Raptor Note:  Content of this video unknown

Raptor Notes- This Flick is generally looked at as the red headed stepchild of the Titanic Video genre.  

From http://www.jimusnr.com/: Production began on 20th Century Fox's "Titanic" in November, 1952. Originally to be called "Nearer My God To Thee", the title was changed to "Titanic" so that the movie going public knew it was a movie about a dramatic event at sea, and not a religious epic. Titanic was to be one of the last movies Fox filmed in the academy ratio of 1.37:1. If it had been filmed a year later, audiences would have been treated to a glorious widescreen color version of the film. Titanic was directed by Jean Negulesco and produced by Charles Brackett, who was disappointed by the box office results of "Titanic": "Maybe people had a certain reluctance to seeing a film in which, they knew, almost every one in the cast would be drowned". The Academy Award winning screenplay was written by Brackett, Walter Reisch and Richard Breen. Heading up the cast was Clifton Webb, the perfect choice for the elitist snob, Richard Ward Sturges. Walter Lord was quoted as saying, that even if the Sturges family was not real, that Clifton Webb's portrayal was so vivid that if he wasn't on the ship, he should have been. Barbara Stanwyck did a great job as "Julia Sturges", On the run from her husband, Richard, with her two children in tow. Stanwyck said about the film: "The night we were making the scene of the dying ship in the outdoor tank at Twentieth, it was bitter cold. I was 47 feet up in the air in a lifeboat swinging on the davits. The water below was agitated into a heavy rolling mass and it was thick with other lifeboats full of woman and children. I looked down and thought: If one of these ropes snaps now, it's good-by for you. Then I looked up at the faces lined along the rail - those left behind to die with the ship. I thought of the men and women who had been through this thing in our time. We were re-creating an actual tragedy and I burst into tears. I shook with great racking sobs and couldn't stop". On hand was the great character actress Thelma Ritter, playing Montana lead mine heiress Maude Young. Obviously based on Denver's "Unsinkable" Molly Brown, why the name change is a mystery as Molly Brown died in October, 1932, and always embraced her Titanic celebrity status. On board for the bobby soxers in the audience, was 23 year old Robert Wagner, who romances the Sturges' daughter, Annette, played with great "Do not look at me, I'm too pretty for you" attitude by Audrey Dalton. Robert Wagner and Barbara Stanwyck became very "chummy" on the set of "Titanic". Of the A.E. Housman poem she reads to him, he said: "The content of that poem sort of sum's up where I was at the point in my life. Barbara was very helpful. She's a sensitive lady beneath that kind of sharp front. She changed my whole approach to my work - made me want to learn the business completely. She really started me thinking. It means a great deal when someone takes that kind of time with a newcomer". "Titanic" premiered on April 11, 1953 at the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia, to aid the Navy Relief Ball. Even though Titanic "purists" looked down on the 1953 "Titanic", for it's sloppy attention to detail, the film remains very popular, and certain aspects of the film were resurrected in 1997 for James Cameron's "Titanic".

Raptor Note:  This early sighting of Catherine Zeta- Jones was an indication of her steamy sexuality.  God...Michael Douglas is a luck SOB!

From http://www.jimusnr.com/: A year before Titanic/Leo/Jack and Rose fever swept the world, this TV movie premiered as a two night showing on November 17 & 19th, 1996 on CBS.
While not critically acclaimed, the movie does add some interesting points to the Titanic saga. As usual, the movie shows life in First Class, represented by imaginary characters Wynn Park (Peter Gallagher) and Isabella Paradine (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and less-than-life in Third by more imaginary folks like con artist Jamie Perse (Mike Doyle) There is a representation of true life characters like Molly Brown (Marilu Henner) and Bruce Ismay (Roger Rees).
As far as I can tell, every myth and semi-myth was wheeled out for this 173 minutes of missed opportunity. Everything from Captain Smith (George C. Scott) saying that CQD means "Come Quick Distress" to the rape of a Third Class girl by the (apparently) sexually ambiguous steward, Simon Doonan (Tim Curry) makes this movie less than stellar. It does make an attempt to show real life happenings onboard, like the story of The Allison family and their psycho nanny, Alice Cleaver.
       If you are not overly-familiar with the facts of April 14th, or on the other hand, want to feel superior in your knowledge of April 14th, I recommend this movie, just ignore the historical mistakes, and the attempts to make the First Class overly rich & spoiled and heartless (Eva Marie Saint is a hoot as the old bitch, Hazel Foley, more concerned with her dogs survival, than her husbands) Apparently the DVD of this movie is defective, with the sound out-of-synch in certain scenes.

