What Sank Titanic? (28 Aug. 2011)

Without recourse to using fictional characters this impressive docudrama carefully reconstructs how,after hitting the ice berg,the Titanic gradually let in more and more water and,despite ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Dale

Writers:

Graham Booth, Richard Dale

Stars:

Sean Barrett, Bill Paxton, Phil Cheadle

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Barrett	...	Himself - Narrator (voice)
Bill Paxton	...	Himself - Host (US version)
Phil Cheadle	...	Leading Fireman Fred Barrett
Mitzi Jones	...	Elizabeth Dowdell
Christian Rodska	...	Captain Smith
Christopher Villiers	...	J. Bruce Ismay
Oscar Pearce	...	Quigg Baxter
Fred Lancaster	...	John (Jack) Thayer
Paul Mundell	...	Thomas Andrews
Michael Malarkey	...	Milton Long
Krisjanis Salmins	...	Trapped Sailor
Inese Darta Danevica	...	Bertha Mayne
Anta Aizupe	...	Mary Baxter
Leonarda Kestere-Klavina	...	Helene Baxter
Paul Hornsby	...	Greaser Frank Goree

Storyline

Without recourse to using fictional characters this impressive docudrama carefully reconstructs how,after hitting the ice berg,the Titanic gradually let in more and more water and,despite the best evidence of Stoker Barrett - who gave evidence at the inquiry and disappeared shortly after - and his colleagues was eventually doomed. It also recounts the testimony of survivors Elizabeth Dowdell,Jack Thayer and chairman Bruce Ismay,as well as showing the fates of Milton Long,Bertha Mayne and the Baxter family. Much of the action is based on the testimony of witnesses at the two inquiries.

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Plot Keywords:

titanic

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 2011 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Latvia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baltic Film Services, Dangerous Films, Handel Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 120 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

This episode was also shown as a standalone programme in the UK, with the title "Inside the Titanic" and without the use of the series title "Curiosity" or the contribution of Bill Paxton as Host.

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Goofs

In the US version, the narrator states, "Every 10 cubic feet of 'berg is a ton of solid ice". The actual density of ice is about a quarter of that. In the UK version he says "Every cubic metre of 'berg is a ton of solid ice", which is a lot closer to the actual density of ice 0.92 g/cm³, equivalent to 0.92 tonnes, 0.90 UK tons or 1.01 US tons per cubic metre.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bill Paxton: Behind the romance, the history, and the tragedy, lies one of the great unanswered questions of the last 100 years: Exactly how does a ship, that's thought to be unsinkable, drown on her maiden voyage?

User Reviews

Best Titanic ever

This is the best depiction of the tragic sinking of the unsinkable Titanic I've yet seen. Kudos to the uncredited (on IMDb) director, cast and crew of this remarkable re-creation. The documentary style of the film makes one feel we're seeing the actual facts of this much-dramatized event. It far surpasses the three fictional depictions I've seen: "A Night to Remember," the Academy Award-winning film of "Titanic" and the abysmal Tony Award-winning musical "Titanic." The mixture of what I assume are cold hard facts with dramatic recreation is unparalleled. And I say this as one who has read extensively on the subject, and who enjoyed enormously the New York City exhibition a few years ago on 43rd Street, where one received a passport of a passenger, saw actual items recovered from the sunken ship, witnessed full-scale recreations of elements on the ship such as state rooms and the grand staircase, and discovered upon exit how your assumed identity had fared. Some of us died, a few survived. And we were given details of our surrogate passengers' previous lives and future plans. But this television production surpassed everything I've seen or read. I hope a DVD of this production will be made available. I will watch it again, and share it with anyone who shares my own curiosity about this dreadful event, made even more vivid by the 10th anniversary of 9/11.