A Night to Remember (1958)

Director:

Roy Ward Baker

Writers:

Walter Lord (from the book by)
Eric Ambler (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 December 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History

Tagline:

TITANIC... The greatest sea drama in living memory told as it really happened!

Plot:

An account of the ill-fated maiden voyage of RMS Titanic in 1912.

Plot Keywords:

Titanic | Lifeboat | Iceberg | Unsinkable | North Atlantic

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

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 - Carpathia
John Cairney	...	Mr. Murphy
Jill Dixon	...	Mrs. Clarke
Jane Downs	...	Mrs. Sylvia Lightoller
James Dyrenforth	...	Col. Archibald Gracie
Michael Goodliffe	...	Thomas Andrews
Kenneth Griffith	...	Wireless Operator John 'Jack' Phillips
Harriette Johns	...	Lady Richard
Frank Lawton	...	Chairman J. Bruce Ismay
Richard Leech	...	First Officer William Murdoch
David McCallum	...	Assistant Wireless Operator Harold Bride
Alec McCowen	...	Wireless Operator Harold Thomas Cottam - Carpathia
Tucker McGuire	...	Mrs. Margaret 'Molly' Brown
John Merivale	...	Robbie Lucas
Ralph Michael	...	Mr. Yates
Laurence Naismith	...	Capt. Edward John Smith
Russell Napier	...	Capt. Stanley Lord - Californian
Redmond Phillips	...	Mr. Hoyle
George Rose	...	Chief Baker Charles Joughin
Joseph Tomelty	...	Dr. William O'Loughlin
Patrick Waddington	...	Sir Richard
Jack Watling	...	Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall
Geoffrey Bayldon	...	Wireless Operator Cyril Evans - Californian
Michael Bryant	...	Sixth Officer James Moody
Cyril Chamberlain	...	Quartermaster George Thomas Rowe
Richard Clarke	...	Gallagher
Bee Duffell	...	Mrs. Farrell
Harold Goldblatt	...	Benjamin Guggenheim
Gerald Harper	...	3rd Officer - Carpathia
Richard Hayward	...	Victualling Officer
Thomas Heathcote	...	Steward
Danuta Karell	...	Polish Mother
Andrew Keir	...	Chief Engineer Joseph Bell - Titanic
Christina Lubicz	...	Polish Girl
Barry MacGregor	...	Apprentice James Gibson - Californian
Edward Malin	...	Dining Saloon Steward (as Eddie Malin)
Patrick McAlinney	...	Mr. James Farrell
Helen Misener	...	Mrs. Ida Straus
Mary Monahan	...	Kate
Howard Pays	...	Fifth Officer Harold Lowe
Philip Ray	...	Reverend Anderson
Harold Siddons	...	Second Officer Herbert Stone - Californian
Julian Somers	...	Mr. Bull - Man on Train
Tim Turner	...	Third Officer Charles Groves - Californian
Meier Tzelniker	...	Mr. Isador Straus
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean Anderson	...	Stuffy Lady in Lifeboat (uncredited)
Roger Avon	...	Lookout Reginald Lee (uncredited)
Denise Aylmer	...	Older Sharp-Featured Woman with Black Curly Hair (uncredited)
Charles Belchier	...	Wallace Hartley - Orchestra Leader (uncredited)
Joan Benham	...	Lottie (uncredited)
Janet Bradbury	...	Titanic Passenger (uncredited)
Olwen Brookes	...	Miss Evans (uncredited)
