Review of The Making of 'A Night to Remember'

This almost an hour long documentary offers a fascinatingly detailed chronicle on the making of the terrific film "A Night to Remember." Producer William MacQuitty reveals that he first heard about the Titanic when the ship was being made in 1911 and even saw the ship being launched. Author Walter Lord talks about how difficult it initially was to contact survivors to interview for his book and how he ultimately wound up interviewing over sixty survivors altogether. MacQuitty further notes that it was fortuitous that the movie was shot over the course of four months during the winter, which meant that everyone's breath could be seen on screen. In addition, we also see the building of various sets, find out that an old dismantled ship and a large scale model were used to simulate the Titanic, and are shown a wealth of remarkable behind the scenes footage. Perhaps the best nugget of information comes from the fact that the hydraulic system used to make the sets tilt made all these agonized creaking noises that director Roy Ward Baker decided to retain in the movie for the sake of verisimilitude. Recommended viewing for fans of the film.