' Titanic ' or ' ' A Night To Remember '--Which Do You Prefer?

I still remember seeing Titanic in the theatre. It was one of the first times (if not THE first) I’d experienced the new “stadium seating” and the screen was huge. One of the things that sticks out to me was sitting in the front row of the elevated section with the metal rails in front which sort of looked like those one might find on a ship.

I feel bad for the people that watch it for the first time (especially the sinking) on a television screen since it doesn’t do it justice. I know that’s true of many films.

The film I saw first was the Barbara Stanwyck version, then the modern blockbuster and finally A Night to Remember. I actually enjoyed the older one even if there’s a fair amount of melodrama. I should pick up the Criterion ANTR next time they have a 50% off sale.

 

Wow there are a lot film snobs here .
How anyone can prefer a movie from generations ago to Titanic is beyond me .

Titanic was an instant classic, I saw it on opening night where we all thought it was going to be another Waterworld .
But at the end credits everyone was on their feet clapping and cheering and word of mouth took it from there .

Have seen some say the romance element was not needed or took away from the story and the dramatic moments later .
Again that is total rubbish the romance gave the movie heart and I am far from being a fan of romantic movies .

So yes Titanic is a masterpiece in film making and will last forever .

 

It is easy to prefer a film which an individual feels is a better movie. It is nothing to do with snobbery. I prefer A Night To Remember because in my opinion it is a better film. I prefer the original King Kong because in my opinion it is better than all of the remakes.

 

I think that it was Cameron's desire to give his audience a you-are-there look at the Titanic and how people were during that era. It was also designed to show the actual events, many in close to real time.

But first of all, Titanic was designed to be an entertaining movie. It wasn't designed to be a reboot of prior movies, even though many of the same characters were present. It was not designed to be a 1950's era melodrama.

 

Many prefer it because it's arguably the better movie.
Age has nothing to do with it.

 

Not wrong. I do love the Cameron film, but I agree it can be a bit tedious... recently watched it again for the first time in years and realized that I didn't quite love it as much as I once did.... I get why so many don't like the Jack & Rose story, but I also get why it's there. Once they are out to sea, and especially once the iceberg is hit, it does get more "watchable"

 

That seems to be the consensus. It wouldn't be good press for White Star if Titanic was confirmed to have split in half before going down...

 

Also... Not Wrong!

I saw it several times in the theater and loved it every time. As mentioned above, I wasn't quite as mesmerized on a recent viewing as I had usually been in the past. Of course this is a film I've seen countless times.... from several times in the theaters, to the bootleg VHS 'screener' I bought on ebay (while the move was still in the theaters!), to the double VHS official release, and finally the DVD..... yeah, I've watched it quite a few times..... but I think the mystique has kind of worn off.

I did re-read Lord's A Night To Remember, and the The Night Lives On around this time last year. I often wax nostalgic about the old girl in mid-to-late April.... for some reason...

 

So Titanic is a masterpiece that will live forever, but we can't possibly prefer another movie from generations ago? See any flaws to that logic?

The romance was not needed to give the movie "heart." The life and death struggle of thousands of passengers gives the real tragedy more than enough heart to form the basis of a movie. It's BS when filmmakers create fictional plot lines to portray historical events that already have plenty of genuine drama. For example, when I go to see a movie about Pearl Harbor, I'm not wanting to see a story about a fictional romance. Not even a little bit.

 

We tend to watch a Titanic movie every April, and one of the easiest to watch is A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, now that I've finally gotten the Criterion Blu-ray. It looks good, it gets to the point, and it's done in two hours and three minutes.

When we want to kill a Sunday afternoon, there's always Cameron's movie. It also looks good, but it takes forever, and you have to put up with Leonardo DiCaprio's "smarminess", - don't know how else to phrase that.

We also sometimes dig out the TV miniseries version with George C. Scott as captain, and with Catherine Zeta-Jones in the cast. It'a also long.

 

Not familiar with this one but see it's available on YouTube. Will check it out later. Thanks for the heads up.

 

I bought the Blu-Ray at Walmart. It was in the $5 bin.

 

Just finished watching this.
Not too good but passable for made-for-TV fare.

 

Yep. Same story. They all end the same way...

 

Was a well done 1979 made-for-TV movie.

Trivia, David Warner, who played security for Billy Zane's character (1997 Cameron movie), was also in S.O.S. Titanic, which was the first color version of the Titanic story, he played Laurence Beesley.

Actually, David Warner visited the Titanic in three different movies.

"David Warner also appeared in Time Bandits (1981) (which features a scene aboard the Titanic)."

 

How many Titanic movies are there?

 

Not sure but the ship collides with the iceberg in every one.

 

Well personally...I'd rather my boat reach it's destination, if you don't mind.

 

Oh, A Night to Remember by a country mile.

The movie was actually on TV at the moment I brought home my first purchase of Bowie's Lodger. I put headphones on and it supplied the visuals.

 

That’s because none of the boats had Captain Stubing!

 

interesting that actor Jeremy Sisto auditioned for Titanic. He must have come close, because he's in this audition video with Kate Winslet. Though now hard to imagine anyone else in that role

 

Interesting...

 

I detest Titanic so the other wins by default, and it's a pretty good film anyway.

 

The spectacle is cool in Titanic but the Jack and Rose story I have no use for.