Jeremy Bulloch	...	Boy Jumping Into Water (uncredited)
Henry Campbell	...	W.T. Stead (uncredited)
Pauline Challoner	...	Lucas Child (uncredited)
Alexis Chesnakov	...	Passenger (uncredited)
Donald Churchill	...	Passenger (uncredited)
Sean Connery	...	Titanic Deck Hand (uncredited)
George A. Cooper	...	Carpathia Purser Hughes (uncredited)
John Dunbar	...	Scotsman (uncredited)
Gay Emma	...	Lucas Child (uncredited)
Bernard Fox	...	Lookout Frederick Fleet (uncredited)
Peter Grant	...	Titanic Crew Member (uncredited)
Rosamund Greenwood	...	Mrs. Bull - Woman on Train (uncredited)
Jonathan Hanson	...	Hysterical Man (uncredited)
Paul Hardwick	...	Guggenheim's Valet (uncredited)
Gladys Henson	...	Hysterical Woman (uncredited)
Carmen Hill	...	Titanic Passenger (uncredited)
Glyn Houston	...	Stoker (uncredited)
Robert James	...	2nd Engineer Officer James Hesketh (uncredited)
Stratford Johns	...	Crewman on Upturned Lifeboat (uncredited)
Jeremy Judge	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Ann Lancaster	...	Titanic Passenger (uncredited)
Howard Lang	...	Chief Officer Henry Wilde - Titanic (uncredited)
Gerald Lawson	...	Steerage Passenger (uncredited)
Charles Leno	...	Seaman (uncredited)
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Seaman at Steerage Gate (uncredited)
Arthur Lovegrove	...	Stoker (uncredited)
Stephen Lowe	...	Tom Lucas (uncredited)
Clive Marshall	...	Crew Member (uncredited)
John Moulder-Brown	...	Titanic Passenger (uncredited)
Derren Nesbitt	...	Stoker Holding Oar on Upturned Lifeboat (uncredited)
Etain O'Dell	...	Irish Girl (uncredited)
Maureen O'Reilly	...	Irish Girl (uncredited)
Hal Osmond	...	Steward (uncredited)
Anthony Pendrell	...	Passenger (uncredited)
Steve Plytas	...	Greek Steerage Passenger Arguing with James Kieran (uncredited)
Robert Raglan	...	Carpathia Chief Engineer (uncredited)
Mavis Ranson	...	Titanic Passenger (uncredited)
Joyce Riley	...	Titanic Passenger (uncredited)
George Roderick	...	Steward (uncredited)
Alan Rolfe	...	Seaman (uncredited)
Norman Rossington	...	James Kieran - Titanic Chief Steerage Steward (uncredited)
Grace Denbigh Russell	...	Woman (uncredited)
Hennie Scott	...	Titanic Crewman (uncredited)
Robert Scroggins	...	Titanic Bellboy (uncredited)
Richard Shaw	...	Crewman (uncredited)
Charles Stapley	...	Passenger (uncredited)
Jack Stewart	...	Stoker (uncredited)
Marianne Stone	...	Stewardess (uncredited)
James Sutherland	...	Titanic Passenger (uncredited)
Alma Taylor	...	Old Lady (uncredited)
Teresa Thorne	...	Miss Edith Russell (uncredited)
The Blake Twins	...	Titanic Passengers (uncredited)
Stuart Wagstaff	...	Titanic Steward (uncredited)
John Warren	...	Titanic Crewman (uncredited)
Russell Waters	...	Chief Clerk - Victualling Department (uncredited)
Joey White	...	Titanic Passenger (uncredited)
Gordon Whiting	...	Clerk - Victualling Department (uncredited)
Kathleen Williams	...	Titanic Passenger (uncredited)

