It's about the sinking of the Titanic, of course, even though the White Star Line refused to let them use the name, convinced that it would keep anyone from thinking bad thoughts. For a 1929 talkie, it's visually lively, with cinematographer Charles Rosher taking advantage of the scenes of mass panic, shot wild and covered with crowd noises. There are even a couple of carefully handled moving shots in other scenes.
Although there are some big set scenes, most of it takes place in the first-class saloon, where wheelchair-bound Franklin Dyall holds court and passes regal judgment on events, bucks up panicky Monty Banks, and gets John Stuart to persuade his wife, Madeleine Carroll, to get on a lifeboat.
The acting is a bit stolid, concessions to the theatrical cast and the novel sound equipment. The final sequences, in which the captain sends John Longden off to rescue a trial, the telegraph operator sticks to his post, and the crew sings "Nearer My God To Thee" while the screen goes intermittently black, are very powerful: just the sort of early talkie technique that did not long survive.
British International Pictures produced it, but DuPont shot three versions, one in French and one in German.
Although there are some big set scenes, most of it takes place in the first-class saloon, where wheelchair-bound Franklin Dyall holds court and passes regal judgment on events, bucks up panicky Monty Banks, and gets John Stuart to persuade his wife, Madeleine Carroll, to get on a lifeboat.
The acting is a bit stolid, concessions to the theatrical cast and the novel sound equipment. The final sequences, in which the captain sends John Longden off to rescue a trial, the telegraph operator sticks to his post, and the crew sings "Nearer My God To Thee" while the screen goes intermittently black, are very powerful: just the sort of early talkie technique that did not long survive.
British International Pictures produced it, but DuPont shot three versions, one in French and one in German.