What Titanic's Survivors Thought of the Movies 

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.

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.

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.

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..

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

It’s our friend Mike Brady from ocean linger designs

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.

I'm surprised any of them watched the films. I wouldn't want to relive one of the most horrific experiences of my life.

Lawrence Beesley, the only man saved from drowning on the Titanic, twice!

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.

This is why RU-vidrs 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

I watched "A Night to Remember" in the late 1950s and recall it being a poignant, frightening, and remarkable film. It has lingered in my memory throughout my life, and I have frequently reflected on it over the years.

My mother grew up in the small town of Turtleford in Saskatchewan, Canada. She told me that when "A Night to Remember" played at the town's theatre, there were relatives of Titanic victims in the audience who were brought to tears by the film. Some were too upset to watch the entire film and had to leave the theatre.

A Night To Remember has the scene of Andrews resigned to his fate in the tilting lounge (a scene Cameron copied) and is asked if he won't even try. He gives a silent look while the the ship groans and creaks. It is the actual sound of the set while it was being cranked up - so chilling and fitting they decided there was no need to use foley.

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.

When I was a child I saw _A Night to Remember_ several times on TV. After a few years I realised it was always shown on Christmas Eve, which I thought a little odd. However, it is a great film, and I always looked forward to it.

Melvina Dean, I understand why, "Making a movie about Titanic is disrespectful." However, without Cameron's film, it would merely be the most famous shipwreck of all time. The movie ensures that so long as people inhabit Earth, Titanic will always be one of the greatest stories of humanity.

As an old USN Sailor, my heart breaks every time I contemplate Titanic's fate. Yet, had she not been so tragically lost on that long-ago night, she would probably have had a long and successful career and would have ultimately ended up being scrapped and all but forgotten as her lone surviving sister ship, RMS Olympic, was. In the end, Titanic has gained an immortality that is denied to the vast majority of ships that have plied the seas around the world, historic or otherwise.

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.

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.

I was a senior in high school when I was taken to see A Night to Remember -- and was so moved by it, that I spent my graduation prize money on a copy of Walter Lord's book. I have been a Titanic enthusiast ever since, and include in my Americana collection, several of the books published in the tragedy's aftermath, including Laurence Beasley's and Washington Dodge's memoirs. Also, hearing Beasley's grandson read his grandfather's narrative was a profoundly moving experience. Thanks, Mike, for your excellent presentation of survivors' reactions to the Titanic films, and for all your excellent videos. As an American cultural historian, I appreciate both their accuracy and interestingly presented narrative.

The actors that appeared in 1958s A Night To Remember - Kenneth More as Lightoller, Lawrence Naismith as Capt. Smith, and Michael Goodliffe as Andrews - also appeared together in the 1960 film Sink The Bismarck!

I recently watched "A Night to Remember." It is the best Titanic film I've seen.

A Night to Remember is still the gold standard for Titanic films.

I conduct tours of Broadway Theaters and Reneé and Henry Harris ran the Hudson Theatre which is now back to being a legitimate Broadway theatre. She TRULY loved Henry.

Cameron's team tried very hard to get Millvina to watch the movie, even offering a private screening just for her. In Millvina's words however, "it's still the same film" and no matter what incentive was offered, she adamantly refused to see it.

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.

I stumbled upon A Night to Remember on RU-vid the other day, and I found myself really captivated by nighttime shots of the boat deck. Whether that atmospheric black and white was intentional or just the limitations of film cameras in 1958, you really get a sense of the total blackness of that night. In some ways it's even more effective than the 1997 film.

I love Melvina Dean. Here is a woman who had spunk and energy coursing through her veins and the memory of Titanic was for her a symbol of her deepest personal losses, having survived as an infant. I also adore the porcelain pig tale. Wouldn’t it be something to make a film solely about the survivors?! I have been fascinated with this for years. Hearing about how survivors reacted to “A Night to Remember,” makes me think there is something profound and unique about turning survivor stories into art.

I read this great story about a Titanic survivor. It's been a number of years so I can't remember every particular but it goes like this: When the Barbara Stanwyck / Clifton Webb "Titanic" came out in 1953 a man who's mother was a Third Class survivor asked her if she wanted to see the film. She said yes and after the film was over he asked her what she thought about it. Her response was "If somebody was close enough to take pictures why didn't they help us?" Isn't that something? Great presentation Mike, and I love the story about Lawrence Beesley! And imagine, his clothing from 46 years earlier still fit him! Amazing!

Great and entertaining video! It's so entertaining to think about how Lawrence Beesley really thought that he should dress up in 1912 clothes and sneak onto the set and actually went with it. It seems such a mischievous, boyish thing to do for an 80 year old man! It's such a hilarious thing to think about, I love it!

