Titanic: Blood and Steel

Titanic: Blood and Steel

2012
Titanic: Blood and Steel
Titanic: Blood and Steel

Titanic: Blood and Steel

7.2 | TV-14 | en | Drama

Belfast, 1909. The Harland and Wolff shipyard has been handed the greatest project in its history. It will build a great, unsinkable ship. And it will be called the RMS Titanic.

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Seasons & Episodes

1
EP12  The 'Unsinkable' Sets Sail
Aug. 15,2012
The 'Unsinkable' Sets Sail

The time has come for the great ship to leave for the New World. As Morgan always wanted, Titanic's maiden's voyage will become one of the first great PR events. Sofia and Joanna Yaeger are friends and she gets her a job as an illustrator for the New York Times. Pietro uses most of his money to buy her a ticket. Mark himself only gets on board by chance. The group also includes Jack Lowry, a young riveter we met since the beginning of the story. Violetta with the baby, whom Michael MacCann, has come back to marry. Joanna will be onboard – and so will Kitty, by now an acclaimed actress. A little girl by the name of Sarah, with her mother, will board Third Class. Neither Mark nor his daughter are aware of their presence onboard the Titanic. And, while the ship sails for New York, and Mark and Sofia finally find happiness and reconciliation, we are left asking ourselves: who amongst our characters will survive the great disaster?

EP11  The Tipping Point
Jul. 22,2012
The Tipping Point

An accountant from the United States, Samuel, makes Mark feel jealous. Samuel is handsome and witty. He is American and unaware and uninterested in divisions. For Sofia, he represents a real temptation: Pietro is better and Mark still can't leave his job. Mark is still uncertain: he still hopes to find his daughter. Mark discovers what the girl's name was: Sarah. The girl might live in a small village outside Belfast. But the girl, who had indeed been living there, has left. They have moved to Belfast but no one knows where. Andrews fights, and looses, a memorable battle to equip Titanic more life boats. And while Pirrie and Churchill try to campaign for Home Rule in Belfast, the divide between the Catholic and Protestant communities has grown. Lord Pirrie, by now disillusioned with most of his liberal principles, falls ill.

EP10  A Crack in the Armor
Jul. 15,2012
A Crack in the Armor

Titanic's sister ship, the Olympic, is damaged again. Mark can't leave. Sofia also has to postpone her plans. Pietro has been injured at work and she must look after him. Mark and Andrews look for new solutions. The gashes in Olympic suggest that the steel is just too weak. Eventually they have to concede that the steel, combined with the sheer scope, is just not good enough. The double hull would have protected the ship - Perhaps the bulkheads too. For this to become a serious problem, Titanic would have to crash into something very solid. An occurrence that seems remote on the Atlantic Ocean. While Mark and Andrews slowly come to their conclusions, Emily is sentenced to an astoundingly unfair six months in jail. But another terrible event occurs: Conor is shot dead while the Unionists start advocating a new, separate State, Northern Ireland.

EP9  Burden of Proof
Jul. 08,2012
Burden of Proof

The Admiralty has opened an inquiry into the Olympic accident, and Pirrie, Andrews, Morgan and Mark are invited to London. Mark is pleased to see his old friend Kitty, who has become a star. At the inquiry, the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, suggests that the yard could serve several ends in case of military escalation. Joanna Yaeger, Mark's old friend from New York, and Morgan's protégée, is forced into a very dangerous position: a spy. With her unparalleled access she can prove to be extremely useful to the Austro Hungarian and German causes. Back in Belfast, Mark faces a new crisis. Andrea, Sofia's old fiancée, has seen her with him and has told Pietro. Sofia is forced to choose. Sofia stays Mark. Finally he agrees to follow Sofia: they will move to London, together. He will leave Harland & Wolff and all hopes to ever find his own daughter. In a breathtaking ceremony, the Titanic is finally launched.

