Search - National Geographic - Secrets of the Titanic on DVD

Excellent documentary on the 1985 discovery

aaron wittenberg | 01/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm sure most people know that this is strictly a documentary on the discovery Dr. Robert Ballard did on the Titanic. I haven't watched my copy in over a year, but from what I do remember, it was very, very good. They start out before they actually find the Titanic with some of the explorations they did during the summer of 1985. Then on September 1, 1985, they discovered it. It's not the typical finding of the bow and such, they scan the ocean floor and pieces of the wreckage start showing up.There is much detail about the discovery, a lot of background about their equipment, how they went looking for it, TONS of footage, and so much more. If you liked the movie and want to see what the Titanic looked like in 1985, 73 years after it fell into darkness, this is it.Kids probably wouldn't like this too much as its not really a fun movie, but it is very educational and very interesting. If you were a big fan of the Titanic, you should get this.It is actually interesting to see them building the robots and testing them before going into the ocean. The video is jam packed with background, pictures (color/B&W), footage, and a lot of historical information.One of the final scenes shows a someones shoe (crew member?) where it had sat for 73 years until the 1985 discovery. There are no bodies in this (do you really think a body would last 3/4 of a century at the bottom of the ocean? nada), but they show you PLENTY of the remains from the Titanic. I believe they also show some of the Titanic survivors and the gravesites.Excellent educational film. I took my copy to work after I first got it over a year ago and almost everybody in the office was watching it. It definitely holds your attention."

The sinking of the "Floating Palace"

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 11/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Starting with remarkable still photographs and film footage of the Titanic being built in the Belfast, Ireland shipyard, where "3,000 men labored for 2 years", this is a riveting documentary that intersperses these visions of the past with film of explorer Robert Ballard's determination and persistence in finding the wreckage, and he did so by using the theory that no one else had accepted, that the sixty-six thousand ton Titanic had broken apart before sinking, separating the ship on the ocean floor, with a wide field of debris in between.

The Titanic, called by some "a floating palace", had 325 passengers in its luxurious first class cabins, and a total of 2,229 souls aboard, sailing on its fateful voyage April 10, 1912; Dr. Ballard, who always desired to find the great ship, achieved his goal in the summer of '86, and using "Alvin", a small submarine where three men would be crammed for hours during the search, and then applying "Jason", a robotic camera that was able to enter the structure and give us eerie images of the underwater graveyard, with rivers of rust flowing from it.

The DVD "Extra" that is also on the VHS version is "Last Hours of the Titanic", and it is fascinating; it's an in-depth interview with Dr. Ballard, who speaks of the challenge of finding the wreck with the time constraints (and monetary limitations) he was faced with, and gives us explanations of exactly what happened in the final hours of the ship with animated re-creations.
This also has added footage of the ship, and the most poignant image of all, found in the extensive debris field...a pair of shoes, their owner having disintegrated, but on the ocean floor just as this unfortunate man was laid to rest, undisturbed for seven decades. It's an unforgettable image, and evokes the tragedy of the Titanic more than anything else I've seen.
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Great for the whole family

Alejandra Vernon | 01/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the ultimate "real" movie about the Titanic. My son and his friends (5-7 year olds) are facinated by it. The combination of historical info and pictures, plus the modern-day science and technology of the underwater subs used to explore the wreck, are fantastic. This is the sort of movie that can hook kids (and adults) on history and science... a great addition to any video library."

The discovery of the greatest of lost ships

D I Jones | Hyde, Cheshire United Kingdom | 02/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the story of Dr Bob Ballard's discovery of Titanic on September 1, 1985. The DVD is the perfect complement to Ballard's book The Discovery Of The Titanic, and conveys all the excitement of the discovery. It is a fitting tribute to the ship, those who sailed and died with her, and to those who discovered her."