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Tuesday, 27 July 2004 |
  Capitalists are the villains in this 1943 Nazi-produced dramatization of the Titanic disaster. Intended as wartime propaganda, the film posits that White Star Line president Sir Bruce Ismay (E.F. Furbinger) deliberately drove down his company's stock prices prior to the Titanic's maiden voyage. This would spell disaster for all.
After purchasing the plummeting stocks at a bargain price, Ismay gambles that prices will rebound if the Titanic makes a record-breaking cruise to New York. To that end he presses Captain Edward J. Smith (Otto Wernicke) to push the ship to its limits. The only person standing in his way is German First Officer Petersen (Hans Nielsen): he frets over what he feels is a potential disaster and refuses to submit to Ismay's authority.
Much of the film's running time is given over to Ismay's plotting and his battle of wills with Petersen. There are several obligatory romances: a maid and a member of the ship's band fall madly in love and Petersen reunites with old acquaintance Sigrid Olinsky (Sybille Schmitz), an aristocratic millionairess. These relationships only gain emotional heft during the climatic disaster sequence, but they are what save Titanic from its overbearing anti-capitalist theme.
Titanic was initially banned by Nazi authorities when they deemed scenes of terrified passengers on the sinking ship too intense for a German audience harried by Allied bombing. Only after extensive cutting was the film released, and then only in a few markets. Even after the war the film remained little-seen, being declared anathema in capitalist West Germany.
One of the film's two directors, Herbert Selpin, proved to be as ill-fated as the Titanic: during a slowdown in the film's production he was overheard making derisive remarks about the German army. He was soon arrested and "hung himself" in jail.
Despite Selpin's death, the damage control editing, and its cynical view of capitalism, Titanic remains an entertaining and briskly-paced film. It's an interesting addition to Titanic lore and a must-see for those seeking cinematic curios."
Starring: Sybille Schmitz, Hans Nielsen, Kirsten Heiberg, Ernst Fritz Fürbringer, Karl Schönböck.
Director: Werner Klingler, Herbert Selpin
Studio: Kino
Rated: UR
Running Time: 85 mins
Release: 1943
Reviewer: Steve Gonzales |
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