Hi Mike Brady👋 I can still remember when they were making the 1997 film "Titanic", I can remember traveling down from Southern California to Ensenada, Mexico on Friday evenings frequently back then, riding down with my Mother and Step Father to their vacation home that they had down there. One evening we were driving down, passing through Rosarito, Mexico on our way down, where to my surprise was a huge almost full size looking model set of the Titanic ship looking like it was docked there along the shoreline, it was amazing to see, I couldn't believe what I was seeing at first, because at that point I had not heard about them making the movie. I can remember one Friday night, my Step Father who was a pretty brave person, with him knowing how interested I had always been into Titanic, he decided to turn off of the main road and down the dirt road that was leading to the Titanic filming set. There was no one there because they were done filming for the weekend, surprisingly there wasn't a gate, if there was it wasn't closed at the time, so my Step Father drove in and drove us down to the shoreline to get a close up look at the ship. After a few minutes a very nice security guard found us and told us that we would have to leave. It was very interesting each week seeing how the set was changing with this huge Titanic model now starting to look like it was sinking down, until eventually one Friday evening we were driving down past there and it was gone. It was very amazing to see, and then later to be watching the movie at the theater when it came out🙂 As always this is a very interesting video, It's pretty amazing to be able to watch the videos on RU-vid of the Titanic survivors being interviewed, my favorite Titanic survivor to hear her thoughts and recounting what happened is Eva Hart, she seemed like a very interesting person. After watching this video, I'm now going to have to watch the movie "A night to remember" which is thankfully free to watch on RU-vid. Thank You for making this video, Mike Brady🙂👍

I got goosebumps the moment Mike mentioned that 3 survivors of sinking attended the premiere of a Night To Remember. I actually recently just watched ANTR For the first time this year with my dad I think all titanic history fans should watch it. Another amazing topic and video Mike.

Of all the Titanic movies I have seen, "A Night to Remember" is the best.

'It was a night to forget.' You know, having had quite a number of catastrophic traumatic moments and events...I thank god or whoever is up there that I've never experienced a sinking too, but I do know what that lady meant. The brain has this incredible way of protecting us, when we've experienced trauma. We return to the path that we know leads to that day, over and over again - and then for a while, nothing, and when we remember again, we go back to that spot, only to find the grass and brambles overgrown, the path impassable. The memory is only absent from the conscious mind; better to leave it to its rest in the unconscious, not to disturb it - lest it rise and torture us again.

Sounds like "A Night to Remember" is a film I'm going to have to check out.

My great-aunt was, according to family lore, a lifeboat extra in Titanic (1953) as she worked in the Universal Studios mail room at the time, at the tender age of 24.

I have a first edition of A Night to Remember signed by both Walter Lord and Rene Harris that I got in a book donation sale for 10 cents (clearly, no one realized what it was!), so I was particularly intrigued to see Rene Harris’ thoughts on the film be included here. She was a remarkable woman who made Broadway history as the first female producer, and it’s a shame that she died poor and in obscurity. Thank you for including her! I’v never seen that article that you showed an image of that she had written, I’m definitely going to try and hunt that down!

Millvina Dean was also highly critical of the Doctor Who episode Voyage of The Damned. This was in 2007 and I remember being amazed that a survivor could still be alive after such a long time.

I really enjoyed the Movie Saving the Titanic. Came out in 2012 and was about the men in the engine and boiler rooms. Very well done. Would love a deep dive into that movie too.

When I was 10 I saw Night to Remember on the midnight movie, 1968. I had never heard the name Titanic but I was fascinated! Even as a kid I assumed liberties were taken but after the book, it is a great movie.

When James Cameron's rendition came out, I asked my grandmother if she wanted to see it. She didn't want to. She told me childhood friends that perished, from upper crust Toronto Ontario Canada, in second class.

Some Titanic for my Sunday. Thank you Mike!

I’ve nearly finished listening to the book A Night to Remember. Absolutely astounding

It's our friend Mike Brady from Oceanliner Designs. I love how you always dress the part, gives a very timeless feel to these videos

Amazing ! Thank You. In 1950 my Mom in her senior year of high school did a book report on the Titanic. She went to the library and gathered as many books and information and stories that she could...which there weren't many like today of course. One was a readers digest that she even got information from back then. Amazing what she wrote in it and some of the things that were accurate and some survivor stories. She got an A from the Nun (Mom was Catholic) on that report. I actually have that book report to this day. It's kind of special to me. 😊 R.I.P. Mom 🥰 and to all the people of that tragedy.

