A Night to Remember [Blu-ray] £5.99 delivered @ Amazon

The story of the Titanic has been visited, to differing degrees, on the small and big screen many times. But there’s a strong and compelling argument that 1958’s A Night To Remember, based on Walter Lord’s novel, is the best of the lot. For several reasons.

What most sets A Night To Remember apart is the sheer humanity of it. Approached in a documentary style, and with the story told mainly from the perspective of Kenneth More’s Charles Lightoller, it’s less epic in physical scale than, for instance, 1997’s Oscar-magnet Titanic. Yet there’s a core of authenticity here that’s never been beaten, on big screen or small.

A Night To Remember may not be the most obvious candidate for a Blu-ray upgrade, though, primarily due to the age of the film itself. Commendably, then, real effort has been put in to justifying it. The film has benefitted from a beautiful remaster, which has spruced up the picture and audio quality, and unleashed surprising levels of detail. It’s a respectful piece of work, and that so much attention has been lavished on an older production is very welcome. It’s an example others should follow.

It might lack the big special effects budget, then, and it might also have been a little shyer in attracting awards, but A Night To Remember is a conscientious, quality piece of film making, that stands up extremely well, aided by a solid Blu-ray release.