EP8  High Stakes
Jul. 01,2012
High Stakes

The high staked General Elections are drawing closer. The magnates have their own candidate, the Unionist extremist Albert Hatton. The fact that Pirrie does not support Hatton makes him an enemy of the ruling class. Michael is campaigning for Labour. His sister Emily helps him. But she gets arrested for giving out leaflets. This is a political measure, and Emily is only the scapegoat. On the ship front, Mark's proposition to erect higher bulkheads to defend Titanic is crushed by Ismay, the Chairman of White Star Lines, the company Titanic is being built for. When the elections occur, Albert Hatton wins a handsome majority. The third candidate, Michael, only gets a very small number of votes. Protestant and anti Home Rule extremists fume with rage and hatred, and Michael is assaulted, cruelly beaten and forced from Belfast. His brother Conor has become a terrorist and has taken lives.

EP7  The Truth Shell Set You Free
Jun. 24,2012
The Truth Shell Set You Free

Losing his job is not Mark's only problem. Sofia knows his truth. Mark tells her everything. Even about Siobhan and the baby. She eventually forgives him. It is also time for Mark to reconcile with Sean. Mark's situation seems to get better still when JP. Morgan arrives. When told the reason why his chief metallurgist has been fired, Morgan has him immediately reinstated. Mark starts looking for a viable alternative to the double hull, an alternative he finds in higher bulkheads. General Elections are in sight. Home Rule for Ireland is at stake. The possibility that London putting a stop controlling the island is strongly opposed by the Protestant minority, which fears the power the Catholic majority would get. Emily persuades her brother Michael to stand for Parliament, and Pirrie helps and supports his main counterpart in the shipyard.

EP6  The Imposter
Jun. 17,2012
The Imposter

The accident has created a terrible workload. Tensions between classes escalate. Pirrie and Michael finally manage to come to an understanding that appease the workers, but not magnate Charles Stokes. Unfortunately, Conor MacCann, Emily's younger brother, is driven towards more extremist acts after he gets fired. The Fenian movement, a Catholic terrorist group, takes Conor in. Mark suggests building a double hull for the Titanic. But Pirrie is unimpressed. It would mean wasting too much time. To try and forget his many concerns, Mark manages to take Sofia away for a romantic weekend. It is a time when love flourishes, giving both of them the illusion that everything will be fine. Henry Carlton has discovered Mark's real identity. Carlton is furious that his daughter, Kitty, has been in a relationship with a Catholic impostor. Kitty is disowned and she decides to leave Belfast. As soon as Mark comes back he is summoned and fired.

EP5  Under Lock and Key
Jun. 10,2012
Under Lock and Key

Mark's story is fully revealed. When he lived in Belfast, he had a girlfriend, Siobhan Doyle. She was supposed to follow him but never did. Siobhan died soon after. His father told him she had died of TB. Instead, she had died at childbirth without him ever knowing. Mark realises how much Siobhan suffered, and is heartbroken. She was sent to a convent. To his utter shock, he finds out that the child survived: a baby girl. He tries to find her, but the nuns will not tell him anything. An accident occurs that forces him back to work: RMS Olympic, a ship in the same class as Titanic, has had a serious accident. Mark is asked to study the implications. Mark's new discoveries are now less important that delivering on schedule. Pirrie and Andrews discover that Mark Muir is a Catholic, but guard his secret.

EP4  Danger Looms
Jun. 03,2012
Danger Looms

Walter's death has changed the whole picture. Malcontent breeds amongst workers, especially at the shipyard. Larkin has been forced to leave the city. Andrea, to Sofia's embarrassment, is staying at her house. The Chairman, Lord Pirrie, is shocked, and fights with his former friend Henry Carlton – Kitty's father – whom he holds responsible. He seeks an understanding with Michael MacCann, one of the leaders of the workers' movement. They are both intelligent and moral men. Mark keeps his mind on his job and finally identifies the problem with the steel: impurities. But the steel complies with regulations. Eventually Thomas Andrews will see his point, and a new relationship will form. But work is not Mark's only occupation: he finally kisses Sofia. As he goes back to his father, he is assaulted by Bernard Doyle. He accuses him of having left behind his fiancée, Bernard's daughter Siobhan, who died at childbirth.

