S.O.S. Titanic
Encyclopedia
S.O.S. Titanic is a 1979 television movie
that depicts the doomed 1912 voyage from the perspective of three distinct groups of passengers in First, Second, and Third Class, and respectively in a historically accurate fashion. The script was written by James Costigan and the film was directed by William Hale.
First Class passengers include a May–December couple, John Jacob Astor IV
and his new wife Madeleine Talmage Force
; their friend, the notorious "unsinkable" Molly Brown; another pair of honeymooners, Daniel and Mary Marvin; and Benjamin Guggenheim
, returning to his wife and children after a scandalous affair.
Perhaps the most moving plot line is the tentative shipboard romance of two cautious, reflective schoolteachers, Lawrence Beesley
(played by David Warner
, who would go on to appear in the 1997 film Titanic
) and the fictional Leigh Goodwin (played by Susan Saint James
). Both are saved.
In steerage, the plot focuses on the experiences of ten or so Irish immigrants, who are first depicted approaching the ship from a tender in the harbor of Queenstown
, Ireland. These characters, all based on real people, include Katie Gilnagh, Kate Mullens, Mary Agatha Glynn, Bridget Bradley, Daniel Buckley, Jim Farrell, Martin Gallagher, and David Chartens. During the voyage, Martin Gallagher falls for an unnamed "Irish beauty."
Another major theme is the gay, hectic atmosphere aboard ship. Young Mary Marvin comments that many of the First Class passengers are honeymooners, and that she does not want to land, but simply to go on sailing and dancing forever. In much simpler surroundings, the Third Class passengers also engage in music, dancing, and whirlwind romances. Meanwhile, Beesley and Goodwin toy with the possibility of embarking on an illicit affair in an empty cabin but decide not to. Goodwin comments that shipboard romances, like shipboard friendships, are meant to end with the voyage.
A third theme is who deserved, or accepted, responsibility for the wreck of the RMS Titanic. Captain Smith, a veteran White Star captain nearing retirement, is depicted as a masterful leader who nevertheless failed to slow down in spite of being well aware that he was traveling into ice-laden waters. Shipbuilder Thomas Andrews radiates an almost saintly quality, seeing to the final details of construction and repairs himself, tenderly looking after passengers and crew, and even conversing with a young stewardess about their common hometown of Belfast. He fully understands the implications of the collision, and his knowledge that he cannot save the ship clearly breaks his heart. Meanwhile, White Star Line owner J. Bruce Ismay wavers between a stance of command and an unwillingness to take responsibility for the sinking. Identifying himself as a passenger, he defiantly boards a lifeboat, only to experience a nervous breakdown aboard the RMS Carpathia. Ismay is the only one of these three men who survives, and it is clear that he will never fully recover from the sinking.
External shots were also filmed onboard, and of, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's vessel TS Manxman. The Manxman also appears as the Carpathia in some of the opening sequences.
The location for the backdrop of Queenstown, was the town of Peel on the Isle of Man.
tunes on deck during the sinking. Most historians agree that the then popular style is most likely what the band would have played on deck in the dark, improvised and confusing conditions. While the exact tunes played during the sinking might never be known, the ones heard in the film are mostly Scott Joplin
's works. The historically accurate music is segued into the dance number.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
that depicts the doomed 1912 voyage from the perspective of three distinct groups of passengers in First, Second, and Third Class, and respectively in a historically accurate fashion. The script was written by James Costigan and the film was directed by William Hale.
First Class passengers include a May–December couple, John Jacob Astor IV
John Jacob Astor IV
John Jacob Astor IV was an American businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish-American War and a member of the prominent Astor family...
and his new wife Madeleine Talmage Force
Madeleine Astor
Madeleine Astor Dick was the second wife and widow of millionaire John Jacob Astor IV and a survivor of RMS Titanic.-Early life:...
; their friend, the notorious "unsinkable" Molly Brown; another pair of honeymooners, Daniel and Mary Marvin; and Benjamin Guggenheim
Benjamin Guggenheim
Benjamin Guggenheim was an American businessman. He died aboard when the ship sank near Cape Race, Newfoundland.-Early life:...
, returning to his wife and children after a scandalous affair.
