S.O.S. Titanic

Rosemary Leach Director: William Hale William Hale

Overview

An Anglo-American co-production, S.O.S. Titanic is a costly, 150-minute reenactment of the infamous sea disaster of 1912. Heading the cast is David Janssen as millionaire John Jacob Astor, who went down with the Titanic, and Cloris Leachman as raucous Denver dowager Molly Brown, who didn't (for the record, Leachman had previously played Brown on a 1957 episode of the TV anthology Telephone Time). Third-billed is Susan Saint James as fictional passenger Leigh Goodwin, who carries most of the dramatic load. Written by Hallmark Hall of Fame veteran James Costigan, the made-for-television S.O.S. Titanic premiered September 23, 1979. In subsequent network and syndicated showings, the film was pared down to 102 minutes.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/13/2020
UPC:	0738329243838
Original Release:	1979
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	1
Sales rank:	15,283

Special Features

Brand New 4k Restoration (Theatrical Cut); Brand New HD Master (TV Cut); Audio Commentary by Film Historian Evgueni Mlodik; Titanic 1943 Theatrical Trailer; Original 1912 Newsrel; A Tour of the Olympic Titanic Sister Ship

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Rosemary Leach	Actor
Harry Andrews	Captain Edward J. Smith
David Battley	Chief Boots: S. Stebbing
Ed Bishop	Henry Harris
Tony Caunter	Chief Officer: Henry Wilde
David Janssen	John Jacob Astor
Cloris Leachman	Molly Brown
Matthew Guinness	Catholic Priest: Father Byles
Jerry Houser	Dan Marvin
Victor Langley	Band Leader: Wallace Hartley
Gerard McSorley	Martin Gallagher
John Moffatt	Benjamin Guggenheim
Aubrey Morris	Steward: John Hart
Martin Murphy	Bugle Boy: Peter Fletcher
Nancy Nevinson	Ida Strauss
Robert Pugh	James Farrell
Maurice Roeves	Leading Stoker: Fred Barret
Norman Rossington	Master-at-Arms: T. King
Geoffrey Whitehead	Thomas Andrews
Gordon Whiting	Laider Strauss
Paul Young	First Officer: Joseph Murdoch
Nick Brimble	Olaus Abelseth
Catherine Byrne	Bridget Bradley
Deborah Fallender	Mary Marvin
Warren Clarke	4th Officer: Joseph G. Boxhall
Lise Hilboldt	Rene Harris
Ian Holm	J. Bruce Ismay
Kate Howard	Countess of Rothes
Karl Howman	5th Officer: Harold Lowe
Tony Maiden	Assist. Boots: E.J. Guy
Helen Mirren	Stewardess: May Sloan
Michele O'Connor	Kate Mullins
Rynagh O'Grady	Mary Agatha Glyn
Kevin O'Shea	Crow's Nest: Reginald Lee
Dorothea Phillips	Emma Bucknell
Anna Quayle	Maude Slocombe
Beverly Ross	Madeline Astor
Susan Saint James	Leigh Goodwin
Madge Ryan	Stewardess: Violet Jessop
David Warner	Laurence Beesley
Malcolm Stoddard	2cnd Officer: Charles H. Lightoller
Philip Stone	Captain Arthur Rostron
Christopher Strauli	Chied Wireless: Harold Cottam

Technical Credits

James Costigan

William Hale	Director
Martin Atkinson	Set Decoration/Design
Howard Blake	Score Composer
Christopher G. Challis	Cinematographer
Rusty Coppleman	Editor
Ray Corbett	Asst. Director
James Costigan	Screenwriter
Graham Ford	Production Manager
William S. Gilmore	Producer
Tim Hutchinson	Art Director
Barbara Lane	Costumes/Costume Designer
Richard Mills	Makeup
Lou Morheim	Producer
Wally Veevers	Special Effects
Herbert Westbrook	Production Designer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- S.O.S. Titanic (Theatrical Cut)
1. Chapter 1 [10:26]
2. Chapter 2 [15:49]
3. Chapter 3 [8:03]
4. Chapter 4 [17:56]
5. Chapter 5 [10:11]
6. Chapter 6 [14:47]
7. Chapter 7 [13:37]
8. Chapter 8 [11:51]
Disc #2 -- S.O.S. Titanic (Television Cut)
255. Chapters
1. Chapter 1 [16:11]
2. Chapter 2 [17:13]
3. Chapter 3 [14:46]
4. Chapter 4 [12:40]
5. Chapter 5 [24:07]
6. Chapter 6 [20:40]
7. Chapter 7 [19:07]
8. Chapter 8 [19:26]

Menu

Disc #1 -- S.O.S. Titanic (Theatrical Cut)
   Play
   Bonus
      Audio Commentary by Film Historian Evgueni Mlodik: On/Off
         Audio Commentary by Film Historian Evgueni Mlodik: On
         Audio Commentary by Film Historian Evgueni Mlodik: Off
         Play
   Subtitles
      English Subtitles: On/Off
         English Subtitles: On
         English Subtitles: Off
   Chapters
Disc #2 -- S.O.S. Titanic (Television Cut)
   Play
   Bonus
      Original 1912 Newsreel
      A Tour of the Olympic - Titanic Sister Ship
      Titanic 1943 Theatrical Trailer
   Subtitles
      English Subtitles: On/Off
         English Subtitles: On
         English Subtitles: Off

Editorial Reviews

This 1979 made-for-TV production may have the most intelligent ending of all the films about the sinking of the Titanic. The final scenes show Ian Holm as J. Bruce Ismay, the cowardly, British managing director of the American-owned ship, safe aboard the rescue ship Carpathia -- but nervously pondering his fate back home. The viewer then realizes that survivors of the great sea disaster could also be among the victims. Like other film versions of the Titanic's only voyage, S.O.S. Titanic serves up slices of life of the doomed passengers and crew -- David Janssen plays millionaire John Jacob Astor and Harry Andrews is Captain Edward J. Smith -- as well as of the surviving passengers, including an irrepressible Cloris Leachman as the flamboyant American, Margaret Tobin Brown ("Unsinkable Molly Brown"). Overall, director William Hale's S.O.S. Titanic is an fair melodrama with good special effects. Though not as good as the best Titanic film -- 1958's A Night to Remember -- it is a worthy production that deserves attention.

All Movie Guide - Mike Cummings