Interesting and unusual, but could be better.
Allen Hall | Ozarks, USA | 02/25/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This is an audio re-enactment of some highlights from the Senate Inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic. The "film" of the documentary is pleasantly old-fashioned, as far as documentaries go; it consists of photographs of the historical figures interwoven with occasional clips from such movies as "Atlantic" (1929), the German "Titanic" (1943), and sometimes, if I recall, "A Night to Remember" (1958).
It's put together well enough, and the actors' readings are decent. I was bothered that the host of the documentary almost never looked at the camera when addressing the viewer, though, and the conclusions drawn at the end of the documentary are uninteresting and somewhat naïve (i.e. that the Titanic did not have enough boats, neglecting to mention that she also only barely had time to launch the ones she had) and one-sided, particularly with regard to the matter of the Californian.
The case and top menu are VERY unremarkable. The latter is reminiscent of a cheesy PowerPoint slide.
I paid a little under three dollars for it, including shipping. I don't regret it, and it was certainly an interesting watch, but I would not spend more on it.
But it broaches an interesting topic. Much more could be done with the British and Senate Inquiries, which are, in my experience, seldom, if at all, addressed in Titanic films and documentaries. Perhaps an audiobook reading of highlights, or a TV mini-series, is in order?"