S.O.S. Titanic (TV 1979)

The Titanic disaster is depicted, primarily as seen through the eyes of one couple in each of the three classes on board.

Director:

William Hale

Writer:

James Costigan

Stars:

David Janssen, Cloris Leachman, Susan Saint James

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Janssen	...	John Jacob Astor
Cloris Leachman	...	Molly Brown
Susan Saint James	...	Leigh Goodwin
David Warner	...	Laurence Beesley
Ian Holm	...	J. Bruce Ismay
Helen Mirren	...	Stewardess: May Sloan
Harry Andrews	...	Capt. Edward J. Smith
Beverly Ross	...	Madeline Astor
David Battley	...	Chief Boots: S. Stebbing
Ed Bishop	...	Henry Harris
Tony Caunter	...	Chief Officer: Henry Wilde
Nicholas Davies	...	Lift Attendant: Alfie King
Matthew Guinness	...	Catholic Priest: Father Byles
Jerry Houser	...	Dan Marvin
Victor Langley	...	Band Leader: Wallace Hartley

Storyline

On April 14, 1912 the R.M.S. Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage. Over 1500 people were lost. This docudrama follows the personal stories of some of the passengers and crew aboard on that fateful night. John Jacob Astor and his new bride Madeline, Laurence Beesley, Molly Brown, a group of Irish emigrants, the wireless operators and the stewards are among the characters.

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Plot Keywords:

titanic | ship wreck | 1910s | ocean liner

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Titanikos

Filming Locations:

RMS Queen Mary - 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films, Argonaut Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 180 min 102 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Timothy Spall, who played Jim, had his performance deleted in post production.

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Goofs

On board the rescue ship, a radar assembly is visible on top of the bridge, even though radar wasn't installed on ships for another 30 years.

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Connections

Version of A Night to Remember (1958)

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Soundtracks

"Rule Britannia"
Poem by James Thomson (1700-1748)
Music by Thomas Arne (1710-1778)
(Heard when the Titanic casts off from Southampton)

User Reviews

Realism meets fantasy seemlessly.

This is a very underrated film. If you look unbiasedly at it you can see where James Cameron got his inspiration, as some scenes of his Titanic are identical to this version. This is a well crafted film that tries to tightly stick to the point. It is very interesting that David Warner features prominantly in this version & in Cameron's. Why??? This film is very atmospheric & authentic, but unlike Cameron's version, it doesn't have the emotive sentimentality & glamour. Overall, this is an intelligent informative family film, for people who appreciate qualities other than special effects.