1

Kathryn Gray

Blue Group

7 October 2020

A Night to Remember ​Q1​ ​Cinematic Analysis

Part A

A Night to Remember​, a 1958 documentary-style film adapted from a book of the same name, tells the story

of the sinking of the RMS ​Titanic​ through the eyes of a variety of characters. As the events of the tragic night of

April 14th, 1912 play out, the film illustrates the importance of being prepared for the worst to happen, no matter

how unlikely it may seem for something to go wrong. The movie begins with the introduction of different characters

from all three classes setting off to board the ​Titanic​. Once the ship​ h​ as set off and the night progresses, parties

begin in the different classes. Soon the ship​ ​begins to receive several ice warnings from other steamers nearby.

However, only a few of the messages are relayed to the Captain, and the rest are ignored or overlooked. Suddenly, a

lookout spots an iceberg right in the ship’s path and alerts the crew. Despite attempts to slow down and steer around

the iceberg, the ​Titanic​ ends up colliding with the iceberg, causing significant enough damage that it is determined

that the ship will sink in about two hours. The passengers are unconcerned with this event and some even play with

the ice from the collision, convinced that they are in no danger since they are on an “unsinkable” ship. A distress

signal is sent out and reaches the RMS ​Carpathia,​ but isn’t successful in getting to the SS ​Californian​, which is

visible 10 miles away. The ​Carpathia ​sets out, but won’t reach the Titanic in less than 4 hours. The ​Titanic​ begins to

send out distress rockets to try and signal the ​Californian​, but is unsuccessful and the crew members of the other

ship only wonder why such a luxurious boat as the ​Titanic i​ s sending up rockets. The crew begins ordering people to

put on life jackets, but many are reluctant because they don’t think they are in real danger. Passengers start to load

into lifeboats, but there are not nearly enough for all of the passengers, and so women and children of first and

second class are prioritized. Many women refuse to get into the lifeboats because they don’t want to leave their

husbands, and some boats are sent out before they are completely full. As the ship begins to sink, the captain

declares all men for themselves, and many fall off the ship and are killed as it sinks. As the ship goes down, several

​ nce they are on board, they learn that of the 2,224 passengers, only
passengers on a lifeboat spot the ​Carpathia. O

705 survived. The screen fades to black as the legacy of the ​Titanic​ is presented on the screen, and we are reminded

that today, there are regulations so that another sinking hopefully won’t happen again.
 2

Part B

A Night to Remember ​is considered to be one of the most historically accurate films about the sinking of the

RMS ​Titanic,​ and it pays considerable attention to detail (Badame). In fact, one of the only major inaccuracies in the

movie is that it doesn’t depict the ​Titanic ​breaking in half as it sinks, but this information wasn’t found out until

1985. It is otherwise very successful in portraying just how unprepared the ​Titanic ​was for a disaster, as well as the

passengers on board. After the ​Titanic ​collided with the iceberg, 6 of its 16 compartments flooded with water, which

resulted in it becoming too heavy to remain afloat (Johnson). Once it began to sink, passengers started to evacuate,

but there were not nearly enough lifeboats to carry everyone aboard. In order for everyone to survive, there would

have had to have been 48 lifeboats instead of the 20 equipped to just meet the requirements. This lack of lifeboats is

often thought of as the chief reason for the enormous loss of life (Gavin, Zarr). Of the 2,223 passengers, 1,517

people died. The lack of a response from the SS ​Californian ​also made this problem worse, and it didn’t react to the

Titanic’​ s distress calls in time (Johnson).

Since the sinking of the ​Titanic,​ many new safety regulations have been established for passenger ships at

sea to hopefully try and prevent a similar tragedy from occurring (Bassett). Mandatory implementation and use of

wireless communications, increased lifeboat capacity, and the implementation of the ice patrol have all been put in

place as a result of the incident. Wireless communications allow ships to receive weather reports, check their

​ t the time, the

positions, and call for help in emergencies, all skills that would have greatly benefited the ​Titanic. A

Titanic'​ s twenty lifeboats actually exceeded requirements by 10 percent. New safety regulations have increased the

required number to fit everyone aboard the ship. The sinking of the supposedly “unsinkable” ​Titanic​ has become

one of the most well-known disasters in history.

Part C:

In ​A Night to Remember​, various cinematographic techniques are used to increase the viewer’s awareness

of the setting, characters, and plot development. One cinematic technique used is zoom-ins on critical details

throughout the story. One example of this technique being used is when the ​Titanic ​receives a message from another

ship about ice, and the camera zooms in on the note where this message was written down. This scene and technique

help to indicate the significance of this detail, and progress the plot as the viewer realizes the foreshadowing of an

iceberg. Another time when a zoom was used is in a scene in the dining room, where the camera zooms in on a
 3

rattling glass full of liquid as the ship begins to fail. This was a very pivotal moment in the film as the characters

begin to realize something is wrong, and the zoom helps to emphasize the tension and change of tone at this point in

the film. Another cinematic technique used in the film are pans. These are used most often to help establish setting,

and the different locations on the ​Titanic​. One of the first times this technique is used is in a scene in the dining

room, where a party is being held. The shot pans around the room, focusing on many different characters and

features in the room. This helps to establish the elegance of first-class, and how beautiful the ​Titanic ​is. In contrast,

this technique is also used in a scene in the lowest level of the ship to establish what steerage was like. The various

techniques used in the film help to illustrate the tragic events of that night, and create a very accurate movie

depicting the sinking.

 4

Works Cited

Badame, Emma. "A Night to Remember: The Ultimate Titanic Film." ​That Shelf​, 15 Apr. 2020,

thatshelf.com/a-night-to-remember-the-ultimate-titanic-film/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2020.

Bassett, Vicki. "Causes and Effects of the Rapid Sinking of the Titanic." ​Undergraduate Engineering Review​,

writing.engr.psu.edu/uer/bassett.html. Accessed 8 Oct. 2020.

Gavin, Alison, and Christopher Zarr. "They Said It Couldn't Sink." ​National Archives​, U.S. National Archives and

Records Administration, 2012, www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2012/spring/titanic.html.

Accessed 8 Oct. 2020.

Johnson, Ben. "The Sinking of RMS Titanic." ​Historic UK,​

www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/RMS-Titanic-the-unsinkable-ship/. Accessed 8 Oct.

2020.