Search - Titanic: Captain of the Titanic on DVD

Not bad, but Captain Smith is almost an afterthought here

Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 04/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In this third DVD in the five-volume Titanic: The Mystery & the Legacy series, we are finally treated to at least some examination of the disaster itself as it unfolded. This is ironic given the fact that this volume is supposed to be about Captain Edward J. Smith. Early on, we do get a look at Captain Smith's life and career, journeying back to the street on which he was born in 1850, perusing some of the personal artifacts in the possession of Smith's descendants, and admiring an impressive monument to the ill-fated captain of Titanic. As the presentation proceeds, however, Captain Smith is almost forgotten as we examine some of the events of that fateful night in the mid-Atlantic. By far the most interesting segments feature the recollections of Eva Hart, an elderly well-spoken lady who was seven years old in 1912. Some of her recorded comments are featured on other DVDs in this 5-volume set (the redundancy of which can become tiresome) but overall she is an eloquent speaker with vivid memories of a night no other living survivor was old enough by this time to really recall with any certainty. Several stories of the most prominent men and women on board the vessel are told, and toward the end we finally return to the subject of the Captain again. The discussion is dominated by the debate concerning Smith's final words and deeds, giving us little insight into the man. At no time during this presentation, I might add, is blame for the disaster fastened on Captain Smith or anyone else. In the end, I found this volume of the series much more interesting than the earlier two (Echoes of Titanic and Titanic Remembered), but it is certainly not deserving of five stars."