Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

S.O.S. Titanic Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 7, 2020

Billy Hale's "S.O.S. Titanic" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include archival content and exclusive new audio commentary by critic Evgueni Mlodik. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

This recent release of Billy Hale’s S.O.S Titanic presents quite a dilemma and I would like to quickly address it below.

It is a two-disc set that contains the Theatrical Version of the film, which was restored in 4K, as well as the TV Version, which has been remastered. As you probably know well by now the TV Version is quite a bit longer, with significantly better characterizations that are crucial for the evolution of the drama that takes place in its second half. I knew this as well, but I still opted to view the Theatrical Version first because I was curious to see how good the 4K makeover is. I have mixed feelings now. The presentation is very beautiful and on a big screen the film looks gorgeous, but I found the editing choices quite problematic because they make it virtually impossible to care about the majority of the main characters that witness the drama in the North Atlantic. Additionally, the editing choices alter the chronology of key events and a few are even dramatically shortened. As a result, the Theatrical Version struggles greatly to preserve the sense of intimacy which the film needs to work as intended. So, earlier today I sat down to view the TV Version and I had a very different experience with it. However, I am not willing to declare that it was a decisively better one because of the way it is graded. Indeed, the remaster does not share the color scheme of the 4K restoration. To be perfectly clear, this isn’t one of those wild remasters/restorations with digital qualities that destroy the integrity of the film -- it is a decent organic remaster that is rather nicely graded. The problem is, it has a colder color scheme that gives the film a rather gloomy appearance, which isn’t present on the Theatrical Version. So, the inferior Theatrical Version has a superior technical presentation, while the superior TV Version has an inferior technical presentation. Having viewed both versions in their entirety during the last forty-eight hours, my advice to you is this: plan to see the TV Version first and only then, if needed, move to the Theatrical Version.

Now I wish to mention something else that I know for a fact you will encounter and struggle with while viewing S.O.S Titanic, which is your mind’s perpetual insistence to compare it to James Cameron’s blockbuster. I was very much prepared to avoid this problem, but my mind refused to cooperate. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time analyzing how different episodes were shot and finding all sorts of interesting similarities between the two films. (Occasionally, my mind even had me pondering different parts of A Night to Remember, but this excellent film was easier to keep aside because as you know it was shot in glorious black-and-white). I was quite surprised to discover that there is a lot of visual material in this film that is quite simply recreated on a grander scale in Cameron’s blockbuster. The chaos after the freezing water begins to flood the ship, in particular, looks very similar, though the cast is smaller and the special effects not as impressive. On the other hand, Cameron’s blockbuster shows the collapse of the ship differently, but exactly as it is described in official documents.

The two characters that I found most convincing are David Warner’s Laurence Beesley and Harry Andrews’ Captain Edward J. Smith. The former was a survivor and a lot of the main events are seen through his eyes. The film benefits greatly from his mature behavior during his short romantic affair and later on after the mayhem begins. The latter just looks fantastic before the camera, though admittedly he could have been used even more.

The atmosphere deserves to be praised as well, but not in the Theatrical Version. The buildup to the drama needs to be measured so that the crucial intimacy that I mentioned earlier materializes the right way. In the Theatrical Version the editing choices substantially tone it down, which is why the atmosphere there is unconvincing as well.

*The TV Version is approximately 145 minutes long (02.24.33). The Theatrical Version is 103 minutes long (01.43.00).

S.O.S. Titanic Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 and granted a 1080p transfer, S.O.S. Titanic arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

There are two versions of the film on this release: Theatrical Version and TV Version. The former was restored in 4K, while the latter was remastered. The captures that are included with our review appear in the following order:

Screencaptures #1-14: Theatrical Version.
Screencaptures #17-32: TV Version.

The Theatrical Version is unquestionably the better looking one. It boasts superior delineation, clarity, and depth. I also think that it has the superior color scheme. However, because of various stylistic choices there are some quite interesting native fluctuations -- usually these affect highlights and shadow definition -- so keep this in mind while viewing it. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Grain is nicely exposed and resolved, but there are a few areas where it could appear a tad loose. (I think that this becomes somewhat obvious only on a larger screen). Image stability is excellent. My score is 4.5/5.00.

The TV Version looks healthy but at the same time it has a somewhat dated appearance. Additionally, its density levels are not as good as the ones on the Theatrical Version. This is why there are more obvious fluctuations in terms of delineation and depth on it as well. The color scheme is different, with the most notable discrepancies popping up in darker areas where the primaries are colder and darker nuances are not as nicely balanced as the ones seen on the Theatrical Version, but still quite good. A very light but permanent magenta hue interferes with some of the gentler nuances as well. There are no traces of problematic digital work. Image stability is very good, but some blemishes and tiny marks remain. My score is 3.5/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

S.O.S. Titanic Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both versions of the film arrives with English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

I give the lossless track on the Theatrical Version a slight edge because from time to time it seems marginally clearer and perhaps even sharper. however, the difference is so small that I would describe it as academic. Balance and dynamic intensity are very good. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.

S.O.S. Titanic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE - TV VERSION

• A Tour of the Olympic - Titanic Sister Ship - presented with music composed and performed by Donald Sosin (17 min, 1080i).

• Original 1912 Newsreel - presented with music composed and performed by Donald Sosin. (10 min, 1080i).

• Titanic 1943 Trailer - in German, with imposed English subtitles. (3 min, 1080i).

DISC TWO - THEATRICAL VERSION

• Audio Commentary - critic Evgueni Mlodik discusses in great detail the production history of S.O.S. Titanic and its stylistic appearance. Also, there is some very interesting information about small but important historic errors that can be observed in the film. It is a good, very nicely researched and presented commentary.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

S.O.S. Titanic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is great to have both versions of S.O.S Titanic on this two-disc set, but I don't think that the Theatrical Version works particularly well. The longer TV Version has the right pacing and proper atmosphere, plus a superior narrative construction. (I don't like the editing choices that were done on the Theatrical Version. On top of altering and removing a lot of great material, they make the entire film look rushed). If you decide to pick up the release for your collection see the TV Version first, and then consider spending some time with the new 4K restoration of the Theatrical Version. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.