Educational Media Reviews Online

The Lost Film of the Titanic claims to present the only known motion picture footage of the ill-fated ocean liner. However, the original Titanic footage here consists of about sixty seconds of film showing the Titanic being "fitted out" in Belfast. The rest of the 30 minute video shows the discovery of the missing Titanic film from a rusted film can in Rene Mason's backyard, together with additional footage of the aftermath of the sinking, and interviews with survivors.

Of particular interest are the interviews featuring two surviving crewmen. Although these are audio interviews only, one crewman gives a particularly vivid picture of the sinking of the Titanic and his astonishing survival. The contemporary interview is with Millvina Dean, the only living survivor of the maritime disaster. Unfortunately, her interview was less interesting than the crew's because Ms. Dean was a baby at the time, and had little recollection of the actual catastrophe.

While the video's production values and early film footage were generally good, much of the live action footage seemed amateurish. For instance, the reenactment of the finding of the missing film by Rene Mason in her backyard shed seemed contrived and silly. Moreover, the lighting and audio for the interview with the living survivor, Millvina Dean, looked like it was done with substandard video equipment.

Surprisingly, the musical score for the video was outstanding and yet it was unmentioned in the closing credits. Was Charlotte Church the female singer in the vocal section?

The Lost Film of the Titanic should be of interest to Titanic buffs and people who can't get enough of the academy award winning movie or the maritime tragedy. I can recommend it for public libraries who would like a documentary to go along with the popular feature film. High school libraries may also find it useful, but I am reluctant to recommend it to academic libraries who need more historical weight and better production values.