Features:
Description:
Most of the stars of this real-life Titanic story are stalwart British women who survived the disaster on that fateful night in the North Atlantic. The eyewitness accounts, eerily brought to life by survivors' own voices, include tales of astonishing bravery, selflessness, terror, and even the supernatural. The recollections of the lucid and matter-of-fact Eva Hart, who was only seven years old at the time, are particularly moving. She recalls the dreadful screaming she heard and her anguish as she watched the Titanic split in two and plunge into the sea. Perhaps just as riveting as the memories of the sinking, and completely absent from the megahit motion picture, are the descriptions of the rescue by the Carpathia. The lengthy interview with the eloquent Sir Arthur Rostrun, captain of the Carpathia, is especially enlightening from a historical and nautical standpoint. He downplays the huge risks his own ship took in coming to the aid of the Titanic and is obviously still deeply troubled when he remembers learning that the "colossal nightmare of a fish" had sunk with so many passengers and crew unrescued. The informative narration linking the interviews is read by Geoffrey Guiliano. His delivery occasionally veers into the realm of melodrama, which is somewhat incongruous given that the actual survivors speak with a great deal of restraint and a very British sense of self-control. Nevertheless, That Fateful Night is a valuable piece of oral history chock full of fascinating stories, each colored by the unique perspective of those who lived to tell their tales. (Running time: 144 minutes, two cassettes) --Elizabeth Laskey
| 
