Titanic (1953)

88% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(84,821 ratings)

The 1912 sinking of the luxury liner Titanic is used as a backdrop for a several fictional subplots, chief of which involves snooty socialite Clifton Webb and his wife Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck has booked passage on the ill-fated passenger ship with her daughter (Audrey Dalton) and son (Harper… More The 1912 sinking of the luxury liner Titanic is used as a backdrop for a several fictional subplots, chief of which involves snooty socialite Clifton Webb and his wife Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck has booked passage on the ill-fated passenger ship with her daughter (Audrey Dalton) and son (Harper Carter), leaving Webb far behind. Webb manages to board the ship at the last minute, and discovers that Stanwyck plans to divorce him; she further informs him that he is not the father of their son. When the Titanic sideswipes an iceberg and begins its slow descent in the Atlantic, the women and children are put on the lifeboats while the men stay behind to face death (except for cowardly cardsharp Allyn Joslyn, who disguises himself as a woman). The formerly class-conscious Webb acts with conspicuous bravery, seeing to it that several steerage passengers are ushered to safety. He is reunited with his son, who has given up his lifeboat seat to an elderly woman. All misunderstandings swept aside, Webb and his son face their final moments on earth together. In the film's best moment, a miniature recreation of the Titanic is seen sinking beneath the waves as the survivors watch from their lifeboats in numb horror. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Jean Negulesco
Written By: Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch, Richard Breen
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Romance, Classics

In Theaters: Apr 16, 1953 Wide
On DVD: Sep 2, 2003
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Critic Reviews

Ryan Cracknell, Apollo Guide
Another marvellous entry in the Fox Studio Classics DVD line.
Ryan Cracknell, Apollo Guide
Not as big as James Cameron's computer-generated bonanza, but it's nonetheless impressive.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
Exciting, well-acted version of the infamous voyage
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Manages to tell its tale in a compact 98 minutes. That's nearly 100 minutes less than it took James Cameron, and there's something to be said for that.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...without a doubt the disc's accompanying supplements are alone worth the price of the package.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...a good motion picture despite its shallow, often sentimental overtones.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
fair enough

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Red L

I saw this version of 'Titanic' after I saw the James Cameron version. It is much more subdued - and displays the men of the Titanic as much more heroic than the later version.
jay n

Compelling, far better than the most recent version. Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck are outstanding as a wealthy couple whose marriage is disintegrating and the love story is sweet and unlike the other version makes sense since both characters are from the same class as would be… More
Compelling, far better than the most recent version. Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck are outstanding as a wealthy couple whose marriage is disintegrating and the love story is sweet and unlike the other version makes sense since both characters are from the same class as would be natural at that time. The ending is heart rending.
Mason W

Titanic from 1953 starring the great Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb is a true gem. This is another telling of the ill fated ship focusing this time on an older couple whom are divorcing and having to deal with skeletons in the closet. A very well done Fox film worthy seeing.
Veronique K

the 1953 "titanic" is based upon the interactions of human drama in spite of its technical inaccuracy for the shipwreck event. barbara stanwyck glows radiantly again as a troubled matron with marital discord. and thelma ritter finally grasps a chance to emit some scale of… More
the 1953 "titanic" is based upon the interactions of human drama in spite of its technical inaccuracy for the shipwreck event. barbara stanwyck glows radiantly again as a troubled matron with marital discord. and thelma ritter finally grasps a chance to emit some scale of elegance as the society woman which is different from the spunky servant role she has taken all along her career, such as "rear window", "all about eve" and "a letter to three wives"...etc. stanwyck plays the american spouse of some meticulous british gentleman(clifton webb) who deems his sacred british courtesies as his supreme duty but stanwyck just wanna revitalize her life in her simple primitive american lifestyle with her children. accidentally she reveals the illict birth of their precious son in the rage of feuds so her wronged husband decides to nullify his kinmanship with his "alleged" only son....meanwhile her daughter casts some generous eye upon a naive american country boy...this is the main thread to web the mutiple relationships in this flick. and there's also an alcoholic priest who gets banished by church. various characters have their own issues of status conflicts and irreconciled disorientations....but the sudden unexpected catastrope of titanic dissolves their grudges against each other to sublime themselves into another level of compassion and sheer love thru the course of sacrifice and breavements. the mostly touching line would be clifton webb's iceberg man who melts into tenderness at the scene he fogives his wife's infidelty by saying "at that june i saw you, you're so fair that i vowed my pledge to you forever...would you do me a favor by allowing me to do it now again?"...and the puberty son's determinated to stay with his father to die together just to perform his male obligation since his dad just buys a pair of trousers to encourage his manhood. men gallantly yields the lifeboats to their beloved women, reciting the solemn hymn when the giant ship of titanic is sinking. no sappiness to glorify the remained survivors but just a tranquil affair of natural disaster which inspires the noble spirit of a bunch of flawed individuals who eventually seek peace in the cartharsis of selfless devotions. there's no grandeur scenes to flaunt the extravaganza of titanic or any detailed sensationalism on the shipwreck. tastefully understated in a humanistic way.
Drew S

This is worth watching just because it's so radically different from the even more successful 1997 version.

Cast

            Clifton Webb as Richard Ward Sturgess

            Barbara Stanwyck as Mrs. Sturgess

            Robert Wagner as Giff Rogers

            Audrey Dalton as Annette Sturges

            Thelma Ritter as Mrs. Maude Young

            Brian Aherne as Captain E.J.Smith

            Richard Basehart as George Healey

            Allyn Joslyn as Earl Meeker

            James Todd as Sandy Comstock

            Frances Bergen as Madeleine Astor

            William Johnstone as John Jacob Astor

            Christopher Severn as Messenger

            James Lilburn as Devlin

            Charles Fitzsimmons as Chief Officer Wilde

            Barry Bernard as First Officer Murdock

            Helen Van Tuyl as Mrs. Straus

            Roy Gordon as Mr. Isidor Straus

            Marta Mitrovich as Mrs. Uzcadam

            Ivis Goulding as Emma

            Ashley Cowan as Bride

            Harper Carter as Norman Sturges

            Edmund Purdom as 2nd Officer Lightoller

            Nathan Lee Graham as Symons

            Merry Anders as College Girl

            Gloria Gordon as College Girl

            Melinda Markey as College Girl

            Ron Hagerthy as College Student

            Conrad Feia as College Student

            Richard West as College Boy

            Patrick Aherne
            
            Salvador Baguez
            
            Eugene Borden
            
            George Boyce
            
            Robin Camp as Messenger Boy

            Harry Cording
            
            Nicolas Coster
            
            William Cottrell
            
            Herbert Deans
            
            John Dodsworth
            
            Anthony Eustrel as Sanderson

            Elizabeth Flournoy as Woman with Baby

            Robin Hughes as Junior Officer

            Charles R. Keane
            
            Mae Marsh as Woman

            Owen McGiveney
            
            Alberto Morin
            
            Pat O'Moore as Relief Man

            Richard Peel
            
            Michael Rennie as Narrator

            Gordon Richards as Manager

            David Thursby as Seaman

            David Hoffman as Tailor

            Donald Chaffin
            
            Camillo Guercio as Mr. Guggenheim

            Michael Hadlow
            
            Ivan Hayes
            
            Bert Stevens
            
            John Fraser as Steward

            John Costello
            
            Michael Ferris
            
See full cast