wendyluhardy

I've been interested in the Titanic for many years and saw this English movie many years ago on TV. It's not one of those movies that is shown very often. Fortunately it's on YouTube (after so many movies have been taken off), so feel free to indulge.

There have been many movies made about the Titanic--both for theaters and television--and while I do like James Cameron's 1997 version, "A Night to Remember" is the better film. Made only 45 years after the sinking, there were still many survivors at that time and a few hung around the studio watching the movie being filmed and offering their advice. Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall acted as technical adviser. James Cameron watched this movie many times and while I appreciate his attention to detail and historical accuracy, his version is basically a love story that took place aboard the Titanic. "A Night to Remember" is about the ship itself, based on Walter Lord's 1955 best selling book.

For anyone that knows anything about the Titanic and its cast of characters, you can easily pick out Thomas Andrews, J. Bruce Ismay, "unsinkable" Molly Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Isadore Strauss, Captain Smith, etc.

One aspect of this great movie that sets it apart from most of the others--particularly Cameron's movie--is the "Californian controversy." A ship, the Californian, was about 12 miles away while the Titanic was sinking and the crewmen on watch saw rockets being fired. But their telegraph operator had gone to sleep & missed the SOS. Nothing was reported to the ship's captain, Stanley Lord. Supposedly the ship couldn't have reached the Titanic in time even if it moved at top speed due to the ice--but it should have tried anyway.

So please watch this movie on YouTube, it's one of my favorites and I'm so glad I can watch it any time I want, it's a little over 2 hours long, you won't be disappointed!

I was a teen/young adult in the 1970s & saw lots of movies, but "Smile" somehow escaped me, probably because it was not well publicized. It wasn't until 1980 when I was visiting my mother that I saw it on HBO, she had recommended it. I thought the movie was hilarious. Very few people I know have even heard of "Smile," let alone seen it. And just recently I was talking with my mother & this movie came up, she mentioned that she thought it was terrible; I had to remind her that she's the one that told me to watch it all those years ago! I seem to be the only person I know who appreciates this movie.

"Smile" is a fictional behind-the-scenes look at a fictional beauty contest for Young California Miss (or something like that). There are familiar faces such as Bruce Dern, Barbara Feldon and Eric Shea (the voice of Linus in the Peanuts cartoons of the 1960s), but there's also a young Melanie Griffith as one of the girls. Can't forget Michael Kidd, who plays the pageant's career-slumped choreographer, who was an actual Hollywood choreographer (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Where's Charley?). Oh yes, Annette O'Toole, who was in a few movies during that decade.

The story is great, the acting is terrific, the dialogue is wonderful. There are so few good comedies any more. I need to get "Smile" on DVD, as it's rarely shown on TV. Just wish I had seen it when it came out in 1975-76, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it as much as I do now.

I never even heard of "Downfall" before, guess it played in very few American theaters. It was on Netflix a few months ago, I was wondering if I should even bother with it, looked up the trailer on YouTube, thought it was worth my while & sat down with a bowl of popcorn. I was blown away by this movie, everything about it was great, even though the people around Hitler weren't readily identified (such as in "The Longest Day," another great film), you could pick out Josef & Magda Goebbels, Henrich Himmler, Eva Braun. It's like you, the audience, is there in the bunker with Hitler, watching/listening to him rant & rave to his generals. I would have loved to have seen what life was really like during the last few weeks in Hitler's bunker, but "Downfall" probably comes closer than any other movie.

Bruno Ganz should have at least been nominated for an Oscar. The Academy blew it, though (not unusual).

This amazing movie didn't get the publicity it deserved when it released. I have never cared for western or war movie genres but there are some exceptions and "Downfall" is one of them. Other war movies I've enjoyed--just for the record--are "Das Boot" (another great German film), "Hacksaw Ridge," "Schlinder's List," "The Pianist," "Saving Private Ryan," "The Longest Day," "The Great Escape," "Valkyrie," "Conspiracy," and "Tora! Tora! Tora!" Haven't seen much beyond that (wait, does "The Final Countdown" count?)

Anyway, check out Downfall!