Perhaps the most moving plot line is the tentative shipboard romance of two cautious, reflective schoolteachers, Lawrence Beesley
Lawrence Beesley
Lawrence Beesley was a Science teacher, journalist and author who was a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. He was born in Wirksworth, Derbyshire.-Education:...
(played by David Warner
David Warner (actor)
David Warner is an English actor who is known for playing both romantic leads and sinister or villainous characters, both in film and animation...
, who would go on to appear in the 1997 film Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
) and the fictional Leigh Goodwin (played by Susan Saint James
Susan Saint James
Susan Saint James is an American actress and activist, most widely known for her work in television during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.-Early life:...
). Both are saved.
In steerage, the plot focuses on the experiences of ten or so Irish immigrants, who are first depicted approaching the ship from a tender in the harbor of Queenstown
Cobh
Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island...
, Ireland. These characters, all based on real people, include Katie Gilnagh, Kate Mullens, Mary Agatha Glynn, Bridget Bradley, Daniel Buckley, Jim Farrell, Martin Gallagher, and David Chartens. During the voyage, Martin Gallagher falls for an unnamed "Irish beauty."
Themes
One of the film's major themes is class distinctions to foretell this event. Second Class passengers Beesley and Goodwin discuss their ambiguous position "in the middle" and debate whether class distinctions are uniquely British. Goodwin briefly encourages Beesley to pursue his apparent attraction to a young Irish beauty in Third Class, but he rejects this advice. The Third Class passengers, mostly from poor backgrounds, show no resentment at their meager accommodation—Katie Gilnagh comments that sleeping four-to-a-room is far more comfortable than the situation she knew in her overcrowded childhood home—but on the night of the sinking, they struggle to evade the efforts of ship's personnel to keep them below decks and away from the lifeboats. Led by Jim Farrell, they successfully sneak up to the First Class restaurant, where Farrell persuades the Sergeant-at-Arms to allow the women—but only the women—to pass up to the boat deck.Another major theme is the gay, hectic atmosphere aboard ship. Young Mary Marvin comments that many of the First Class passengers are honeymooners, and that she does not want to land, but simply to go on sailing and dancing forever. In much simpler surroundings, the Third Class passengers also engage in music, dancing, and whirlwind romances. Meanwhile, Beesley and Goodwin toy with the possibility of embarking on an illicit affair in an empty cabin but decide not to. Goodwin comments that shipboard romances, like shipboard friendships, are meant to end with the voyage.
A third theme is who deserved, or accepted, responsibility for the wreck of the RMS Titanic. Captain Smith, a veteran White Star captain nearing retirement, is depicted as a masterful leader who nevertheless failed to slow down in spite of being well aware that he was traveling into ice-laden waters. Shipbuilder Thomas Andrews radiates an almost saintly quality, seeing to the final details of construction and repairs himself, tenderly looking after passengers and crew, and even conversing with a young stewardess about their common hometown of Belfast. He fully understands the implications of the collision, and his knowledge that he cannot save the ship clearly breaks his heart. Meanwhile, White Star Line owner J. Bruce Ismay wavers between a stance of command and an unwillingness to take responsibility for the sinking. Identifying himself as a passenger, he defiantly boards a lifeboat, only to experience a nervous breakdown aboard the RMS Carpathia. Ismay is the only one of these three men who survives, and it is clear that he will never fully recover from the sinking.
Locations
- Several of the scenes on the exterior decks, as well as those in the ship's wheelhouse, were filmed on board the inert RMS Queen MaryRMS Queen MaryRMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...
in Long Beach, California. - Some interior scenes were filmed at the Waldorf and Adelphi hotels in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, respectively.
External shots were also filmed onboard, and of, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's vessel TS Manxman. The Manxman also appears as the Carpathia in some of the opening sequences.
The location for the backdrop of Queenstown, was the town of Peel on the Isle of Man.
Historical Inaccuracies
The film does correctly portray the band playing ragtimeRagtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
tunes on deck during the sinking. Most historians agree that the then popular style is most likely what the band would have played on deck in the dark, improvised and confusing conditions. While the exact tunes played during the sinking might never be known, the ones heard in the film are mostly Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas...
's works. The historically accurate music is segued into the dance number.
- John Jacob AstorJohn Jacob Astor IVJohn Jacob Astor IV was an American businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish-American War and a member of the prominent Astor family...
and his wife Madeline actually boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, not at SouthamptonSouthamptonSouthampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as depicted in the film.
