Atlantic (1929 film)
Encyclopedia
Atlantic is a British
black-and-white film, directed and produced by Ewald André Dupont
and starring Franklin Dyall
and Madeleine Carroll
. Three versions were made, one in the United Kingdom
, one in Germany
, and one in France
(Atlantis, 1930). There was a further version released in Denmark
, although this was a silent film
and used different footage and an altered storyline.
" as the Atlantic sinks into the ocean. The final scenes depict a group of passengers saying the Lord's Prayer
in a flooding lounge.
. The Danish version used early sound recorders, many of which were lost until the 1990s.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
black-and-white film, directed and produced by Ewald André Dupont
Ewald André Dupont
Ewald André Dupont was a German film director, one of the founders of the German film industry. He was frequently credited as E. A. Dupont....
and starring Franklin Dyall
Franklin Dyall
Franklin Dyall was an English actor.He appeared in 26 films between 1916 and 1948...
and Madeleine Carroll
Madeleine Carroll
Edith Madeleine Carroll was an English actress, popular in the 1930s and 1940s.-Early life:Carroll was born at 32 Herbert Street in West Bromwich, England. She graduated from the University of Birmingham, England with a B.A. degree...
. Three versions were made, one in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, one in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and one in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(Atlantis, 1930). There was a further version released in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, although this was a silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
and used different footage and an altered storyline.
Plot
Atlantic is a drama film based on the RMS Titanic and set aboard a fictional ship, called the Atlantic. The main plotline revolves around a man who has a shipboard affair with a fellow passenger, which is eventually discovered by his wife. The ship also has aboard an elderly couple, the Rools, who are on their anniversary cruise. Midway across the Atlantic Ocean, the Atlantic strikes an iceberg and is damaged to the point where it is sinking into the Atlantic. A shortage of lifeboats causes the crew to only allow women and children in and many couples are separated. Mrs. Rool refuses to leave her husband and after the boats are gone all the passengers gather on the deck and sing "Nearer, My God, to TheeNearer, My God, to Thee
"Nearer, My God, to Thee" is a 19th century Christian hymn by Sarah Flower Adams, based loosely on Genesis 28:11–19, the story of Jacob's dream. Genesis 28:11–12 can be translated as follows: "So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the...
" as the Atlantic sinks into the ocean. The final scenes depict a group of passengers saying the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
in a flooding lounge.
Cast (in credits order)
- Franklin DyallFranklin DyallFranklin Dyall was an English actor.He appeared in 26 films between 1916 and 1948...
as John Rool - Madeleine CarrollMadeleine CarrollEdith Madeleine Carroll was an English actress, popular in the 1930s and 1940s.-Early life:Carroll was born at 32 Herbert Street in West Bromwich, England. She graduated from the University of Birmingham, England with a B.A. degree...
as Monica - John StuartJohn Stuart (actor)John Stuart, born John Alfred Louden Croall , was a Scottish actor, and a very popular leading man in British silent films in the 1920s. He appeared in two films directed by Alfred Hitchcock....
as Lawrence - Ellaline TerrissEllaline TerrissEllaline Terriss, born Ellaline Lewin , was a popular English actress and singer, best known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies...
as Alice Rool - Monty BanksMonty BanksMontague Banks was a comedian and film director. In the 1920s, he worked in Hollywood, starring in many silent short comedies and in the feature-length action thriller Play Safe...
as Dandy - Donald CalthropDonald CalthropDonald Calthrop was an English stage and film actor. He starred as the title character in the hit musical The Boy in 1917. He then appeared in 63 films between 1916 and 1940, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.He was born in London and died in Eton from a heart attack.He was the...
as Pointer - John LongdenJohn LongdenJohn Longden was a West Indian-born English film actor. He appeared in 84 films between 1926 and 1964, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.-Biography:...
as Lanchester - Arthur HardyArthur Hardy (actor)Arthur Hardy was a British actor, whose appearances include Atlantic and Dreyfus .-Filmography:*The Vulture - Li Fu*The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss - Crawley*Abdul the Damned - Ambassador...
as Maj Boldy - Helen HayeHelen HayeHelen Haye was a British stage and film actress.She began acting on the stage in 1898 and debuted in London in 1911 as Gertrude in Hamlet. Her film career began in 1917. She often worked with director Alexander Korda...
as Clara Tate-Hughes - D.A. Clarke-Smith as Freddie Tate-Hughes
- Joan BarryJoan Barry (actress)Joan Barry , born Ina Florence Marshman Bell, was an English film actress, whose career straddled the development of talkies....
as Betty Tate-Hughes - Francis ListerFrancis ListerFrancis Lister was a British film actor. He was married to the actress Nora Swinburne.-Selected filmography:* Comin' Thro the Rye * Boden's Boy * At the Villa Rose * Uneasy Virtue...
as Padre - Sydney Lynn as Captain Collins
- Syd CrossleySyd CrossleySyd Crossley was an English film actor. He appeared in 114 films between 1925 and 1942.He was born in London, England and died in Troon, Scotland...
as Telegraphist - Dino Galvani as Steward
- Danny GreenDanny Green (actor)Danny Green was an English character actor, best known for his role as the slow-witted ex-boxer "One-Round" Lawson in The Ladykillers.He worked in film, television and on the stage.-Filmography:...
as Passenger - Fanny Wright as Passenger
- Anthony Papafio (uncredited)
Production crew
- Produced by Ewald André Dupont, John Maxwell, & James Scura
- Original Music by John Reynders
- Cinematography by Charles Rosher
- Film Editing by Emile de Ruelle
- Art Direction by Hugh Gee
- Assistant Directors: Marjorie Gaffney, J.F. Green, & John Harlow
- Sound Department: Jack Mair & Alec Murray
- Musical director: John Reynders
Sound
Atlantic was one of the first British films made with sound on film and was Germany's first sound movie. In England, it was released in both sound and silent prints. The French version was the fourth French feature with sound-on-filmSound-on-film
Sound-on-film refers to a class of sound film processes where the sound accompanying picture is physically recorded onto photographic film, usually, but not always, the same strip of film carrying the picture. Sound-on-film processes can either record an analog sound track or digital sound track,...
. The Danish version used early sound recorders, many of which were lost until the 1990s.
Trivia
- The movie was originally made as Titanic but after lawsuits it was renamed Atlantic.
- The final scene of the movie was filmed as a shot of the liner sinking but it was cut at the last minute as it was feared it would upset Titanic survivors.