommend it as it is a fascinating read;

Oceanliner Designs explores the design, construction, engineering and operation of history’s greatest vessels– from Titanic to Queen Mary and from the Empress of Ireland to the Lusitania. Join maritime researcher and illustrator Michael Brady as he tells the stories behind some of history's most famous ocean liners and machines!

#titanic #history #ships #story #maritime #hollywood #film #facts #disasters #sinking

[bradeybononcini]

The fact that there were seven survivors even alive when James Cameron’s film came out is a testament to the resilience of the people that night.

[LuisAngelSantos]

A Titanic movie 29 days after the sinking with an actress who survived…

It’d be like making a movie about 9/11 a month after the event with one of the people trapped in one of the towers who survived.

[OrthodoxReview]

I wouldn't mind a film about The Carpathia. From what I understand, the rescue and voyage to New York was a masterclass in compassion and humanity.

[AwokenEntertainment]

the fact that watching it brings back trauma for many survivors to the point where they can't finish the movie, , shows it was VERY realistic.. especially for back in those days..

[gaila.]

After the Titanic sank some of the survivors were brought through Ellis Island in New York. My Nana..my mother's mother...was 7 years old, and she had just landed on Ellis Island with her family from Poland (where they had nearly starved to death before coming to New York). She remembered seeing...these were her words...beautiful ladies in long fur coats with some other people quietly walking by. They looked sad then happy when other people came to hug them and help them. She remembered being told the sad people were on a big ship that had an accident, and now they were going home. It was the Titanic.

[Danisiah]

One of the most impactant reactions of the 1997 movie is that of Michel Navatril (one of the Titanic orphans and the last male Titanic survivor to pass away).

He asked to watch it privately, and loved the sailing sequences and the atmosphere of glory and joy it sparkled, but at the sinking he “immersed on what his father may had experienced that night” and cried.

[cdpetee]

Great video, Mike! If I may, I'd like to add another survivor's opinion of the films. When I was 13 years old, the film 'Raise The Titanic' was released. I discovered there was a Titanic survivor who lived five minutes away from me, and his number was in the phone book. My dad suggested I call him and ask if he would be so kind as to sit down and chat with me, and that happened. Marshall Drew was 8 years old, traveling second class with his aunt and uncle. Sadly, his uncle perished. First, I had asked if he'd seen 'Raise The Titanic', which I had seen opening week. He said he did, and he thought the special effects were wonderful, but I do remember him saying that it most likely would NOT happen in real life IF (big word then) they ever found the ship. I asked him if he had seen both the 1953 'Titanic' and 'A Night To Remember' (which I had on TV, mind this is before VHS) and he said he had, but he far preferred 'A Night To Remember' as he thought the Hollywood film was too much like a soap opera that happens to take place on the Titanic. I agreed, there were far too many interesting REAL stories about the people on that ship, it was unnecessary to make some up. Sorry, Mister Cameron. Mr. Drew passed away in 1986, but I'll never forget that kindness and the stories he shared on that afternoon.

[eliel_]

That photo of Boxhall watching A night to remember is so surreal and sad...

[Andrew-votg]

I'm an extra in the 1997 movie. I'm in the life boat with Billy Zane and I'm one of the floating dead. It was a really great experience.

[joshzwies]

It may not be appropriate to make entertainment of disaster, but it keeps the memory alive.
It's a miracle that Titanic didn't become a forgotten lost ship as so many were.
Before the advent of radio, a ship was only realised to be lost when it is late arriving in port.

[Trappedinatriangle]

This channel has done more to humanize and understand the Titanic than any other medium ive seen.

[zyloproductions]

That picture of Joseph Boxhall watching A Night To Remember gets me. While his face is turned away from the camera, you can clearly see the emotional impact it’s having on him. 😢 The movie’s directors were making sure everyone’s story from that night was never forgotten.

[donnix]

I always wondered what my great grandfather thought about the Titanic films. He was Albert Horswill, crewman and survivor- he never spoke much about Titanic for obvious reasons.

[MLaker]

This is why YouTubers making documentaries like this is my favorite part of this era. This is way better than growing up with the History Channel. Such good quality, and I don't have to listen to a dozen TV experts sail the same things we already know, lol. I mean bless those production teams for inspiring us, but this is totally the premium entertainment of the day

[SomeGuy-qyqh]

I saw a documentary recently that mentioned an aspect I had never thought about. Nowadays, we are desensitized to violence, death, and destruction because of TV shows, movies, and the 24-hour news. Back then, they didn't have that constant bombardment of negative images. Most people had never witnessed anything so horrific as watching a huge ship sink, taking hundreds of people down with it, hearing people screaming in the darkness. The survivors were understandably traumatized, more so than people today would be.

[C.Fecteau-AU-MJ]

A seldom mentioned bit of Titanic trivia... In the Victorian city of Ballarat, there's a bandstand rotunda on Sturt street which was built and dedicated to the musicians lost in the disaster.

I've often sat there and ate lunch, but never noticed it was for the Titanic until recently.

[Rickkennett]

During a dinner scene in A Night to Remember a woman at the end of the table picks up a sugar or salt shaker. The top falls off and its contents pour into her bowl. She looks up, sees the director hasn't noticed so continues on as if nothing has happened.

[lune]

I really don't think I would've been able to watch a movie about Titanic after surviving the tragedy. Imagine reliving the most traumatic event of your life on a big screen...

[SUPERFunStick]

The person who wanted to experience the sinking Titanic again is absolutely insane, literally. But also, that's how i strive to live life. Imagine having negative fear or an anxiety deficit like that. You'd be unstoppable! My hero right there.

[julieputney]

This is a superb episode. The survivors' reactions were poignant. But props to Bealey for having the spunk to want to be part of the film.