Filmed aboard Cap Arcona

[Jon Meadows]

Were the exterior shots the only portions of Titanic (1943) that were filmed aboard the Cap Arcona? Or were the interiors filmed on it as well?

I'm wondering about some of the beautiful sets like the staircase/ballroom. Is that the Cap Arcona or a sound stage?

 

[Matthew Newman]

Jon, I'd like to know the answer to that question myself.

There's not much out there on the making of this film from what I've found. And I've LOOKED. Mostly what you'll find are descriptions of what the film is and was meant to be, which is propaganda.

It would seem that everything connected with the making of this film is unfortunately lost to history.

 

[Robert H. Gibbons]

Matt: Have you checked the press book material on the DVD of "Titanic" from Kino? It has the most detailed information on the making of the film that I have seen. Robert H. Gibbons

 

[Jon Meadows]

Robert - Where would one find the press book material?

 

[Robert H. Gibbons]

The press book material for the German movie "Titanic" is on the DVD currently available through Kino Video:

http://www.kino.com/video/results.php?search=titanic&search_type=all&x=13&y=4

In addition to the full-length movie in its original German with optional English subtitles, the DVD has the original theatrical trailer, still gallery and two very special bonus features--the very rare White Star Line film on the Olympic and the 1912 newsreel film of the Titanic disaster with footage shot on the Olympic, actual footage of Titanic survivors and the Carpathia, etc. A must for Titanic collectors. I would say grab up the DVD before they are sold out. Robert H. Gibbons

 

[Jon Meadows]

I looked at the DVD and all it said was that "portions" were filmed on the Cap Arcona docked at Gdynia. It didn't elaborate on what portions.

 

[Evgueni Mlodik]

Judging from the liner's photographs, I think the interior lounge/smoking room, engine room, 1st Class cabins and hallway scenes were shot aboard the Cap Arcona, while the the 1st and 3rd Class dining rooms (and the 1st Class staircase) were obviously shot on soundstages.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

The film was only partly filmed aboard Cap Arcona. All of the exterior shots where taken aboard the shop. The staircase and 1st class dining saloon which was also the ball room were not filmed aboard. It was a set which was also used for another German movie. But can not remember for which one.

 

[Evgueni Mlodik]

Yes, but as I listed above, some of the interiors WERE shot aboard the Cap Arcona.

 

[Evgueni M.]

The film was only partly filmed aboard Cap Arcona. All of the exterior shots where taken aboard the shop. The staircase and 1st class dining saloon which was also the ball room were not filmed aboard. It was a set which was also used for another German movie. But can not remember for which one.

WOW! I'd love to find out which film that was. It seems that UFA and Goebbels were quite nifty and didn't want millions Reichsmarks worth of production value go to waste after Titanic was banned.

 

[Jay Roches]

Is it known for certain that the sound stages were used for another film? And if so, is there any information as to which one?

In Malte Fiebing's Titanic (1943) there is a production schedule for building the sets in Spring 1942, which suggests the sets were not used on another film before Titanic.
That leaves a very narrow window in time for a second film. And there doesn't seem to be any German film released in 1943, 1944 or 1945 that is set on an ocean liner. For that matter, there aren't many set aboard ships from 1933-1942. It's possible that the sets were used to represent luxurious rooms on land, but they would have had to be appropriate for their period, and I can't even seem to find anything that portrays wealthy people in the 20th century.

UFA's studios were in the Soviet sector and became DEFA, so if the film was postwar, it would have been released in East Germany.

- J