Titanic (Four-part mini-series/serial) (1 Viewer)

[WaveCrest]

Episode 1 comments:




Not quite sure what to make of the first part of the Titanic mini-series. Knew there would be a lot of characters to introduce. You got to know a bit about most of them. Some characters stood out more than others (these were the ones I could remember)..the Countess of Manton (also called Lady Manton, and played by Geraldine Somerville), her husband the Earl of Manton (played by Linus Roache), Captain Smith (played by David Calder), Celia Imrie's character (who adored her dog), Jenna-Louise Coleman's character, the actor who played a valet (sure he was in the 80's/90's series Press Gang) and Toby Jones' character.

Based on the "Next week..." promo before the start of the end credits, they're going back to the start of the story in the second episode, with some more background about the construction of the ocean liner.

To sum up, not bad but not great either. A bit of a disappointment following the excessive ads and trailers on TV. But will be tuning in to the remaining three parts.

 

[WaveCrest]

Episode 2 comments:



Not much to add to the comments in my previous post. Some blanks were filled in, especially with the construction of the Titanic. No promo for the third episode before the end credits, but am hoping they don't go back to the start of the story again.

 

[WaveCrest]

Episode 3 comments:



The third episode of Titanic saw the story move back to the beginning again, going further back in time to give some background to one of the characters on board the ocean liner. I'd say this was the best episode so far.

 

[Stan]

Nothing negative towards you WaveCrest, but it is somewhat humorous putting spoilers on your posts.
We obviously all know how it ends and the little fictional speculations that may show up are certainly not going to change the ending.
I'm looking forward to this, when done well, a good old Titanic story is always nice to watch.
Wish we were seeing your version, as our version will probably be edited compared to the British television version. We're getting better and allowing more realistic language, nudity, etc. but it still feels like there is some grey haired prude censoring things for the networks.

 

[WaveCrest]

Stan,

Can see the funny side, what you mean by me putting the comments on the first three parts in spoiler tags. Only did that just in case anyone says I'm spoiling anything before they've seen the mini-series (even though we know what the ending is, and I haven't gone into great detail about the scenes and characters).

The BBFC added a listing to their website today for the ITV Studios Home Entertainment release of the Titanic mini-series. The total running time for each of the four parts is between 45-46 minutes (about right for an hour long programme without adverts on ITV1 these days).

 

[Nelson Au]

I planned to watch Titanic tonight. But I have a deadline for work. So I had the TV on in my home office and I kept working. From what I saw, I'm not sure I want to see the concluding hour Sunday. I didn't find it that compelling.
It felt so disjointed going back and forth from start to collision in each episode. But it was another way to tell the story. Compared to the Cameron film, it did feel very British and very well done. None of the excessive hysteronics of Billy Zane's Cal character. Perhaps the forth part will connect everything as the ship sinks.
I did put the Cameron film on after I finished work for the night for bit. And it almost felt like a Michael Bay action film as the lovers try to survive as the ship is filling up with water after seeing the TV effort.

 

[moviepas]

Nothing good to say about this. The script is poor, the acting is poor, the SFX are poor, the sets are poor, the characterisation is poor. It's just all unbelievably poor and lazy. It could've been set on any sinking ship at any time in history. The fact that it's the Titanic is irrelevant as Fellowes has used the Titanic setting merely as a coathanger on which he can drape the same tired old cliches he used in Downton Abbey. All the 'types' are instantly recognisible. Good for a laugh but nothing else. And Fellowes thought he was being historically accurate? lol.

ITV paid £11 million for it!

A STOLEN REVIEW!!!

