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Titanic: The Complete Story

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Titanic: Death of a Dream
re-released as: Titanic: The Complete Story
Directed byMelissa Jo Peltier
Written byMelissa Jo Peltier
Produced by
  • Melissa Jo Peltier
  • Craig Haffner
  • Donna E. Lusitana
Narrated byDavid McCallum
Edited byYann Debonne
Music by
Production
companies
Release date
  • 24 July 1994 (1994-07-24) (United States)
Running time
200 minutes (in four parts)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Titanic: The Complete Story is a 1994 American two-part documentary chronicling the story of the ocean liner RMS Titanic which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912. It is a compilation of a four-hour documentary special produced by A&E Television Networks in 1994. A&E Home Video originally sold the entire documentary in a 4-tape VHS set and later a DVD release. It is considered by many critics and historians to be the definitive documentary regarding the Titanic.[1] It is most famous for being one of the few Titanic documentaries to feature survivors.

The documentary

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The documentary is narrated by actor David McCallum (who played survivor Harold Bride in the 1958 film A Night to Remember) and begins with a quote from first-class passenger Jack Thayer, about how the world's mindset was forever altered by the sinking. Rare interviews with some of the few remaining Titanic survivors, including Edith Brown, Eva Hart, Ruth Becker (who had already died in 1990), Millvina Dean, and Michel Marcel Navratil; discussions with leading historical authorities on the sinking, including Charles Haas, John Eaton, Ken Marschall, Don Lynch and Robert Ballard; and excerpts from survivor's writings and newspaper articles accompany McCallum's telling of the story.

The documentary is presented in two parts:

Titanic: Death of a Dream

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The first half, Titanic: Death of a Dream, encapsulates the first two hours. It tells the story of the RMS Titanic's origins, from its conception and construction, to its maiden voyage, leading up to the initial collision with the iceberg that would ultimately sink the ship.

Titanic: The Legend Lives On

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The second half, Titanic: The Legend Lives On, concentrates on the ship's sinking, its immediate aftermath, and its discovery in 1985 by Dr. Robert Ballard, along with Titanic's continuing legacy.

Special edition

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In 2002, the documentary was re-released on DVD as Titanic: The Complete Story – Special Commemorative Edition, supplemented by a third film - the 1998 documentary Beyond Titanic.

In 2012, the documentary was again re-released on DVD as simply Titanic: The Complete Story, and included the 2007 documentary Titanic's Achilles Heel.

Cast

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Reception

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The film received a positive review from DVD Magazine.[1]

Awards and nominations

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References

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  1. ^ a b Jacobson, Colin (March 5, 2012). "Review: Titanic: The Complete Story (1994)". DVD Magazine. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
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