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I first saw the movie as an adolescent. It made a deep impression on me. I've seen it four or five times since, and it continues to move and dazzle me.
This is a very efficient movie : it sets out to tell the story of the sinking of the Titanic and it does so, with all the purposeful surety of an arrow shot by a master archer. The linear clarity of the script, combined with the tautness of the plot, allows many other other smaller stories to blossom and grow. These stories are brought to vivid life by a multitude of deeply felt and deeply moving performances.
The movie does not shy away from showing panic, suffering and death. None of this feels cheap or exploitative - on the contrary. The viewer meets a large number of people (both passengers and crew) : all of them, from the first to the last, are treated as full-blown individuals, worthy of interest, respect and pity. Indeed, even the thieves who snatch handfuls of pearls are worthy of our pity : for surely it must be a living hell, to be so devoid of self-respect and compassion that a disaster is seen as nothing more than a welcome opportunity for larceny ?
The makers of "A night" hold up a mirror to the viewer and ask him two hugely relevant questions : "How would you act if you knew that you were in grave danger ?" and "How would you act if you knew that you were about to die ?" Most importantly, the movie refuses facile answers along the lines of "I would sacrifice myself for my little daughter and then die a smiling hero, no question about it !" Instead, the viewer is invited, nay forced, to look into his innermost heart, in order to explore the many secrets and uncertainties which lie there.
Any movie capable of such prowess is a masterpiece for the ages.
score 10/10
myriamlenys 16 July 2017
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3755304/ |
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20-2-2021 00:55:08