UK Region 2 DVD Release
Running Time 109 Minutes
Review By Jonathan Smith
Rating 8 / 10
At last the waiting is over!, for the first time here in the United
Kingdom, Lew Grades epic undersea drama "Raise The Titanic!" has
been released on DVD format. At first I did not know what to expect. When
viewing the movie on video, the picture, sound and color quality is not
that good, but I have got to admit the DVD version has left me speechless.
The whole film has been cleaned up, color restored, sound is superb, John
Barry's haunting music score is better than ever and we can view the whole
film in widescreen. The box art is wonderful, using the original UK quad
poster for the backdrop, not only for the cover but also for the inside
art. CARLTON HOME VIDEO have finally changed those mistakes that were on
the cover they sent down a few months back, apart from one......Alec
Guinness's name still appears first.
Not only is the cover very colorful, so too is the disc with the raising
ship seen on the face. There is only one extra feature on the disc and
that is the trailer (shame there is no "making of" features). The trailer
is 3 minutes long and without the "voice over guy" seems very primitive,
but still rewarding to watch. The film is a delight to watch, not only
because its been cleaned up but because its in widescreen. Scenes that
show the submersibles floating over the ocean floor looking for the sunken
ship are clear and sharp, and the most amazing shots are of Titanic as she
"bursts" up from the depths and for the first time we get to see the whole
of her, not sections, not bits but the WHOLE of her. Those scenes that
show her as she has just leveled herself after hitting the surface before
the "Deep Quest" emerges, long gone are the shots that show the back of
the ship "cut off", she is seen in full.....WOW.
There are a couple of scenes that I have not seen before edited into this
version. During the end of the "fly over" scene as the camera levels to
deck level with the raised Titanic, the film cuts to where you see
Titanic, two navel vessels and two helicopters as they move into position.
The shot just looks so realistic. The next scene is where Titanic is
coming into New York. One view shows Titanic with the two tugs as they
come bow fist towards you. OK this scene is in the video release, but did
you realize that in the back ground you can see 3 large ocean liners
birthed up in dock. Next we see Titanic being towed by the tugs seen from
the air. This scene is altered as we see Titanic pushed to the right of
the screen while smaller boats move alongside her. The final scene is
again altered. Just before we see Titanic as she edges underneath one of
the bridges, we see Titanic again from the air added by the two tugs as
she sails alongside the harbor walls. In the DVD version Titanic again is
pushed to the right of the screen and we get to see other smaller crafts
and the airship flying over the bridge as Titanic is moved towards this
bridge.
In all, the DVD release is superb, but there should have been a lot more
features for us fans. The other downside is that many of the high street
shops here in the UK don't seem to stock it, you have to order the item,
which is such a shame. If you haven't got the DVD, then what you waiting
for!. You can order the DVD from
Amazon.
