In Nacht und Eis

When the luxury liner Titanic sank on April 14, 1912, on her maiden voyage, a German film company, Continental-Kunstfilm, immediately planned to produce a film dramatization of the event. The results were "In Night and Ice (In Nacht und Eis)". Filming was done in July, and by August 1912, the movie was released to the public. It is the oldest existing movie made on the sinking of the Titanic, where at least 24 films have been on the event.

Since there was little existing film on the actual Titanic, the producers of "In Night and Ice" took liberties to substitute what appears to be actual footage of the Titanic. They spliced in some cruiser embarkation film of (possibly) the German ocean liner SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, which was docked in Hamburg, Germany. The dramatization of the sinking was shot inside a glasshouse studio inside the movie's headquarters. Scenes of the ship's bridge, the telegraph office, staterooms, boiler rooms and dining rooms were built on movable skids to reflect the wave action of the liner.

Headed by first-time Romanian director Mime Misu, "In Night And Ice" was considered lost for several decades until 1998 when a German film archivist read a newspaper account on the missing movie. He came forward with the film he owned, which subsequently has been restored.

The first movie ever made on the Titanic sinking was "Saved From The Titanic," produced just 29 days after the event. Film actress Dorothy Gibson, rescued from the Titanic, co-wrote and acted in the now lost movie. She climbed on the first lifeboat to leave the floundering boat and was picked up by the RMS Carpathia five hours later.

Gibson starred in movies for a couple of years before embarking on the Titanic. She was employed by U. S. branch of Paris' Eclair Studios. Her rise to success was so fast Gibson became the second highest paid silent movie star behind Mary Pickford during that time.

She took a six-week vacation in Italy with her mother before returning to Ft. Lee, N. J. to make more movies. Once arriving in New York, Gibson was convinced by her agent to write and star in Titanic's first movie. During filming, Gibson was so traumatized by reliving her experiences soon after the sinking she ended up having a nervous breakdown. She would never act in film again.

All the existing prints of "Saved From The Titanic" were burned in a 1914 fire at the Eclair Studios. Film historians consider this as one of the greatest losses in movie--and Titanic lore--history.

In Nacht und Eis (1912)

** (out of 4)

The German title translates to IN NIGHT AND ICE but the film was also released as THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC. This film is certainly historic as it's the first movie to deal with the Titanic tragedy. This was filmed a month or so after the real event and released not too long after wards. There's really no point in trying to compare this to any future film so one shouldn't expect a realistic telling of the events or great special effects. I think what's so interesting in viewing this film today is just what they did show and perhaps what they thought happened. It should go without saying but the ship never breaks in two pieces and this film shows the ship pretty much running onto the ice burg. The way the Captain is shown here has him being very heroic and it seems most of the attention is given to the wireless operator as he's made out to be the hero here. The film shows the crash but this special effect is obviously just a fake boat running into some ice. It's nothing special but it looks decent enough. The most interesting thing is what we're not shown and the biggest thing is that we never see people in panic. I'm going to guess we don't see anyone dying simply because it was too close to the actual events or perhaps the film didn't want to add to people's fear of sailing. We also don't see the lack of lifeboats get blamed for all the deaths. In fact, we're never really told or showed why so many people ended up dying. The film is very brief in the sinking as it happens rather quickly and we really don't get to see anyone getting into the lifeboats. We see them taking off at sea in them but that's about it. The film runs 35-minutes, which was pretty long for 1912 but the sinking doesn't start until the 18-minute mark. The opening pretty much introduces us to various characters as we get to see what type of games they were playing on board as well as a few other items. The "history" side of this film is the main reason to watch because as a "movie" it's pretty weak. The director is rather weak from start to finish and the thing really doesn't contain as much power as it should. Again, this was probably due to not wanting to really scare or upset people but if you're going to have a movie on Titanic you need a little bit more than what's here. Another problem is that there's way too much time focused on the characters and not the event but, then again, this is something that would be an issue with all disaster films to follow. The best moment in the film is after the ship hits the ice and we see the impact on the people sitting inside. Even though this film isn't very good, it's history makes it a must-see.

This German film, whose title translates as In Night And Ice, was one of the first attempts to film the sinking of the Titanic. From a historical standpoint, that fact makes it interesting. But the film itself is not that entertaining. It's only about 42 minutes long, but there is one stretch which seems like an eternity as we just see people socializing in the dining room. You don't need the title cards to describe what was going on. A larger problem is that there are no characters to "latch on to." The ship's captain might have evoked some sympathy, but he ridiculously overacts. Although there is the irony of the captain yelling to the passengers "Be British!" in a German film two years before WWI breaks out. Plus I'm sure the Irish passengers were not impressed by this instruction. But I digress.

The film opens with what appears to be actual footage of people boarding a ship, and many of the scenes do take place aboard a ship. However, the miniature models are not convincing, but let's be honest ... the director did not have James Cameron's budget. One German reviewer wrote that the collision between the ship and the iceberg "looks a little as if a toy bouncing on the waves rams a couple of ice cubes."

The film does have an interesting backstory. It was made on a Berlin backlot by director Mime Misu, just two months after the Titanic sank. Presumed lost, it was discovered in 1998 after some publicity surrounding the release of Cameron's Titanic in late 1997. A 74-year-old retired film collector named Horst Lange remembered he had obtained a copy some twenty years earlier, paying around $120 for it. Lange said "it is an impressive film for June 1912. But there are mistakes in it. For instance, the captain and officers are showing wearing German navy uniforms." To provide the sinking effect, the set was tipped by hand using ropes and pulleys.

Newspapers erroneously reported the discovery as the first film ever made about the Titanic. But according to film historian Frank Thompson, the Éclair Moving Picture Co. Of Fort Lee, New Jersey, released a short entitled Saved From The Titanic just one month after the sinking. (This film is presumed lost, despite someone on youtube trying to foist off an old documentary as this film.) That slightly earlier film starred actress/model Dorothy Gibson, who had survived the sinking.

Contrary to what many believe this was not the first movie created about the Titanic. The first was "Saved From The Titanic" starring survivor Dorothy Gibson which was released 31 days after the disaster. Unfortunately a fire destroyed all known copies.

The First Dramatic Motion Picture about the Titanic Disaster. This is a very rare film and has only very recently been restored, it was a real treat to see the film, as it was believed that this screening (British Film Institue, London 14 Apr, 1999) was the first time in its history that it was shown to a British audience, in other words it was its UK premier, only 87 years late.

The film is 40 minutes long (a long film for its day), it is a surprisingly good piece if cinema, and despite the very theatrical silent movie style acting, it has a very strong atmosphere.

One very interesting point that comes out of the film is the different emphasis on the Wireless operator, he and the machine were considered the heroes of the story, as without them all the passengers might have been lost, there is no mention of the lack of life boats, indeed before the invention of the wireless a ship at sea in trouble was basically on her own, and so it was seen as an incredible feat that so many lives were saved.