Captain Smith's daughter visiting the set and meeting the actor playing her father makes me think of a similar movie situation that was wrought with emotion. The following might be apocryphal, someone can correct me below if so. During the making of "La Bamba," the story of Ritchie Valens very short life and tragic ending, they were filming the scene where Ritchie in real life flipped a coin to see who would get the ride on the plane and who would ride on the bus sans heating. At some point Ritchie's real-life mother (accompanied by her daughter, Ritchie's sister - both had something of an open invitation to the set during the filming) ran onto the live set during a take, completely in tears and begging "her son' (Lou Diamond Phillips) not to get on the plane. Whoa.

What a great topic. Something I’ve wondered about, but never thought to explore. Great job, Mike.

1:09 The soundtrack composer of "A Night to Remember", William Alwyn, was alive only for a few more days after Robert Ballard's expedition found the wreck. He died ten days later, on September 11 1985 .

Just found this channel and I’m obsessed with the titanic for some reason

My 1st Titanic film was James Cameron's Titanic. Fun fact: As I grew up in Ensenada, Baja California and my family frequently went to San Diego and since I was born in 1991, I was fortunate enough to see the Titanic set went it still existed. I even went on a tour of the Fox Baja studios when they had an interactive tour of the Titanic set.

Wonderful documentary. So terrific to know that the remaining survivors confirmed that "A Night to Remember" truly depicted the authenticity of the disaster. I read the book when I was in High School and saw the movie when it came out. The later movie was good, but too much a Hollywood love story instead of the real thing. Obviously, I prefer the earlier film. Thanks for bringing back some of MY memories. I had crossed the ocean twice (on a Norwegian liner) a few years before my High School days.

An excellent documentary on the sinking. As a 5 yo I watched "A Night To Remember" on a domestic TV when they were. new thing in Australia. When I realised all the people in the water were doomed to die I cried. Possibly the first movie I ever saw. They don't make them with that quality today. Thanks Mike.

Hey! It’s our friend, Mike Brady, from Oceanliner Designs - again

i hope when all survivors passed away that they found peace, because no-one should die feeling fear sadness and terror.

Lets take a moment to appreciate, the inestimable Mr Mike Brady, and the fact he is always so impeccably turned out 🤵‍♂️ Top work Fella 👏 👌

Eva is probably my favorite of the survivors. Such a fascinating strong woman and a great storyteller ❤

The lead in a night to remember had Kenneth Moore, a fantastic actor and was so funny in Genevieve

Fun bit of trivia - MGM reused props from their Titanic production for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (replacing the Titanic's four funnels with three Queen Mary funnels and ventilators and renaming the model Isle de Paris)...

Awesome video Mike 😊

I inherited my Aunt Velma's book collection, in 1969. Among the titles was Walter Lord's "A Night to Remember." I read that book so many times, it began falling apart to the point I had to tape it back together. It piqued my fascination of the ship and sinking so much, I began to read everything I could find that pertained to the ship and its passengers. I have seen four movies about Titanic's sinking, including the one by James Cameron which was wonderful for its sets and period clothing. Only ONE movie can still touch my heart so much it brings me to tears and that movie was "A Night to Remember." BTW, I still have the book it is such a treasure. Thank you for this video.

Your usual discretion and deep respect fill every frame of this moving post. '53 TITANIC relates to the 1997 mega-hit in floating a fictional love story over a real event from history. Okay for what it is.

This has become my comfort channel. From the way he explains in vivid detail the fates of all of these ships to his calm and relaxing voice, I think I’ve found a new channel to add to my top five favourites.

I went to the titanic museum once and they had a gigantic piece of ice that had hand prints in from previous visitors and it was awful, my hand felt hot, I can't even begin to imagine what those people went through.

Producer William MacQuitty had been one of the spectators at the launching of the Titanic on May 31, 1911. He was six years old at the time, and found the experience most impressive.

A Night to Remember, really is the Gold Standard portrayal of the disaster.

Thanks for asking these questions none of us have the time to sort through!

Great video! I’m somewhat surprised that none of the survivors who saw the 1953 film or A Night to Remember ever commented on the lack of a breakup.

After enduring that night of April 14-15th, 1912 and actually surviving it, I couldn't possibly imagine that it would've been easy to have to live through it again through film, not to mention what every writer got wrong or depicted in said film. I would imagine that most of the living survivors were either upset or extremely emotional having been reminded of that horrible night.

Great video and very informative as always. Interestingly, Edith Russell's toy pig is now held by the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London.

1953 Titanic actually has another boat related tragedy (tenuously) attached to it. One of the cast members was Robert Wagner, whose wife Natalie Wood died in mysterious circumstances on board their yacht.

I'd like to hear what the Titanic survivors' reactions to the wreckage being found in 1985 were.

