Kyle Naber
Member
The over-dramatic sinking finale, the singing crowds, the siren, the blasting of the whistle, etc. The inaccuracies are so apparent that there’s no need to bring them up
The over-dramatic sinking finale, the singing crowds, the siren, the blasting of the whistle, etc. The inaccuracies are so apparent that there’s no need to bring them up
Jonathan Granato
Member
I nearly brought up my dang lunch watching the Jack and Rose saga. The most idiotic and side-splitting worst scene in any MGY movie is the one with Susan St. James and David Warner standing on deck right before the collision. She's wearing a flimsy confection with sleeves well above the elbows. There was no breeze. I calculated that with the wind speed it was 4f on deck when MGY struck the berg.
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Robert T. Paige
Member
To be honest, when I first saw the 1953 "Titanic" movie , I don't remember as even ever heard of the Titanic disaster, much less anything about "Molly" Brown. The interest in Titanic did not come until much later with the 1997 movie and especially with this website. So I was completely ignorant of the historical incorrectness at that time.
Coincindentally, it was about this time period that I also saw the 1954 movie "The Caine Mutiny." My main complaint on this and other "Navy" movies is that they are centered on the Commissioned Officers.....That is, Ensigns to Fleet Admirals. Enlisted Men....That is, Seaman Recruits to Chief Petty Officers....Are often depicted as slovenly, sloppy and ignorant. I met a lot of both Officers, and especially Enlisted Men , who were very sharp, neat and intelligent during my service in the USN, as an enlisted man from ETSR to ET1 during my short (4 years) in the USN.
Of course, I did realize that both of these movies were highly fictional , if not mostly fictional.
Of course, there's Jack and Rose. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXComments Deleted By CensorXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Coincindentally, it was about this time period that I also saw the 1954 movie "The Caine Mutiny." My main complaint on this and other "Navy" movies is that they are centered on the Commissioned Officers.....That is, Ensigns to Fleet Admirals. Enlisted Men....That is, Seaman Recruits to Chief Petty Officers....Are often depicted as slovenly, sloppy and ignorant. I met a lot of both Officers, and especially Enlisted Men , who were very sharp, neat and intelligent during my service in the USN, as an enlisted man from ETSR to ET1 during my short (4 years) in the USN.
Of course, I did realize that both of these movies were highly fictional , if not mostly fictional.
Of course, there's Jack and Rose. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXComments Deleted By CensorXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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Robert T. Paige
Member
Maybe it is just because the average life of an enlisted man in the United States Navy during peace time is anything but exciting and not much material for some sort of epic movie. The main thing among my liittle group was just counting the days untl our "date of separation" LOL. Of course we just went though the day-to-day duties and routines in a regulation manner. I don't think even Jean Negulesco could have done much with it. LOL
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Kas01
Member
Sensationalism sells. More people want to see Propeller Guy bounce off the screws than watch him slowly go into cardiac arrest due to hypothermic shock. And some of these tropes are so engrained in popular culture that the truth just seems bizarre by comparison (i.e. "Maggie" Brown actively trying to suppress a Midwestern accent rather than "Molly" Brown sounding like she got lost on her way to play an extra in Deliverance).
Kyle Naber
Member
That is one thing that many films and renditions of Molly seem to get wrong. She didn't have a western accent while on the Titanic. I had heard that she had went to great lengths even to learn to speak "properly" and would have had a high society American accent like we see with Ruth and The Countess of Rothes in the 97 movie.
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Robert T. Paige
Member
Of course there are lots of stories about Mrs. Brown, so I am just mentioning some I have heard
(Quotes below.)
She had traveled all over Europe and was fluent in several languages.
She used this and was helpful in talking to and aiding survivors aboard Carpathia who could not speak or understand English.
She spoke proper English.
And "IMHO" :
Tucker McGuire's portrayal in the 1958 "A Night To Remember" is the worst.
Kathy Bates potrayal in the 1997 "Titanic" might not be the best, but possibly one of the better.
Thelma Ritter's portrayal of "Maude Young - '' A thinly disguised Mrs. J.J. Brown' " in the 1953 "Titanic" is somewhere in between the two extremes.
And again , just my opinions.
(Quotes below.)
She had traveled all over Europe and was fluent in several languages.
She used this and was helpful in talking to and aiding survivors aboard Carpathia who could not speak or understand English.
She spoke proper English.
And "IMHO" :
Tucker McGuire's portrayal in the 1958 "A Night To Remember" is the worst.
Kathy Bates potrayal in the 1997 "Titanic" might not be the best, but possibly one of the better.
