Director James Cameron worked for years to craft his magnum opus movie, 1997's Titanic, and the movie's positive response and massive box office presence both prove that his work paid off. Even today, 1997's Titanic looms large in the world of cinema, inspiring countless references and even parodies. But this is not the only movie to tell the tragic tale of the real-life disaster of 1912.
In 1958, director Roy Baker launched his own movie based on the sinking, based on a novel by author Walter Lord. 1958's A Night To Remember was the definitive story of the doomed luxury liner for decades, and it just might hold up even today. How do these two Titanic movies compare, and which one might history buffs and cinephiles prefer?
10 1997 TITANIC IS BETTER: It Has An Incredible Soundtrack
An exciting and moving OST can go a long way in enhancing a movie's appeal, and modern composers such as Hans Zimmer, John Williams, and Danny Elfman have composed some of the best movie soundtracks for franchises such as Star Wars, director Christopher Nolan's Interstellar and certainly The Lord of the Rings. How about Titanic?
Composer James Horner wrote Titanic's OST, which features Celine Dion's famous "My Heart Will Go On," along with many more solid tracks featuring tender music, exciting disaster music, and even catchy Irish folk music to reflect the many Irish passengers aboard the ship. By contrast, A Night to Remember has a modest and unremarkable OST at best.
9 A NIGHT TO REMEMBER IS BETTER: It Was Highly Advanced For Its Time
The 1950s isn't remembered for its incredible special effects, since many movies of the time relied on simple models and actors in monster suits, and those effects are amusingly dated and unconvincing today. But there are exceptions, with A Night to Remember being one of them.
This movie had a big budget, which helped fuel its then-advanced special effects for portraying the Titanic and the disaster. Even modern viewers may marvel at how convincing and exciting his set pieces and effects are, especially given A Night to Remember's age. The action and tension are palpable with special effects like these.
8 1997 TITANIC IS BETTER: It Has Serious Star Power
Moviegoers love to see their favorite actors and actresses in action, and some 1990s stars are still a big deal today. 1997's Titanic has two co-stars, those being Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, who had remarkable chemistry on-screen as Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater.
These two stars are popular today, as they were then, and it's fun to see their younger selves in action in Titanic. This 1997 movie also features beloved actors such as Billy Zane, Kathy Bates (who appeared in The Office), and Bill Paxton as well.
7 A NIGHT TO REMEMBER IS BETTER: It Starred Kenneth More
1958's A Night to Remember had some formidable star power of its own, even if these stars are largely forgotten or obscure today in the early 2020s. At the time, British actor Kenneth More was a big deal in the British movie industry, and he got plenty of roles as dignified officer characters. He did the same in A Night to Remember.
Kenneth More portrayed Second Officer Charles Lightoller, a major figure in the real disaster, and Kenneth More was the main star power of A Night to Remember, seeing how his character features prominently in movie posters of the time. It's fascinating to see a popular actor of a bygone era hard at work like this.
6 1997 TITANIC IS BETTER: It Includes Footage Of The Wreckage To Add Impact
Director James Cameron opted to include sequences where submersibles visit the wreckage of the Titanic and recover some items, including some of Jack Dawson's sketches from a locked safe. The movie actually starts off this way, and a geriatric Rose is aboard the exploration vessel to tell her tale.
Adding footage of the wreckage doesn't ruin Titanic's immersion at all. Instead, showing the sad, ruined wreckage helps emphasize the disaster even more, and it contrasts effectively with the fancy, brand-new ship in 1912. Audience members can feel the tension, knowing that all this glamor will soon turn to rust underwater.
5 A NIGHT TO REMEMBER IS BETTER: It's Very Historically Accurate
All movies based on historical events will slip up on a few details here and there, and some historical movies are criticized for taking a lot of creative liberties with the original material. However, 1958's A Night to Remember is famed for how closely it followed the real-life disaster.
Aside from errors such as not showing the Titanic break in half, this movie nailed countless details of the sinking, the people on board, and far more. It is even more accurate than 1997's Titanic, which itself is fairly accurate to the real-life event. Any historian would love A Night to Remember.
4 1997 TITANIC IS BETTER: It Has Tenser & Scarier Scenes
Both movies capture the horror of a giant ship sinking into the frigid Atlantic seas, such as scenes of water flooding into hallways and the smokestacks falling over and splashing water everywhere. But arguably, 1997's Titanic was more brutal and horrific this way, even if A Night to Remember had advanced special effects for its decade.
1997's Titanic has plenty of expertly crafted interior and exterior shots of the sinking and Rose, Jack, and a few other characters are in clear and tense peril as the cold water keeps rising and the lights flicker on and off horror style. Countless scenes are taut and terrifying as Jack and Rose struggle to escape the sinking ship's flooded bowels.
3 A NIGHT TO REMEMBER IS BETTER: It Gives Each Character Fair Screen Time
Many notable crew members and passengers were involved in the real-life Titanic disaster, from Benjamin Guggenheim and "unsinkable" Molly Brown to Captain Smith and Mr. Thomas Andrews, the ship's designer. 1997 Titanic and A Night to Remember both feature these people, but the latter does it better.
A Night to Remember doesn't involve Jack and Rose, so it's free to spend more time on the cast as a whole, and develop them a bit more and introduce who they even are. This makes the movie feel better balanced overall and gives a better perspective on just how many people were on that ship.
2 1997 TITANIC IS BETTER: It Has More & Better Humor
No Titanic movie is intended to be a comedy, but even so, a story like this can find room for a bit of comic relief before the disaster, so the characters can be warmer and more likable. Jack Dawson and his friends are a good example of this, being good-natured goofballs who can liven up any scene. They certainly contrast well with the pretentious first-class passengers.
Rose was tense and miserable at first, but then she warmed up to Jack and started having fun, and she amused viewers with her usage of crude language and gestures later on as she began to assert herself. A Night to Remember didn't have anything like that, which makes it feel a bit dry by comparison.
1 A NIGHT TO REMEMBER IS BETTER: It Includes Officer Lightoller's Best Lines
Charles Lightoller survived the disaster, and in A Night to Remember, he takes center stage after the Titanic is gone. By that time, it's a matter of survival in lifeboats until the Carpathia arrives, and Lightoller makes some resonant remarks on what just happened.
While struggling to survive on the open sea, Lightoller remarks on how unprecedented this disaster had been, and another officer suggests that the iceberg alone was to blame. Lightoller said that this disaster happened "because we were so sure [...] I don't think I'll ever feel sure again... about anything." These were wise words on humanity's hubris, and the price paid for it.
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