- When it is finally April 14, 1912, it says "Day 5: 12 April 1912". This was possibly an error by the filmmakers themselves, as they were unable to correct the mistake after the movie was released.
- Violet JessopViolet JessopViolet Constance Jessop was an ocean liner stewardess and nurse who achieved fame by surviving the disastrous sinkings of sister ships RMS Titanic and HMHS Britannic in 1912 and 1916 respectively...
, the only surviving female to pen an account of the sinking, is showcased here as an elderly Stewardess. Jessop born in 1887 would have in fact been only 24–25 years old when she was employed on the Titanic.
- The lifeboats did not have to row through a thick icefield to reach the RMS CarpathiaRMS CarpathiaRMS Carpathia was a Cunard Line transatlantic passenger steamship built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson. Carpathia made her maiden voyage in 1903 and became famous for rescuing the survivors of after the latter ship hit an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912...
. - The distress rockets for the Titanic were actually fired one at a time, not two at a time as depicted in the film.
- The actual RMS Titanic's lifeboats were actually labeled as SS Titanic, where in the film they are simply labeled as Titanic.
Version History
- SOS Titanic was originally shown on two nights on ABC television beginning on September 29, 1979. Combined, the two parts ran 150 minutes. This version has never been commercially available, although it is shown on TV occasionally and bootleg copies sometimes surface on the internet.
- In 1980, the film was edited to 103 minutes and released theatrically in Europe. This version was released on DVD globally.
- Another video release briefly surfaced in North America in the early nineties, edited to 90 minutes in order to fit the film on a shorter VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
tape.
Main cast
| Actor | Role |
| David Janssen David Janssen David Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive , the starring role in the 1950s hit detective series Richard Diamond, Private Detective , and as Harry Orwell on Harry O.In 1996 TV Guide... |
Colonel John Jacob Astor IV John Jacob Astor IV John Jacob Astor IV was an American businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish-American War and a member of the prominent Astor family... |
| Beverly Ross | Madeleine Astor Madeleine Astor Madeleine Astor Dick was the second wife and widow of millionaire John Jacob Astor IV and a survivor of RMS Titanic.-Early life:... |
| Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award... |
Margaret "Molly" Brown Margaret Brown Margaret Brown was an American socialite, philanthropist, and activist who became famous due to her involvement with the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, after exhorting the crew of lifeboat 6 to return to look for survivors. It is unclear whether any survivors were found after life boat 6... |
| Susan Saint James Susan Saint James Susan Saint James is an American actress and activist, most widely known for her work in television during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.-Early life:... |
Leigh Goodwin |
| David Warner David Warner (actor) David Warner is an English actor who is known for playing both romantic leads and sinister or villainous characters, both in film and animation... |
Lawrence Beesley |
| Geoffrey Whitehead Geoffrey Whitehead Geoffrey Whitehead is an English actor. He has appeared in a huge range of television, film and radio roles. In the theatre, he has played at the Shakespeare Globe, St... |
Thomas Andrews Thomas Andrews (shipbuilder) Thomas Andrews, Jr. was an Irish businessman and shipbuilder; managing director and head of the draughting department for the shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff in Belfast, Ireland. Andrews was the shipbuilder in charge of the plans for the ocean liner... |
| Ian Holm Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm, CBE is an English actor known for his stage work and for many film roles. He received the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear... |
J. Bruce Ismay J. Bruce Ismay Joseph Bruce Ismay was an English businessman who served as chairman and managing director of the White Star Line of steamships. He came to international attention as the highest-ranking White Star official among the 706 survivors Joseph Bruce Ismay (12 December 1862 – 17 October 1937) was... |
| Helen Mirren Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:... |
Stewardess Mary Sloan |
| Harry Andrews Harry Andrews Harry Fleetwood Andrews, CBE was an English film actor known for his frequent portrayals of tough military officers. His performance as Sergeant Major Wilson in The Hill alongside Sean Connery earned Andrews the 1965 National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and a nomination for the... |
Captain Edward J. Smith |
| Jerry Houser Jerry Houser Jerry Houser is an American character actor and voice actor in film and television.-Career:Houser was born in Los Angeles, California. Since 1971, he has appeared in countless films, TV series, animated series, and commercials... |
Daniel Marvin |