German Titanic book of the film 1943

[Daz Marks]

We have a hardback book printed in Germany in the1940s (with a German-gothic typeface) which appears to be a novelisation of the 1943 German film.

Is this particularly scarce, as I've not seen mention of it anywhere online.

 

[Allan Wolf]

Interesting. Personally, I did not even know it existed.

 

[Thomas E. Golembiewski]

I believe that the 1943 German film may have been based on the 1940 novel by Robert Prechtl . . . the title simply being Titanic . . .

 

[Russell Friesen]

Daz, is the author of the German book you have named Robert Friedlaender? Robert Prechtl was the pseudonym of Robert Friedlaender. The 1940 novel by Prechtl was originally published in German circa 1937 under his real name, and was first translated to English by one Ema McArthur and published in Great Britain in 1938. The book by "Prechtl" was the American edition of the same book. I hadn't heard that the 1943 German movie was based on this book, but it is certainly possible.

 

[Dave Gittins]

I've read part of the Robert Friedlaender book. It's rather weird and not at all like the movie. The author's name seems to have been Robert Friedlaender-Prechtl. In one passage three thieves break into Titanic's strongroom in search of gold and jewels. They are still there when the ship hits the berg and they can't get out, because the doorframe is distorted. The two men in the team then have a knife fight over the female member. Sensational is not the word for it. Try stupid!

It's possible that the film drew on another German book as the author was at least consulted about it. I've found some interesting material on Germany and Titanic but I've not read it all yet.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

The movie is not really based on any book. But it has great resemblance with two German books. One of them the novel from Prechtl (Titanensturz) and Titanic by Joseph Pelz von Felinau.
Felinau got in contact with Max Dittmar-Pittmann who claimed to have been the German 2nd Officer on board Titanic. He met Captain Smith in London and so he got on board Titanic. In the 1920s & 1930s he retold his story several times and got in contact with Felinau who was writing a book about the Titanic. After finding out that Dittmar-Pittmann was a liar, he chanced his book and the German Officer Max Dittmar-Pittmann became the Danish Officer Hans Erik Petersen.
In the movie, it is the German Officer Petersen.
It is some time ago I read both books but there you have also the story of the "blue Diamond", the race for the blue ribbon, the bad Mr. Ismay, shooting among the passengers and many more....