Thelma Ritter's portrayal of "Maude Young - '' A thinly disguised Mrs. J.J. Brown' " in the 1953 "Titanic" is somewhere in between the two extremes.
And again , just my opinions.
Steven Christian
Member
If you haven't seen it or its been a long time watch "The Sand Pebbles" Its mostly about the enlisted guys. Of course it depicts a time in the US Navy that none of us could probably relate to there are things in it that never seem to change. At least as far my experiences go. I've always liked that movie.
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robert warren
Member
Don't know what version of SOS Titanic Johnathan is watching, but Susan St James was wearing a gown with sleeves well below the elbow, white gloves, and swaddling herself with a paisley shawl.Just saying.
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Robert T. Paige
Member
Thanks, Steven-
I will have to check out that one.
Fortunately, we never had a James Cagney or a Humphrey Bogart for a Captain on the two ships on which I served. LOL
Thanks also, Robert-
Barbara Stanwyck was prettty well bundled up in her furs in her walk on the promenade deck.
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Harland Duzen
Member
No offence, but everyone keeps talking about the 1953 or 1997 films having bad scenes (and to be fair, they do) but what about the terrible / creepy animated ones?
Aside from the dancing Hip-Hop dog and mashed up rooms, One of them literally used a digital cutout of the Titanic from a Ken Marschall painting!
At least the other ones were actually trying to be accurate or at least stay in the same decade!
Aside from the dancing Hip-Hop dog and mashed up rooms, One of them literally used a digital cutout of the Titanic from a Ken Marschall painting!
At least the other ones were actually trying to be accurate or at least stay in the same decade!
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Kas01
Member
Because we're not masochistic enough to actually watch them?
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Harland Duzen
Member
I was thinking more because their so messed up, it's the equivalent of going on a stereotypical psychedelic trip with Titanic books.
However, Point taken! It's to perverse our sanity (but I wonder what Ken Marschall would have to say on the above...).
Back to Topic (and the 1953, 1958 and 1997 films)!
However, Point taken! It's to perverse our sanity (but I wonder what Ken Marschall would have to say on the above...).
Back to Topic (and the 1953, 1958 and 1997 films)!
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A. Gabriel
Member
No offence, but everyone keeps talking about the 1953 or 1997 films having bad scenes (and to be fair, they do) but what about the terrible / creepy animated ones?
Aside from the dancing Hip-Hop dog and mashed up rooms, One of them literally used a digital cutout of the Titanic from a Ken Marschall painting!
View attachment 42331
At least the other ones were actually trying to be accurate or at least stay in the same decade!
That Titanic has a bulbous bow (observe the protrusion at lower right). Sacrilege and heresy, I say, for the Atlanteans to have tampered with that aspect of Mr Andrews' beautiful ship design in restoring the ship.
I have not seen many Titanic films if I will be completely honest so this will change as I educate myself -- but for me as it stands currently here are five scenes in Titanic films which I vehemently object to (in no particular order):
1) Any scene in the 1943 Nazi propaganda film where "1st Officer Petersen" is featured -- Google the term Gary Stu / Marty Stu and the description which follows is exactly what Petersen is: an unrealistically perfect hero.
2) Jack and Rose finding themselves in one of the Boiler Rooms -- honestly with how blazing hot the boilers were it's a miracle her flowing dress did not catch fire on contact with the searing metal.
3) Murdoch's suicide -- I need not elaborate on why.
4) The announcement of Titanic's speed in the Nazi film -- 26.5 knots? Really? Also the interior of the 1st Class Dining Saloon is all wrong.
5) "Wait a minute, wait a minute, where are you going-- the movie isn't over yet! Don't you want to know what happened to everybody?" -- from the same film as the rapping dog scene. This one makes me want to raise the freaking Olympic and ram it U103-style right into the animation studio that foisted the godawful piece of work on us.
Honorable mention: while the collision scene in the 1997 movie was a stellar execution of cinematography (also that soundtrack, goodness it fits perfectly for the scene), I have to protest the inaccuracies in it -- the "Full Astern!", the incorrect depiction of the red light, the wrong controls in the engine room, and also the 'escape through the watertight doors' sequence (come on, the passages leading back up to Scotland Road are a thing, use them!).
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Harland Duzen
Member
I could't agree more with you more on the above. Also seeing the Olympic ram U-103 (or a similar scene) in a film would be an amazing scene.
As for the 1997 film, they probably didn't know better and with some slight / clunky editing, you could re-edit the scene to make it look like they went to "Full Stop" (I think Aaron did a similar re-edit a while back).
Back to Topic!
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