Atlantique, latitude 41°

SYNOPSIS

While this drama about the sinking of the Titanic can't compete in terms of spectacle with James Cameron's multi-million-dollar blockbuster, it still manages to present the facts of the disaster in a deeply moving and compelling manner. Basing his film on Walter Lord's meticulously researched book (adapted by Eric Ambler), director Roy Ward Baker opts for a documentary style that focuses on the human interest angle without recourse to melodramatics. The result is a gripping account of the tragedy, impeccably acted by a sterling British cast headed by Kenneth More as heroic second officer Herbert Lightoller, from whose perspective we see events unfolding.