Titanic (1953 film)

Titanic
film poster
Directed by	Jean Negulesco, Stanree Roo
Produced by	Charles Brackett
Written by	Charles Brackett Richard L. Breen Walter Reisch
Starring	Clifton Webb Barbara Stanwyck Robert Wagner Audrey Dalton Harper Carter Thelma Ritter Brian Aherne Richard Basehart
Music by	Sol Kaplan
Cinematography	Joseph MacDonald
Editing by	Louis R. Loeffler
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	April 16, 1953 (1953-04-16)
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1,805,000
Box office	$2,250,000

Titanic is a 1953 American drama film directed by Jean Negulesco. Its plot centers on an estranged couple sailing on the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic, which took place in April 1912.

Plot

Mrs. Julia Sturges (Barbara Stanwyck), who is at the time estranged from her husband Richard (Clifton Webb), is traveling first class on the RMS Titanic. Determined to remove her children from her husband Richard's "high society" world in Europe, Julia secretly takes their two children, seventeen-year-old Annette (Audrey Dalton) and ten-year-old Norman (Harper Carter), on the Titanic and plans to raise them in her hometown of Mackinac, Michigan. However, after he learns of her plans, Richard buys a steerage ticket from a Basque immigrant in hopes of intercepting them and taking the children back to Europe. Richard and Julia talk about the custody of Annette and Norman over their first dinner on board.

Other passengers include a wealthy woman of working class origins based on Molly Brown, Maude Young (Thelma Ritter); a social-climbing snob, Earl Meeker (Allyn Joslyn); a twenty-year-old Purdue tennis player, Gifford Rogers (Robert Wagner), who falls in love with Annette Sturges; and a priest who has been suspended for alcoholism, George S. Healey (Richard Basehart).

Julia realizes that Annette is old enough to make her own decisions, and therefore may choose to return to Europe with her father, but insists on maintaining custody of Norman. This angers Richard and later, prior to dining at the captain's table, he aggressively confronts Julia. She then reveals to him that Norman is not his biological child, but rather the result of a one-night stand she had after leaving a party where she was being belittled in the days before Richard had 'made [her] over into [his] image.' He agrees to relinquish custody of Norman (but promises to take care of him and Julia financially), being cold and distant from them. Richard joins Maude, Earl, and George Widener in the lounge to play bridge with them. Norman tries to get Richard to play shuffleboard with him, but he yells at him sending him away. Giff teaches Annette the "Navajo Rag" and she finds herself smitten with him. That night Giff, Annette, and a group of college students sing and play the piano in the dining room and in a corner table, Captain Smith watches. Suddenly the lookout spots an iceberg and although the crew tries to steer clear of danger, the ship is cut open by the iceberg. Julia and Norman are awaken by the crash and Annette tells them that the ship has hit an iceberg. Richard tells his family to dress warmly, but properly and then they head outside.

Richard and Julia have a tearful reconciliation on the boat deck as he is putting Julia and the children in famous Lifeboat #6. Later, Norman gives up his seat in the full lifeboat so that a woman can be accommodated and goes looking for his father. They reunite as the Titanic is in her final moments. Richard tells a passing steward that Norman is his 'son' and then tells the boy that he has been proud of him every day of his life and that he feels 'tall as a mountain' standing by the boy's side. Then they join the rest of the passengers and crew in singing the hymn "Nearer, my God, to Thee". The Titanic rises high in the air, explodes two more times and rapidly sinks.

Richard and Norman both drown. Giff Rogers falls into the ocean while trying to free a stuck lifeboat and is rescued by the passengers in Lifeboat #7. He survives.

Meeker disguises himself as a woman and gains admittance to a lifeboat. He also survives, although Young recognizes him and calls him out in front of the other people in the lifeboat.

George Healey pulls himself together as the ship is sinking and goes below to rescue (or provide last rites for) crewmen who have been trapped in the engine room.

Cast

• Clifton Webb as Richard Ward Sturges
• Barbara Stanwyck as Julia Sturges
• Robert Wagner as Gifford "Giff" Rogers
• Audrey Dalton as Annette Sturges
• Harper Carter as Norman Sturges
• Thelma Ritter as Maude Young
• Brian Aherne as Capt. Edward John Smith
• Richard Basehart as George S. Headles
• Allyn Joslyn as Earl Meekery
• James Todd as Sandy Comstock
• Frances Bergen as Madeleine Astor
• William Johnstone as John Jacob Astor IV
• Christopher Severn as Flag messenger
• James O'Hara as Devlin (lookout)
• Charles B. Fitzsimons as Chief Officer Wilde (as Charles FitzSimons)
• Barry Bernard as First Officer Murdoch
• Edmund Purdom as Second Officer Lightoller
• Guy Standing Jr. as George D. Widener
• Helen Van Tuyl as Ida Straus (as Hellen Van Tuyl)
• Roy Gordon as Isador Straus
• Marta Mitrovich as Mrs. Jean Uzcadum
• Ivis Goulding as Emma (1st Class Stewardess)
• Dennis Frazer as Bride (wireless operator) (as Dennis Fraser)
• Ron Hagerthy as unnamed college student
• Ashley Cowan as Phillips (wireless operator)
• Camillo Guercio as Benjamin Guggenneim

Production

Charles Brackett, who co-wrote and produced the film, told the press that some of the stories had to be discarded, "because they are too fantastic for movie audiences to believe." In a September 1952 news article, it was reported that Terry Moore was set to play the role of Annette Sturges, on condition that she would finish production of Man on a Tightrope on time.

Reception

According to the film aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, Titanic holds an 88% "Fresh" rating, based on 8 reviews.

Variety Magazine reviewed the film positively stating, "but by the time the initial 45 or 50 minutes are out of the way, the impending disaster begins to take a firm grip on the imagination and builds a compelling expectancy."

Awards and nominations

Titanic won the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction. The film was also nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award.

External links

• Titanic at the Internet Movie Database
• Titanic at AllRovi
• Titanic (1953 film) at the TCM Movie Database
• Titanic at Rotten Tomatoes