November 21 - Brittanic

Today’s movie is a historical drama/disaster film with a scene that happens on November 21. Watch it and enjoy.

BRITTANIC                              

The HMS Britannic sets sail for Greece to serve as a hospital ship during the Great War. Vera Campbell is on board as a British agent seeking a suspected German spy. Her cover is a governess to William and Sarah, the two children of Lady Lewis, whose husband is the new British ambassador to Greece. Chaplin Reynolds is a German spy and is plotting with Irish crewmen to seize the ship and expose to the world the weaponry the hospital ship is illegally.  Vera is terrified because she was also on the Titanic. Vera spots a suspicious meeting of some of the plotters. When a crewman, Evans, sees Reynolds looking at the weapons, Reynolds kills him. The Irish attempt to seize the ship is foiled by Vera’s attention to details and quick thinking. Reynolds deflects any suspicion attaching to himself by shooting one of his own men once he sees the plot has failed.  Reynolds helps the one man who was caught escape, but the man is killed. Reynolds remained undetected. Vera’s attention to the details prevents a torpedo attack on the ship from succeeding. On shore in Naples, Vera sees Reynolds have a suspicious meeting. The two later share a night of passion.  On November 21, 1916 [59:45 to 1:31:54] Vera finds out Reynolds is the spy because he is missing a button, like the killer of Evans.  Reynolds kills the doctor and knocks out Vera. He then opens all watertight doors and destroys their control mechanism. He sets off an explosion, even though Vera shoots him. William Lewis goes to look for Vera. Reynolds helps her find him and is then trapped. Vera goes back to save Reynolds. They barely make it off the ship and he sacrifices himself to save her. The ship sinks with a loss of thirty people.  

A completely historically inaccurate film. There was no evidence the Britannic was carrying weapons. Nor is there any evidence the Germans tried to sink her. Better as entertainment than history.

Titanic’s Last Secrets by Brad Matson (Hachette Book Group, New York, 2008) at page 243 gives the date of the sinking

Producer - Paul Colichman

Director - Brian Trenchard-Smith

Runtime – 1 hour 33 minutes

Released - January 10, 2000 

Starring –

Edward Atterton as Chaplain Reynolds

Amanda Ryan as Vera Campbell

Jacqueline Bisset as Lady Lewis

Ben Daniels as Townsend

John Rhys-Davies as Captain Bartlett

Bruce Payne as Doctor Baker

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.