Raise the Titanic (1980) Original Script, Production stills, and related ephemera.

Original Production Script by Adam Kennedy, Revised Final Draft, dated August 27, 1979, annotated in pencil to front page by Malcolm Christopher, with his further pencil annotations to a few internal pages, within blue card covers,142-pages on white sheets, printed by Barbara’s Place, Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, California, 21 ½ x 28cm.

Thirty-three Original Production publicity stills, monochrome and colour, the images taken during the shoot depicted models of, and onboard ship, cast and crew including actors, Sir Alec Guinness, Richard Jordan and Jason Robards, interior and exterior locations including, Marine tanks used for surface and underwater filming at Mediterranean Film Facilities, Kalkara, Malta, mostly 10 x 8 inches.

Fifty-five Original Production 10 x 8 inch black and white stills, the images depicted interiors and exteriors of ocean liners including, RMS Queen Mary, Regina Elena, Genova, and one photograph labelled ‘H.R.S. Titanic / Stern Total Vessel (Less Superstructure)’, all contained within an Ilford photographic paper cardboard box, annotated in Malcolm Christopher’s hand in black marker pen to the front lid ‘Malcolm Christopher Raise the Titanic’.

The Deep-Water Filming Tank, Fort St. Rocco, Rinella, Malta, a ten-page typescript report including diagrams and colour photographs, within blue card covers, 21 x 30cm.

[SS] “Normandie”, News & Views of the Most Up-To-Date Liner, Circular to French Line Agents and others interested in Ocean Travel, issue No. 49, a promotional brochure for the French ocean-liner’s maiden voyage which sailed from Southampton to New York, May 29, 1935, photo. illustrated throughout, 16-pages, 32 x 33cm (unfolded).

The New York Times, ‘Titanic Sinks Four Hours After Hitting Iceberg’ . . . a later reprint copy of the newspaper originally printed April 16, 1912; and Daily Express, A Night to Remember (1958) Pinewood [Studios] edition, July 4, 1958, a four-page article relating to the release of the disaster film which recounted the final night of RMS Titanic, based on the 1955 book of the same title, written by Walter Lord’; and a publicity poster for the film, rolled, 11 x 17 inches; all contained within Malcolm Christopher’s metal orange location filing case with the film title printed to orange and yellow labels.

Raise the Titanic, produced by Lew Grade’s ITC Entertainment was directed by Jerry Jameson and is based on the 1976 book of the same title by Clive Cussler. The models were based on blueprints of the actual Titanic and were built at CBS Studio Centre, California, at a cost of $5-6million, and at a cost of $7 million a 10-tonne 15m scale model was also built for the scene where the Titanic is raised to the surface, which initially proved too large for any existing water tank to hold. Regarding the movie’s cost, producer, Sir Lew Grade famously said, ‘It would have been cheaper to lower the Atlantic’ (Ocean), than raise the Titanic.

Provenance:

The Collection of the late Malcom Christopher (1932-2021) who worked on the film and is credited as Production Supervisor: Europe.

Malcolm worked in the film and television industry as location manager, production manager, production supervisor, associate producer and line producer, his credits include, The Saint (1962-1969), The Persuaders (1971-1972), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Barry Lyndon (1975), Rollerball (1975), Voyage of the Damned (1976), Raise the Titanic (1980), Never Say Never Again (1983), Death Wish 3 (1985), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), and many others.