TITANIC

“On the 16th April 1912, the sinking of the giant Titanic provokes terror and panic in the world. This has been the most important sea disaster for years. More than 200 people drowned. Nobody knows the real tragic or revolting reasons of a disaster caused by criminal thoughtlessness or a spirit of lucre. Who would have suspected then that stock-market speculations were the causes and that a mysterious curse was hanging over this luxurious sea-ship?” (Der Deutsche Film).

To sum up, this film related in a little favourable way to Great Britain the end of the famous transatlantic liner, which was at that time the most beautiful flagship British merchant navy, which sank against an iceberg at its first crossing towards New York.

The Chairman of the White Star Line Company, Sir Bruce ISMAY, was the owner of the Titanic, whose construction cost a fortune. In order to avoid bankrupt and better to get high benefits, he convinced the Captain of the boat to win the “blue ribbon” by reaching New York the quickest possible by crossing the Northern Atlantic Ocean, which was particularly dangerous because of ice fields.
A few people representing the “gentry” were on board: ISMAY’s lover, Lord and Lady ASTOR, who were hostiles to the Chairman’s aims, a ruined Lord who tries to extort money from ASTOR through his wife, and Sigrid, a Danish young girl who pretended she was very wealthy. A couple of immigrants and a German scientist Theodore LOOS were also present.
The Titanic hits an iceberg and starts to sink. As it is panic on board, the Chairman only wishes to be saved. The German First officer PETERSEN, who had tried to respect the security requirements since the departure, rescues him.
Both men appeared in court before a committee of inquiry. ISMAY was released but PETERSEN was punished. But the Captain of the ship, who sank with his boat, was judged as the person responsible for the sinking. With a violent diatribe ending this film, the only person aware of this tragic venture is the heroic and generous German scientist PETERSEN, who denounces the real guilty persons.

The script speaks for itself. “Film”(of June 1965) points out the ridiculous introduction of the "“perfidious Albion”" “: "Ernst Fritz FÜRBRINGER playing a nasal and gesticulating Chairman, Franz SCHAFTLIN playing a business man with a stupidly arrogant eyes behind his monocle, Otto WERNICKE as a captain full of unscrupulous and grovelling devotion."

The Direction – which partly explains the reasons- doesn’t seem to be the best one: "« this is theatre filmed badly » (« Film »), « an incoherent film”(“Hull” p. 231). The enormous means invested (interior sets built in Berlin, exterior scenes made on a real ship in a Polish Port (Gdynia) where a part of the Nazi float was stopping) wasn’t enough, as often, to compensate other inadequacies.

The sinking and particularly the crowd of passengers hurrying towards the lifeboats are the only interesting things. This is why the British director Roy BAKER included them to his film called "A NIGHT TO REMEMBER" (ATLANTIQUE LATITUDE 41°) in 1958.

But « Hull » appreciated Sybille SCHMITZ a lot and her « strange black vamp wig » (p. 232) in her role of the mysterious Sigrid : "“Her appearance on the big stairs may be the greatest appearance in the story of cinema (…) and you must watch this scene to believe it” (1961)

Regarding the SELPIN affair, TITANIC was GOEBBELS personal project and we can wonder why, after having chosen to trust Wolfgang LIEBENEINER, he gave the official order of this film to one of the directors he hated most.
May be because PETERSEN’s character was close to the heroes played by Hans ALBERS in the five films made by SELPIN between 1938 and 1941 (SERGENT BERRY, DRAME A CANITOGA, EIN MANN AUF ABWEGEN, TRENCK LE TEMERAIRE, et CARL PETERS).
Perhaps the second reason is because the Minister had something at the back of his mind. At his arrival to Gdynia, SELPIN was very unsatisfied with the scriptwriter’s job, his friend Walter ZERLETT-OLFENIUS. He vigorously told him his disappointment one evening although some officers of the garrison navy were present. ZERLETT asked SELPIN to be more moderate in his words in order to respect these other persons. But he exploded : ” Eh you, with you shitting soldiers, you are a kind of shitting Lieutenant with your shitting friend!”. ZERLETT wrote to the Tobis on the following day: he gave his good friend, the General of the SS Army (“Obergruppenführer”) HINKEL an oral report, and sent a written one to the Central Office of the National Surety (“Reichssicherheitshauptamt”).

Finally, SELPIN was convoked to GOEBBELS with the Intendant of cinema HIPPLER, with Wolfgang LIEBENEINER and two agents of the Gestapo. As the director refused to retract, GOEBBELS made him incarcerate straight away. On the following day, on the 31st July 1942, he was found dead in his cell, hung with his braces. Suicide or murder?
“Film” precises that the victim’s neck showed strangulation traces. Straight away and three times afterwards (on the 31st July, the 3rd and the 8th of August),the propaganda ministry informed people in his bulletin (“Kulturpolitische Informationen”) that anything mentioning Herbert SELPIN or his death would immediately be forbidden.
On the 7th August, the “Film-Kurier” issued a communiqué of the Intendant of cinema: ”The director Herbert SELPIN damaged the moral of the army with his ignoble insults and his slanderous words towards German soldiers and officers of the front. He was arrested then so to be brought before the courts. SELPIN’s attitude was such contemptible as he didn’t take part to the Great War, and to this war either, and he had important obligations in the German cinema. SELPIN committed suicide by hanging in the night of the 1st August, during his detention on remand. Werner KLINGLER was asked to end the film.

On the 30th April 1943, although it has “been recommended for its political and artistic value”, TITANIC was forbidden in GERMANY and authorized for foreign countries only, as, according to GOEBBELS, panic scenes weren’t able to support the moral of a country threatened by bombs.
The premiere took place in Paris on the 10th November “in a postsynchronized version, which had allowed to emphasize its anti-British character” (“Jeanne et Ford’, p. 433). It has been authorized in Western Germany from December 1949 only, before being again and definitely forbidden on the 29th March 1950, after the protests of the British government. In the meantime, it has been authorized in the Democratic German Republic and cast by Sovexport-Film.