Titanic

Ages 14-adult. A wealth of period stills, vintage footage, contemporary news accounts, informed commentary by historians, and poignant personal recollections of survivors relates the tragedy of the 1912 sinking of the Titanic. The first two parts re-create the innocence of the turn of the century when humans were confident that technology would solve all their problems and the largest, most luxurious ship on the sea was thought unsinkable. Parts three and four vividly recount the ignored telegrams warning of icebergs, the complacency of passengers who let half-filled lifeboats leave without them, and the cries for help by those who were drowning. Underwater footage of the wreck taken during salvaging expeditions and the controversy over the fate of the ship round out the saga. Without casting blame or sensationalizing the tragedy, this respectful, smoothly edited production will have wide appeal. ~--Candace Smith

Another in the increasingly crowded field of Titanic films, this short piece does a good job of telling the now familiar story, from the early rivalry between Cunard and the White Star Line that prompted the construction of the Titanic and her sister ships to capture the competitive and lucrative North Atlantic trade through the plans, construction, launch, maiden voyage, and her tragic sinking. Personal interviews, archival photos and footage, and an informative narration tell the story. One shortcoming is the use of unattributed photos and footage of ships other than Titanic: it moves the story along but doesn't add to the accuracy. Still, this is a good choice for public libraries that must fill the hot demand for this topic and for those that can't afford the much better four-cassette A&E presentation The Titanic (1994. ISBN 1-56501-345-X).‘Tom Budlong, Atlanta-Fulton P.L. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.