National Geographic Video: Secrets of the Titanic

Once thought "unsinkable" - The RMS Titanic now sits, in its watery grave, at the very bottom of the Atlantic Ocean (2.5 miles down).

Join Dr. Robert Ballard and his diligent research team as they triumphantly become the very first to locate, photograph, and explore (through high-tech robotic cameras) this famed wreckage 74 years after its sinking in 1912.

Presented by "National Geographic" - This intriguing, 50-minute historical documentary was originally filmed back in 1986 - But, it still holds some relevance today, 32 years later.

Dr. Bob Ballard is one of my favorite people of all time. It is he who helped discover Titanic's location. I remember watching this special after TBS aired the film S.O.S. Titanic from 1979. During this special, you can't help but be moved and touched. Dr. Ballard never wanted Titanic to be seen as a place for scavengers. He wanted it preserved from it's legacy. Sadly, every since the discovery 20 years ago, people like film director James Cameron and others have visited this holy site where over a thousand people died, some of their bodies have never been recovered. I remember the film that aired right before the special and I still have that tape believe it or not. I have a couple of the Titanic copies by the National Geographic Special. I also have A Night to Remember tapes as well but I can't watch any of them. I even have James Cameron's Titanic but I can't watch it neither. Titanic has always had a place in my heart. While the film, S.O.S. Titanic, never spent so much money, I remember the closing shot of the film and Titanic's deck chairs in the snow-capped ocean. It reminded me of her and all those lost among them. Anyway, Bob Ballard brought a lot of respect and dignity to the ship itself. He never forgot the thousand of people who died. He never picked up a souvenir. His souvenir to all of us was finding her as she deteriorates more and more each day. Like a one time beauty queen who left the limelight, Titanic has become older, frail, and taken by time and the elements. We will never forget the legacy of Titanic. As Susan St. James' character said in the film before the special; "I won't feel safe again."

Secrets of the Titanic (1986)

**** (out of 4)

Marvelous 51-minute documentary tells the story of the Titanic, the legendary ship that hit an iceberg on April 14, 1912 and sank hours later killing 1517 people. Over seventy years later Dr. Robert Ballard set out on a mission to try and locate the final resting place of the ship and he finally achieved his dream on the early hours of September 1, 1985. This documentary takes us to the ship for the very first time and it also shows some new evidence on the various theories that had happened. Since this documentary first aired there have been many other voyages down to the Titanic and God knows many of them used higher technology, which resulted in more clarity and better pictures. With that said, there's still something so haunting about seeing this original voyage and especially the scene where the crew first come across the ship. It's quite haunting seeing these pictures and it's especially amazing that they were able to find it in the first place. The documentary not only tells the story of the Titanic but it also talks about the mission to try and locate it. Another fascinating thing are all the incredible shots of the ship and various bits of wreckage that are on the ocean floor. If you have seen more recent documentaries you know that everything is slowly falling apart so these images here are some of the best that you are ever going to see. Martin Sheen does a remarkable job with his narration as well. SECRETS OF THE TITANIC is certainly a historic documentary and it's also one of the most powerful out there.

I watched my video of Secrets of the Titanic for the first time in ages recently and it still leaves me as cold as the first time I saw it. Thankfully the 20 year old tape is still in good condition and plays really well.

From Martin Sheen's opening that 'It began here in Ireland' to Ballard's closing 'She's sitting upright on the bottom and at rest' the video is truly gripping, both in telling the story of the ships sinking and telling the story of the search and eventual discovery of the ship.

It includes photos taken on Titanic by Father Francis Browne, which are very sad as with pretty much certainty you know that those pictured were very soon about to lose their lives. One shows Captain Smith peering down from the bridge wing 'poised on the brink of destiny'.

Sheen's narration is perfectly paced, sombre when he has to be and informative when explaining about the technology the search team uses while exploring the wreck. If there is a star to this video it is the robot Jason Junior who skims around the wreck most notably taking a ride down what is left of the grand staircase area. Later, we get to see other areas of the ship, doors still with signs on, easily readable inscriptions on capstans and the chandelier still hanging from the ceiling.

The part where the camera pans over the deck is extremely eerie and you half expect to see the ghostly figure of Captain Smith beckoning you toward him with a bony finger.

The soundtrack is excellent, haunting when the ship is seen for the first time when the bow emerges from the gloom and sad when Sheen describes the victims and how they realised their fates.

All in all a great video and National Geographic should repeat it for its 20 year anniversary.

I went through a brief Titanic phase as a teen and it was largely due to this special. Here, the grand oceanliner is portrayed as a monument to human achievement, and then the film promptly plunges you into the deep to survey what remains of her today (in '86 at least). The sight of the ruins almost make this kind of a ghost story, by virtue of the robotic camera footage and Martin Sheen's server narration detail of the ship's final moments before sinking. This is a fascinating documentary and an excellent starting point in anyone's Titanic research.