Atlantic (1929)

Director:

Ewald André Dupont

Writers:

Victor Kendall (writer)
Ernest Raymond (play)

Release Date:

4 October 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A thunderbolt of drama impossible to describe!

Plot:

A heavily fictionalized version of the RMS Titanic story. |

Plot Keywords:

Disaster | Ship Wreck | Titanic | Based On Play

Cast

Franklin Dyall	...	John Rool
Madeleine Carroll	...	Monica
John Stuart	...	Lawrence
Ellaline Terriss	...	Alice Rool
Monty Banks	...	Dandy
Donald Calthrop	...	Pointer
John Longden	...	Lanchester
Arthur Hardy	...	Maj Boldy
Helen Haye	...	Clara Tate-Hughes
D.A. Clarke-Smith	...	Freddie Tate-Hughes
Joan Barry	...	Betty Tate-Hughes
Francis Lister	...	Padre
Sydney Lynn	...	Captain Collins
Syd Crossley	...	Telegraphist
Dino Galvani	...	Steward
Danny Green	...	Passenger
Fanny Wright	...	Passenger
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anthony Papafio	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Ewald André Dupont

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Victor Kendall		writer
Ernest Raymond		play "The Berg"

Produced by
Ewald André Dupont	....	producer
John Maxwell	....	producer
James Scura	....	producer

Original Music by
John Reynders

Cinematography by
Charles Rosher

Film Editing by
Emile de Ruelle

Art Direction by
Hugh Gee

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marjorie Gaffney	....	assistant director
J.F. Green	....	assistant director
John Harlow	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Jack Mair	....	sound effects editor
Alec Murray	....	sound recordist

Music Department
John Reynders	....	musical director

Production Companies

• British International Pictures (BIP)

Distributors

• Wardour Films (1929) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1930) (USA) (theatrical)
• Grapevine Video (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Titanic: Disaster in the Atlantic (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

USA:90 min | UK:87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Certification:

UK:A | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

British International Pictures Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

British International Pictures (BIP)

Trivia:

Besides its overseas release, the German version was shown at the Alhambra, Leicester Square, London, to cater for the large German population living in London prior to World War II.

Movie Connections:

Version of Titanic (1943)

A horrible early sound film

I am a Motion Picture Production major at Wright State University in Ohio, and yesterday I was sadly given the opportunity to watch this god-awful film in class. We were informed by our professor that it would be very funny to us, but the reason we were watching it was because it was one of the first sound films - a complete disaster.

The problem with early sound films was that Hollywood actors only knew how to do silent movies and they weren't good at memorizing lines. So producers and directors would look to the stage to get actors. Sounds like a great idea, right? Well, the kind of acting one does on stage doesn't show up too well on film. Most of the actors in "Atlantic" look and sound like they're acting in a play, which results in lots of hearty laughs at the over-acting. Another limitation of early sound film was the technology of microphones. You couldn't move the mikes like you can today, you had to keep them static or it would pick up the sound of air moving through. There was usually one mike used in any given scene in this movie. In one particular scene, there is a man sitting at a table. Someone walks right up to him and delivers their line, then walks away. Another actor comes up from behind him, delivers their line, then walks away. It goes on like this for a couple more people. The microphone is obviously right by the man at the table, making for a laughable actor carousel.

Those are only technical problems. If you get into the story and direction, then it gets even worse. The story is a fictionalized account of what happened on the Titanic. The characters are unbelievable and pointless. A "story" about a man cheating on his wife and their teenage daughter has no place in the movie. It is barely resolved and leaves you wondering why it was there in the first place. A lousy attempt at high drama, the actors take long, pregnant pauses between lines many times. It is tiresome, and you can't wait for this 90 minute (feels like 180 at least) movie to get over with. I'm not going to talk a whole lot about the issue of racism at this time in our country, but it really offended me that there were only two blacks in the whole movie, and they were portrayed as animals. They both pushed past the women and children to try and get in one of the lifeboats. They were ordered to stop or be shot, and of course they didn't so they were shot. I was appalled.

I give this movie a 2/10. I would have given it a 1/10 (the lowest rating possible), but I gave it an extra point just because it was one of the first sound films, and I tried to put it into context. If you want to see a good early sound film, check out Alfred Hitchcock's "Blackmail" that also came out in the year 1929. You will find that the best directors were able to adapt to new technology immediately.