Directed by
Roy Ward Baker		(as Roy Baker)

Writing credits
Walter Lord		(from the book by)
Eric Ambler		(screenplay)

Produced by
William MacQuitty	....	producer
Earl St. John	....	executive producer

Original Music by
William Alwyn

Cinematography by
Geoffrey Unsworth		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Sidney Hayers

Casting by
Weston Drury Jr.		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Alex Vetchinsky

Costume Design by
Yvonne Caffin

Makeup Department
W.T. Partleton	....	makeup artist
Pauline Trent	....	hairdresser
Biddy Chrystal	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Jack Hanbury	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Asher	....	assistant director
Maurice Gibson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Ron Jackson	....	third assistant director (uncredited)
David Tringham	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Len Townsend	....	set dresser
Bert Gaiters	....	property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Geoffrey Daniels	....	sound recordist
Gordon K. McCallum	....	sound recordist
Harry Miller	....	sound editor
Harry Fairbairn	....	sound assistant (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Bill Warrington	....	special effects

Stunts
Jack Cooper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nosher Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Silk	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
David Harcourt	....	camera operator
John Alcott	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Mike Fox	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
Norman Gryspeerdt	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Reg Johnson	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Skeets Kelly	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dorothy Edwards	....	wardrobe supervisor: women (uncredited)
Bert Simmonds	....	wardrobe supervisor: men (uncredited)

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	music composer

Other crew
Arthur Alcott	....	production controller: Pinewood Studios
Penny Daniels	....	continuity

Thanks
Joseph Boxhall	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of (as Commander Boxhall who was 4th Officer of the Titanic)
Harry Grattidge	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of (as Captain Grattidge O.B.E. Ex-Commodore of The Cunard Line)

Production Companies

• Rank Organisation, The (presents) (A William MacQuitty Production)

Distributors

• Rank Film Distributors (1958) (UK) (theatrical) (released by) (as Rank Film Distributors Limited)
• Rank Film Distributors of America (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• Carlton International (1998) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1968) (USA) (TV)
• Criterion Collection, The (1998) (2012) (USA) (DVD)
• Divisa Home Video (2011) (Spain) (DVD)
• Elephant Films (2005) (France) (all media)
• Epix Media (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• EuroVideo (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Hallmark Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Pickwick Video (1990) (UK) (VHS)
• Rank Video Library (1987) (UK) (VHS)
• VTI Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• B&D Film  logo (as B& D Film Corporation)
• Sinfonia of London  music played by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

123 min | Spain:114 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Russian | German | Italian | Polish

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:U (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) (1990) (1998) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Not Rated | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Great Fosters Hotel, Egham, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Trivia:

It was only after seeing this film that James Cameron decided to make Titanic (1997). In fact, Cameron was so taken by this film that he lifted ideas, plot lines, conversations and characters, including a minor character similar to the one played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: At different times while the wireless operator is sending his distress message, the wireless radio is made to have two distinctly different sounds. The radio transmitters aboard ships in that era were spark gap transmitters. Most times the sound that is used could pass for the sound that those transmitters would make. But at other times you hear the clicks that early telegraph sent over wires would make. That sound is more appropriate in old western movies.

Quotes:

Mr. Bull, man on train:[discussing the ship] You're joining her at Liverpool, I take it?
Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller:No sir, Belfast. Then we sail down to Southampton.
Mr. Bull, man on train:Ahhh, how I envy you. The newspapers say she's a virtual floating city. Symbol of progress; of man's final victory over nature and the elements.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in United 93 (2006)

Soundtrack:

Barbary Bell

A film that displays tragedy so well.....

Well what can I say? What can you say? I know what my 16 year old cohorts would say; "it's rubbish, there's no sex and drugs etc". Well to them I say grow up, there's more to film than that. A red-headed friend at school is talking with Channel 4 about doing a documentary on ginger people, and while everyone else says "oh god not another awful waste of disk space", I say good luck. Back to the film, It is brilliant. It puts a lot more emphasis on the crews actions to save that wonderful ship than Camerons and the actor who played Molly "unsinkable" Brown was credible, believable and so what if the designer, Thomas Andrews, had somehow lost his Irish accent. It was awful for me having to watch as he lent so casually by the fireplace, and adjusted the clock to time, only for it to be frozen in that position for all time. And when E J Smith calls for everyman for himself, and the sense of the ship plunging into the abyss beneath everyone, the atmosphere is tense, and you really start siding with characters, I personally sided with Lightoller, who was portrayed as the brave, professional seaman that he was. Cameron's Lightoller; "GET BACK OR I'LL SHOOT YOU ALL LIKE DOGS", was awful and I personally resented that cowardice portray-el of the real hero of the Titanic story. The model is pretty good for its day, and although the smoke stacks are a bit too tall the ship is still identifiable as Titanic, so no need for computer graphics there. The sinking was very well executed and although films don't upset me much, when the old boy with the little kid on the ships fantail are huddled together, with the old man reassuring that he will see his mother in a couple of minutes, that sent a chill through a my body, and I feel really upset as I write this.

In short, its a very good film, and does not resort to stupid love stories, and really is quintessentially British!!!!!!