“Chilling” portrayals. Ironic! Touching!

Great presentation as always Mike. No mention of the 1943 German film, Titanic?

What a fascinating and surreal story! Firsthand accounts always give you a whole different perspective and sense of the event and its incredible that we have access to such accounts.

It brought me to tears, and I have a huge interest in the Titanic story..

It was quite amusing to watch the new Titanic movie as it closely resembled my grand aunt's story. She was engaged to a rich American, survived, and took the first available ship back to England. She eventually returned to America and married a poor farmer. No emeralds were involved. Jon in rural BC, Canada

These videos are hypnotic. They're so well thought out and put together and Mike's gentle, melifluous tones accompanied by his meticulous attention to detail exude an almost addictive quality. I never knew I had such a keen interest in ocean going vessels until I started watching this channel and now I start to experience a kind of withdrawal between uploads. Personally, I think these are some of the best produced videos on RU-vid and Mike, with his good looks, flawless presentation and wealth of knowledge on the subject, makes the perfect host.

I listened to an audio commentary of Titanic survivors being interviewed, the soundtrack lasted about an hour and a half. As i listened to the memories retold by a few passengers and ships officers, I was struck by how remarkably accurate most of the scenes were in "A Night To Remember". Next to the epic film "ZULU" with Michael Caine, this was one of the finest British productions I ever watched.

I couldn’t imagine what it must be surviving a massive traumatic disaster, then days/years later see a movie based on that event. God bless these people.

Woah! I was watching the video nicely engrossed and I saw that picture of Violet Jessop from what it looked like the 1950s. Whenever I think of Jessop, she’s always a young woman because most of the Internet photos are of her earlier life. It is interesting to see one of her later on.

Great channel, top notch narration, lots of information. Mike thanks for keeping maritime history alive.

I recently saw a night to remember and it’s SO good…it’s a faithful account of the sinking without the extra dramatizations-not even a soundtrack. The truth was terrifying enough without all that

I have puzzled over that footage with the scratched-out names on the tugboats for many years. Thank you for finally giving me the reason for it...I never would have guessed it.

I think people forget that Titanic's survivors probably had ptsd from yk witnessing hundreds of people including loved ones die. In my humble opinion I think the entire wreck should've been treated as a memorial and place of respect and at the bare minimum a place for research for future ship designs to learn from the tragedy, rather than a tourist destination. I mean just think how you would feel if tons of strangers kept coming to your grave site and took stuff from your coffin? Edit: Ocean Liner Designs did a wonderful job conveying the sentiments from the survivors that did witness the movies. My main point in making this comment at all was to point out that even after many years have passed, are the dead really that undeserving of the respect people who are buried beneath soil are allowed? I was (not very clearly, now that I'm rereading my comment) trying to make a bridge from tourism surrounding the wreck of the Titanic to link it to people who take things from wrecks and the like to sell as "trinkets/artifacts" on the black market out of greed, not respect for the original owners of said items.

I always consider Night To Remember one of the best movies about the Titanic , even surpasses the James Cameron movie as well in my opinion. because it focuses more on the experience vs a romance ?

A Night To Remember by Walter Lord is truly incredible. I had it on a 2 cassette tape set and I played it so much I wore both tapes out. I have a paperback copy of the book, and next to a reference book on the historical tragedy it’s a very important book. Another book on cassette tapes I had and listened to frequently, sadly have also lost, is the biography of Frank McCourt, an Irish teacher and writer. I was able to score both paperback copies of the original biography and the sequel.

Seeing the pictures of Emma Bliss was heartbreaking and a tearjerker-- I never knew I could almost start crying from an Oceanliner Designs video.. and yet here we are.

I truly enjoy your videos. They are extremely well presented. I never thought I would be watching and learning this much about Titanic and other ships. My hat is off to you Sir.

As an actual titantic survivor myself, I can confirm Jack and rose were portrayed accurately

I still cry every time I watch A Night To Remember for each and every sole that was on board and I have no known connection to any of them or any sea faring ancestry. It was just a great loss and whilst entertainment it also proves to be a significant record of history.

Mike, this is one of my favorite videos you have done to date. Such beautiful connections made between the generations, from those who lived through the actual tragic sinking to those of us today who are held by history's grip to ensure such stories and memories are not forgotten. The incredible pain is quite evident for the survivors, and yet there remains humor to help some of them (and us) cope at the same time. Thank you immensely for this unique take on Titanic history. P.S. The photos including Violet Jessop were also a treat for me as someone who read the books of her memoirs for a book report in late elementary school, only a few years after I had first discovered the story of the Titanic and Cameron's movie had come out.

Really enjoyed this video. Great job!

Well done, very well done!