23 replies to this topic

[Trojan]

The new Titanic show was on TV last night. It's going to be four epsidodes. The James Cameron film is to be re-released in 3D. There was a programme about Titanic on Channel 5 last week and I believe there's one on the Beeb this week. There have been several other films one called Titanic (1953) I believe. The best one "A Night to Remember" and "Raise the Titanic!" The US Navy located the wreck and risked life and limb to explore and film it. According to IMdb there have been 10 films altogether. There was a docu/drama on TV last year.
I wonder why we are so fascinated by this ship? There have been other maritime disasters. The Lusitania sank with huge casulaties. HMS Hood blew up! The Queen Elizabeth caught fire in Hong Kong harbour. The Normandie - the fastest and most luxuriious of the pre war liners caught fire and was destroyed in New York Harbour. Lately there's been the disaster in Italy. But the Titanic never seems to lose its grip.
There's even an on line encyclopedia dedicated to it
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/
I'm just as bad as the rest. I wonder why we can't leave it alone

[steef]

Can't get my head around the obsession myself. Badly designed boat sinks due to bad design. Great story.

[paley]

I don't give a toss about it. I am all about the centenary of the death of Scott and the lads

[fieldofclothofgold]

Is it because it was on its maiden voyage,and there was probably ots of publicity about it up to it being launched and then setting sail?



I am looking forward to the series being shown over here

Edited by fieldofclothofgold, 26 March 2012 - 10:18 PM.

[gingerjon]

I don't give a toss about it. I am all about the centenary of the death of Scott and the lads

Excellent exhibition at the Natural History Museum should you be over in South Ken.

[Trojan]

I don't give a toss about it. I am all about the centenary of the death of Scott and the lads

But there again they went out into the unknown ill prepared and badly equipped. And it came to grief. One of the "lads" Capt Oates had a Leeds connection.

[Maximus Decimus]

I can understand the fascination.

I'm a great fan of Downton Abbey, but Titanic on ITV was pants.

[Mumby Magic]

It's a fair point. My memory is hazy from last week but read there was another disaster in the same decade with 1500 fatalities and up until last week had never heard of it.

[gingerjon]

But there again they went out into the unknown ill prepared and badly equipped.

You haven't read anything on the subject for about 30 years have you?

[Maximus Decimus]

We shouldn't be surprised that some things catch the public's imagination more than some others. It's a fact of life and happens all the time with tragedies and other things like mass murderers.

I think the Titanic is so revered because of the size and they mythology that has built up around it as 'the unsinkable ship.' I'd be interested to know how famous it was prior to the voyage, it is made out like in programmes like Sunday's that the whole nation knew it was setting sail. I often wonder whether the general public first heard about it when it crashed.

[fieldofclothofgold]

But there again they went out into the unknown ill prepared and badly equipped. And it came to grief. One of the "lads" Capt Oates had a Leeds connection.

I am led to believe there is to be a plaque unveiled at Meanwood park in the honour of Oates whose family donated the land to LCC

[John Drake]

I can understand the fascination.

I'm a great fan of Downton Abbey, but Titanic on ITV was pants.

Some critics dubbed it 'Drownton' which ought not to be funny, given that Titanic is based on a real life tragedy, but the two TV shows bear such an unmistakeable similarity it was unavoidable really.

I watched it, thought it was ok, quite slick for a TV drama, but it suffers from the story having been told so many times, but not at quite this hurried pace. We are introduced to a whole swathe of characters, some based on real people, some fictional, then within the space of sixty minutes (nearer fifty if you cut out the ads) they're all either scrabbling for a lifeboat or being all terribly stiff upper lip about their fate. There's nothing new or interesting about any of it. Some of the scenes (Guggenheim unhurriedly slugging a whisky in full evening wear as the ship sinks) are so familiar that they end up being boring in this.

The best telling of the Titanic story is probably going to be the first one you see (in my case, a TV showing of 'A Night To Remember' many moons ago) because it is and always will remain such a shocking tragedy that so many people lost their lives on a ship that should never have sunk, due to a combination of corporate greed and human error.