Raptor Note:  This was my introductory Titanic Experience.  The Raptor saw this flick on TV in the late 60's and subsequently purchased the companion book written by Walter Lord, from the Scholastic Book Service.

From http://www.jimusnr.com/: In May, 1911 newspaperman James MacQuitty took his 6 year old son, William down to the local shipyard to show him the launching of the Titanic. The site of the awesome ship going down the waysled to a lifelong interest in the Titanic for young William. Cut to 1956, when William, now a successful movie producer, read a review of the bestseller 'A Night To Remember' by Walter Lord. The novel told the story of the ships last night in a  "you-are-there" minute-by-minute fashion. MacQuitty, realizing its screen potential, optioned the rights to the novel for about $7,000. To direct, MacQuitty chose a director with a history of directing nautical tales, Roy Baker. Lensing the film would be Geoffrey Unsworth, who would go onto later fame with "2001:A Space Odyssey" and "Superman:The Movie"(1978). Lending technical assistance to script writer Eric Ambler was Walter Lord.
Instead of using fictitious characters, like the Fox film, MacQuitty chose to focus on the real people and events of April 14th. The lead star would be Kenneth More, playing Second Officer Lightoller.  While the special effects aren't up to par with the 1953 Fox film (the ship, blazing with lights, more resembles my Grandmothers 100th birthday cake in a tank, then the Titanic at sea), the docu-drama approach does show us around the ship, providing glimpses into all aspects of the story.
Filming was done at Pinewood Studios in England, on a real ship bound for the scrap yards, the Asturius and a lake near Pinewood that, filming in mid-December, added a chilly element of realism.  The movie premiered on July 3rd, 1958 in England, and was a smash hit. When it premeired in America, the reception was less than enthusiastic. Most Americans seemed to stay away, since the movie didn't have any major stars or a romance (which was almost mandatory in movies of the 50s IE: The War Of The Worlds!)
The film is considered by most Titanic enthusiasts/students as the one and only accurate portrayal of the loss of the Titanic.

Raptor Note: Based on the hype and my intense interest in anything Titanic - The Raptor saw this flick three times in the Tinsletown Theater.  That was unreal!

Not much more can be said, or written about this movie. The seeds were planted in Director James Camerons head that September day in 1985 when Dr. Robert Ballard discovered the wreck over 2 miles down.

1987. Cameron starts putting his thoughts on paper. After the success of his movies like Terminator 2, True Lies and Aliens, Cameron gets the backing from 20th Century Fox to start on his "dream project" In 1995, he first visited, and photographed the wreck. May 28th 1996, the movie started official production, with a budget of $110 million. Heading up the cast were Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson and Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater. Before the production wrapped, the budget soared to $200 million dollars. The press reported almost daily on "Camerons Folly" and prepared for a financial and critical dud. The movie opened December 19th, 1997 and was an instant hit. In the end, it took in over a billion dollars and was nominated for a record 14 Oscars, winning 11, including Best Picture, Director, Song, and Effects. Some people didn't like the "Romeo and Juliet on a ship" story, using made up characters, with all the interesting real people that actually were on the ship. Numerous filmed scenes depicting real events were lost to make room for the romance-another bone of contention. Hopefully, someday the lost scenes will be re-instated, but James Cameron has gone on record saying that what was on screen was the "Directors Cut", but 45 minutes of deleted scenes can be seen on the 3-disc DVD set that was released October 25th, 2005.