IT starts in Australia tonight on TV and is 184mins total. The DVD with featurettes etc left UK for me 24 hours ago but no Blu Ray. Downton Abbey(BBC) is in my collection in Blu Ray format

As a sideline to this 100th anniversary, I was listening to a weekend Buy, Swap & Sell program on radio this morning(Sunday) and a woman rang up and reckons she has the front page of the Boston Herald??? original from April 16 1912 and it lists all the names of the 1500 dead and something about a murder or murderer(I think she said George Marsh) and says the thing is framed and continues both stories on the back. She says she bought it at a Sunday market four years ago and wanted $3000 for it. I doubt she would get it and there was no way she would find anything at a local market in that price bracket. I suggest it was a copy and it would have been a few bucks at that particular trash & treasure place and any other market these days in my city. But it may also be a fake. I probably will never know the answer.

 

[WaveCrest]

Moviepas, is the part of your post in bold from or all of a review? Have read recently a comment that the Titanic mini-series was a waste of £11 million. Also, the UK Blu-ray wasn't available?

Fourth and final part on ITV1 tonight (with episodes three and four being shown on ABC tonight as well).

 

[WaveCrest]

Well, the final part continued the better quality seen in the third episode. This mini-series has been good but not great. Continuing the trend of the first three episodes, they went back earlier in time, this time with the night the iceberg struck the ocean liner, with the last three quarters of the episode focusing on what happens afterwards.

 

[Nelson Au]

I thought it was better too.
The people finding each other in the water and the survivors struggling to stay alive were the parts I thought were well done. Too bad aboit thebitalian waiter. I felt bad for his girlfriend. I did miss out on the details of the other affairs. The one shot of the stern going up and then down was a cool shot. It was an interesting contrast to the Cameron version in that you see it from the perspective of the survivors and I thought their reactions really show the awe of the sight.
Though the Cameron film really gave you a sense they were freezing cold in the water. The mini series looked like they were in a warm pool.
It was hard not to compare with the Cameron film. Both show a lot of people in the water. I assume the documented reports of eye witness survivors described such a scene as both films depict the same sequence of events.
I happen to be playing the Titanic laserdisc of the 1953 Cliffton Webb, Barbara Stanwick, Robert Wagner film version. Which shows a lot of stoic stiff upper lip bravery. I'm really curious to see the 1958 film version, A Night to Remember. That film appears to have much better reviews of the two 1950's film versions. I'll have to grab the Criterion blu ray.

 

[Tino]

A Night to Remember is probably the best Titanic film ever made.
Didn't like the 53 version at all. Too melodramatic and soapy. Hard to believe it won the screenplay Oscar that year.

 

[Nelson Au]

Yes, the '53 version was very soapy!
I'll be looking forward to seeing A Night To Remember.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

A Night To Remember, rocks. I watched it on a lark after a mention by someone who worked in the biz (with Cameron at one time no less) and I came away impressed.

 

[TravisR]

Not to take anything away from A Night To Remember (it's an excellent movie) but I think Cameron got alot closer to Lightoller than A Night To Remember did. The 1958 movie presents him as a British superman but the 1997 movie shows him as understandably coming close to being overwhelmed by a horrible situation.

 

[Nelson Au]

I don't know all the crew that well on Titanic. I looked up Lightoller and he survived as the highest ranking officer of Titanic.

 

[Tino]

He also adamantly stated that the Titanic did NOT break in two. A company man through and through and probably guilty of much whitewashing.
Check out the Titanic Disaster Hearings for a complete transcript of Lightollers testimony to Senator Smith and you'll see what I mean.
Nevertheless he saved hundreds of lives and even aided in the rescue at Dunkirk during WWII!

 

[TravisR]

Nevertheless he saved hundreds of lives and even aided in the rescue at Dunkirk during WWII!

Yeah, I don't want to take away from the man because he was in an impossible situation (and one that he most likely would have not expected to live through) and he did save lives on the Titanic but he could have saved more if he had filled the lifeboats he was in charge of loading. I think there's varying accounts but he also probably thwarted a panic on the later lifeboats and his expertise probably saved a number of lives on the upturned lifeboat that he and others survived on.

 

[WaveCrest]

Titanic got over 7 million viewers (on ITV1 and it's +1 channel) for the first episode, but by the fourth and last episode the ratings were around 3.75 million viewers (source: Digital Spy TV ratings news articles).