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By
NICK ZEGARAC
"Titanic" (1953) is (stop me
if you've heard this one before), the one about
the boat that hits an iceberg and sinks. Whoops!
Gave it away.
This version stars Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton
Webb as Richard and Julia; a married couple on the
cusp of divorce. She's can't stand his guts and
lied to him about their son (it's really someone
else's child), and he finds redemption before it
all gets too cold and wet. Pure fiction but hey,
it's about the Titanic and it's masterfully told.
Robert Wagner costars and is thoroughly out of his
element as the penniless young lover, Gifford
Rogers. Can you see where James Cameron got his
idea for Jack Dawson?
The transfer quality on Fox's DVD is outstanding.
There is nothing to complain about apart from the
rather tacky script (which was nominated for, but
didn't win, an Oscar) and some generally low
hysterics on the high seas. Molly Brown (this time
played by hardy Thelma Ritter) once again gets the
shaft in several scenes that are all too brief and
leave Ritter with little to do but wisecrack her
way into a row boat.
Ah, but in the extra features is where the real
treat of this DVD lies. We get "Beyond Titanic" a
masterfully told, nearly two hour documentary that
really gets to the bottom of things (no pun
intended) and covers the full history of both the
ship and its many film incarnations.
This is a worthwhile DVD for two reasons -- the
documentary and its price tag -- cheaper than most
low budget no-name studio releases. If nothing
else, you're buying the documentary and for that
reason alone, it's definitely worth it! |
