Atlantik (1929)

Inspired by the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912, this film tells the story of a passenger liner called the “Atlantic.” The luxury ship is on its maiden voyage from Europe to America. Spirits are high aboard, among both the wealthy passengers on the upper deck and those in the lower classes. The “Atlantic” is considered unsinkable. Captain von Oldenburg wants to cross the Atlantic as quickly as possible on the North Atlantic route, keeping just below the drift-ice zone. But during the voyage, the temperature plunges, and the ice rapidly spreads southward. Oldenburg instructs his first officer, Lersner, to calm any unrest that might arise among the passengers. Eventually, the ship suffers a fatal collision with an iceberg. But trusting completely in the ship’s “unsinkability,” the passengers are at first not greatly alarmed—even when the captain orders them to board the lifeboats as part of a supposed “emergency drill.” The “Atlantic” can stay afloat for no more than three hours; after that, it will have sunk beneath the ocean. Thomas, a severely disabled writer, is the first to learn the true extent of the disaster from Lersner: the ship’s hull has been completely torn open, he is told. The young Viennese pianist Poldi happens to overhear their conversation and falls into deep despair. At last, he sits down at the piano and plays a heartrending song of sorrow and farewell. Chaos quickly breaks out: “Women and children first,” comes the call as people try to board the far too few lifeboats. In the process, the young married couple Monica and Peter are separated. The passengers left behind, along with the crew, gather to pray and wait together for the sinking, which will inevitably lead to their deaths.