From the Elstree Archive of the Associated British Picture Association, this is the birth certificate of the 1958 film of the sinking of the RMS Titanic: A Night to Remember.
An in-house reader’s report written 1st-2nd April 1956, the 22 page typed report offers a breathless synopsis of Walter Lord’s book before offering the following, glowing verdict on its filmic possibilities:
‘This is one of the great sea stories of the world... the story still grips the imagination; and without doubt would make a great movie... The shock of the disaster, the behaviour of those aboard, the pitiful end, the strange story of the ship only ten miles away... the final rescue - the grief, the bewilderment, the personal tragedies and losses, the heroism and the cowardice - surely here is material enough for a really great film’. Enthusiastically the reader recommends ‘the purchase of this story with a view to film production’.
The unidentified reader ‘R Groves’ has their advice followed: The Associated British Picture Association bought the rights and filmed their landmark movie at Pinewood Studios 1957-8 with a then huge budget for a Britishs film of £600,000. Widely praised for its sets, soundtrack and historical accuracy, A Night to Remember is still highly regarded for its accuracy and cinematic heft, and set the standard for Titanic movies until James Cameron’s 1997 epic.
This reader’s report comes from the archive of The Associated British Picture Corporation, a small British film production company which was based at Elstree Studios and assembled, almost by accident, a comprehensive survey of mid-twentieth-century fiction, reading thousands of newly published books, unsolicited manuscripts and screenplays while in search of material suitable for film adaptation.
As the foundational document for a major movie success, this is among the most important documents to emerge from the archive.
DESCRIPTION: Typed manuscript on foolscap size paper with marginal perforations for binding purposes. Disbound, the document begins with a title page and date stamp for 4 April 1956 when this report was filed. The author, R Groves has followed the ABPC’s house style with a brief Summary, then a detailed almost breathless synopsis which runs to 20 pages and a final Comment page which is detached.
