Britannic (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Brian Trenchard-Smith

Writers (WGA):

Brett Thompson (written by) &
Kim Owen Smith (written by) ...

Release Date:

9 January 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | Mystery | Romance | War

Tagline:

They Never Thought It Would Happen Again

Plot:

A fictional account of the sinking of the H.M.H.S. Britannic off the Greek island of Kea in November 1916. This explores the theory of a German agent sabotaging the liner, a hospital ship.

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Spy | WWI | German Spy | Weapon

Cast

Edward Atterton	...	Reynolds
Amanda Ryan	...	Vera Campbell
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Lady Lewis
Ben Daniels	...	Townsend
John Rhys-Davies	...	Captain Barrett (as John Rhys Davies)
Bruce Payne	...	Doctor Baker
Alex Ferns	...	Stoker Evans
Eleanor Oakley	...	Sarah Lewis
Archie Davies	...	William Lewis
Ed Stobart	...	Mayfield
Adam Bareham	...	Radio Operator
David Lumsden	...	German Radio Operator
Wolf Kahler	...	Captain Kruger
Philip Rham	...	Jurgens
Daniel Coonan	...	Seamus

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:M18 | USA:TV-14 | Australia:M | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Bray Film Studios, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Britannic Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

HMHS Britannic was originally ordered by the White Star Line as the third in her class. Her sisters included RMS Titanic and the RMS Olympic.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The only 30 (est.) deaths were when two life boats were launched before orders were given (when still under way), and sucked into the propellers, and propellers were stopped after orders were given. But in the movie, the propellers were never stopped, and the two life boats were sucked in after all the other life boats had been launched.

Quotes:

Sara Lewis: If that's his limb, where is the rest of him?
William Lewis: Under your bed, all rotten and smelly!

Movie Connections:

References Titanic (1997)

hodgepodge telling of the fate of Titanic's sister ship

I wouldn't say this movie was tacked together to take advantage of the Cameron Titanic's fame and box office success. Honest! First off it's made for t.v. and contrary to how the film tells the story of Britannic, there are some pretty good CGI effects. So being on t.v. there is no box office to appeal to. I just wish the Fox Family channel who produced this would have pertained more to what really happened on Britannic. Perhaps that's what documentaries are for as in the Discovery Channel's excellent docu on the Britannic's story and filming of her wreck. But if you go into this movie with prior knowledge of the real Britannic, you can enjoy this movie for what it is. Like I said there are CGi effects in this that could rival the Cameron Titanic. The story concerns a female undercover agent recruited by the British in 1916 to fish out a German Spy on the ship. I won't say what happens except that she gets him in more ways than one. The film makers spend much time recreating and touring different sections of the Britannic as they tell their story. What the ship looked like in the engine room or on the bridge or the lifeboat area etc. So those are pluses in the movie. John Rhys-Davies as the Captain is improbable here(he doesn't look anything like the Britannic's real Captain Bartlett). But I like Rhys-Davies as he is very portly and looks 'Captainly' ... is that a word. Don't take this story about the Britannic 'too' seriously. It's not what happened except that the ship sinks. But enjoy it for the 2 hours it gives you. Better yet go to the web or to a library to find much more bonafide info on this somewhat forgotten tragedy.