Product Details

• Actors: Martin Sheen
• Directors: Ed Spiegel (II), Nicolas Noxon
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Nat'l Geographic Vid
• VHS Release Date: July 11, 1997
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304840136
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,154 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The tragedy of the Titanic has fascinated all since she sank with 1,500 of her passengers and crew in 1912. Much later, scientist Robert Ballard set out to find and explore the wreck, despite difficulties of depth and location. Using the research submarine Alvin and a remote-controlled underwater robot, he was the first human in over 70 years to see the giant resting beneath the North Atlantic waves. Secrets of the Titanic tells the story of the events leading up to the sinking using footage and photographs from the doomed maiden voyage and then follows the luckier Dr. Ballard through the steps leading to his discovery. As usual for National Geographic, the photography is excellent, even within the cramped confines of the tiny Alvin. The first views of the Titanic's interior are truly spectacular, especially when contrasted with vintage photos, and the excitement of Ballard and his crew is contagious. The spirit and joys of discovery are well captured and the viewer is reminded that the world is still teeming with opportunities for adventure. --Rob Lightner

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent documentary on the 1985 discovery, January 28, 2001

By 

aaron wittenberg - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic - Secrets of the Titanic (DVD)

I'm sure most people know that this is strictly a documentary on the discovery Dr. Robert Ballard did on the Titanic. I haven't watched my copy in over a year, but from what I do remember, it was very, very good. They start out before they actually find the Titanic with some of the explorations they did during the summer of 1985. Then on September 1, 1985, they discovered it. It's not the typical finding of the bow and such, they scan the ocean floor and pieces of the wreckage start showing up.

There is much detail about the discovery, a lot of background about their equipment, how they went looking for it, TONS of footage, and so much more. If you liked the movie and want to see what the Titanic looked like in 1985, 73 years after it fell into darkness, this is it.

Kids probably wouldn't like this too much as its not really a fun movie, but it is very educational and very interesting. If you were a big fan of the Titanic, you should get this.

It is actually interesting to see them building the robots and testing them before going into the ocean. The video is jam packed with background, pictures (color/B&W), footage, and a lot of historical information.

One of the final scenes shows a someones shoe (crew member?) where it had sat for 73 years until the 1985 discovery. There are no bodies in this (do you really think a body would last 3/4 of a century at the bottom of the ocean? nada), but they show you PLENTY of the remains from the Titanic. I believe they also show some of the Titanic survivors and the gravesites.

Excellent educational film. I took my copy to work after I first got it over a year ago and almost everybody in the office was watching it. It definitely holds your attention.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the sinking of the "Floating Palace", November 21, 2004

By 

Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: National Geographic - Secrets of the Titanic (DVD)

Starting with remarkable still photographs and film footage of the Titanic being built in the Belfast, Ireland shipyard, where "3,000 men labored for 2 years", this is a riveting documentary that intersperses these visions of the past with film of explorer Robert Ballard's determination and persistence in finding the wreckage, and he did so by using the theory that no one else had accepted, that the sixty-six thousand ton Titanic had broken apart before sinking, separating the ship on the ocean floor, with a wide field of debris in between.

The Titanic, called by some "a floating palace", had 325 passengers in its luxurious first class cabins, and a total of 2,229 souls aboard, sailing on its fateful voyage April 10, 1912; Dr. Ballard, who always desired to find the great ship, achieved his goal in the summer of '86, and using "Alvin", a small submarine where three men would be crammed for hours during the search, and then applying "Jason", a robotic camera that was able to enter the structure and give us eerie images of the underwater graveyard, with rivers of rust flowing from it.

The DVD "Extra" that is also on the VHS version is "Last Hours of the Titanic", and it is fascinating; it's an in-depth interview with Dr. Ballard, who speaks of the challenge of finding the wreck with the time constraints (and monetary limitations) he was faced with, and gives us explanations of exactly what happened in the final hours of the ship with animated re-creations.
This also has added footage of the ship, and the most poignant image of all, found in the extensive debris field...a pair of shoes, their owner having disintegrated, but on the ocean floor just as this unfortunate man was laid to rest, undisturbed for seven decades. It's an unforgettable image, and evokes the tragedy of the Titanic more than anything else I've seen.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the whole family, January 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: National Geographic - Secrets of the Titanic (DVD)

This is the ultimate "real" movie about the Titanic. My son and his friends (5-7 year olds) are facinated by it. The combination of historical info and pictures, plus the modern-day science and technology of the underwater subs used to explore the wreck, are fantastic. This is the sort of movie that can hook kids (and adults) on history and science... a great addition to any video library.