[paley]

But there again they went out into the unknown ill prepared and badly equipped. And it came to grief. One of the "lads" Capt Oates had a Leeds connection.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to the Roland Huntford book.

In May t'wife and I are having a spot of dinner at le manoir aux quat'saisons in Oxfordshire then the next day heading into London for the Scott exhibition

[West Country Eagle]

I can understand the fascination.

I'm a great fan of Downton Abbey, but Titanic on ITV was pants.

Downton on a Boat. If they started with the plebs or the staff rather than the dreary poshos, it might have held the interest a bit more. But, nope, Julian Fellowes reverted to type. Quelle surprise.

[Ullman]

The best telling of the Titanic story is probably going to be the first one you see (in my case, a TV showing of 'A Night To Remember' many moons ago) because it is and always will remain such a shocking tragedy that so many people lost their lives on a ship that should never have sunk, due to a combination of corporate greed and human error.

Joseph Boxhall, the fourth officer on the Titanic, lived just around the corner from our house. He acted as technical advisor to 'A Night To Remember'.

[Old Frightful]

Joseph Boxhall, the fourth officer on the Titanic, lived just around the corner from our house. He acted as technical advisor to 'A Night To Remember'.

Maybe, but he wasn't as legendary as Keith, even if he spelt his name slightly different.

[Ullman]

Maybe, but he wasn't as legendary as Keith, even if he spelt his name slightly different.

A legend indeed.

I remember us playing New Hunslet away on New Year's Day 1978. 'Box' had been at the same New Year party as my mate the night before.

Them were the days.

[Trojan]

You haven't read anything on the subject for about 30 years have you?

Amundsen got the the pole and came back with dogs and sleds. Scott went with "new fangled" tractors which broke down and ponies which apparently were of very poor quality and not suited to work on snow and ice He was unlucky with the weather apparently it was the worst weather at that time of year anyone can remember. Good enough?

Edited by Trojan, 27 March 2012 - 07:43 PM.

[paley]

Amundsen got the the pole and came back with dogs and sleds. Scott went with "new fangled" tractors which broke down and ponies which apparently were of very poor quality and not suited to work on snow and ice He was unlucky with the weather apparently it was the worst weather at that time of year anyone can remember. Good enough?

Scott wasn't expecting a race, Amundsen had said he was going North, only diverting at the last minute. Scotts expedition was a scientific expedition, Amundsen's wasn't. There is no doubt Amundsen was better equipped (his hermetically sealed oil cans didn't leak, Scott's oil cans did so they were short of fuel on the return journey but that hadn't happened in previous "furthest south" journeys so they weren't to know. If you want a dash to the pole read about Amundsen (and he deserves every plaudit) but if you want tales of extraordinary endurance read about the Cape Crozier winter expedition (so cold their teeth cracked) - the Northern party living on seal blubber in an ice cave for months and the Polar party manhauling across the Polar Plateau.

[Trojan]

Scott wasn't expecting a race, Amundsen had said he was going North, only diverting at the last minute. Scotts expedition was a scientific expedition, Amundsen's wasn't. There is no doubt Amundsen was better equipped (his hermetically sealed oil cans didn't leak, Scott's oil cans did so they were short of fuel on the return journey but that hadn't happened in previous "furthest south" journeys so they weren't to know. If you want a dash to the pole read about Amundsen (and he deserves every plaudit) but if you want tales of extraordinary endurance read about the Cape Crozier winter expedition (so cold their teeth cracked) - the Northern party living on seal blubber in an ice cave for months and the Polar party manhauling across the Polar Plateau.

The point I was trying to make was that Amundsen went to the pole and came back alive. Scott didn't. Nothing to do with races. I think Scott knew when he set out from his base that Amundsen would probably beat him. I believe Scott did a lot of good scientific stuff in Antarctica, but that doesn't alter the fact that they were ill equipped for the expedition. The ponies in particular were described as sway backed and worn out - before they set off. Still at least they could eat them.