EP3  Good Man Down
May. 27,2012
Good Man Down

Mark has put his father up in a small hotel. We learn that another man is looking for Mark, someone that Sean fears. Mark's job has made him closer to Sofia Silvestri. Sofia is charmed by Mark: he seems genuinely interested in her. Sofia's friend Emily warns to be careful. But Sofia has other worries. Her father is encouraging Andrea to fight for her. But Sofia won't be forced. In the meantime, Mark discovers a problem with the steel used to build the ship. But science is put to test by the divides in Belfast. The Protestant magnates, worried by the success of the Union, call in the Army to boycott a peaceful march. The Army sabotages the march in the Catholic area, causing accidents that seem organised by Catholic workers. Mark is there to show his respect for the workers.

EP2  Stained Steel
May. 20,2012
Stained Steel

Dr. Mark Muir's real name is Marcas Malone, and he is the son of a Belfast Catholic dockworker, Sean. Sean is an old drunkard, broken by a life of unimaginable harshness. His only remaining pride lies in Mark. Now, Sean is worried that if Mark's identity were to be disclosed, he would lose his job at the Protestant - managed shipyard. But Mark is careful and guarded. He starts finding out things about the steel used that lead him into conflict with chief designer Thomas Andrews. In the meantime, social tension escalates. A prominent figure in the labor movement, Jim Larkin, is organizing the workers in Belfast. While Kitty Carlton seduces Mark with her elegant charms, Sofia gets more involved in her fight for freedom, which she interprets in a personal way, turning down her father's apprentice, Andrea Valle, much to her father's grief.

EP1  A City Divided
May. 13,2012
A City Divided

Dr. Mark Muir, a young American metallurgist, persuades American tycoon JP Morgan to hire him for the biggest shipping project the world has ever seen: RMS Titanic, at the Harland & Wolff shipyard, in Belfast. The shipyard's visionary Chairman takes the young scientist under his wing, introducing him to Belfast's Protestant elite. Mark quickly catches the eye of the charming, albeit spoilt, daughter of a magnate: Kitty Carlton. But he is also intrigued by a very different woman; Sofia Silvestri, an immigrant's daughter. Belfast, seen through Mark's eyes, is a city ridden with divisions of class and religion, from which, as a stranger, Mark should be far removed. But we soon discover that Mark is a man with a past mysteriously connected to the Catholic suburbs of Belfast.

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7.2 | TV-14 | en | Drama | More Info
Released: 2012-05-13 | Released Producted By: 3 Arts Entertainment , RAI Country: United Kingdom Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

Belfast, 1909. The Harland and Wolff shipyard has been handed the greatest project in its history. It will build a great, unsinkable ship. And it will be called the RMS Titanic.

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Cast

Kevin Zegers , Derek Jacobi , Alessandra Mastronardi

Director

Producted By

3 Arts Entertainment , RAI

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Reviews

jjnxn-1 Opulent miniseries that chronicles the years leading up to and during which the Titanic was constructed in Belfast. As with something this complex some of the stories are more compelling than others as are some of the performances. Kevin Zegers holds the screen well in the lead, his startlingly blue eyes pulling you in. His storyline and several others intertwine and lead to interesting bits of history as well as storytelling. Neve Campbell's reporter storyline however feels superfluous. The best performance comes unsurprisingly from Derek Jacobi as Lord Pirrie. Effiiciently directed this moves along well with very few slow patches. Overall a good, if long, view with some soapy complications thrown in for good measure, but keep in mind this focuses on the building of the ship, not the ill-fated voyage itself.
Son-of-WRA Before I start, readers should be aware that I expect filmmakers to respect the intelligence of their intended audience. I am able to appreciate the effort behind a good production and won't hesitate to compliment those of whom were involved. I'm almost a perfectionist when it comes to entertainment, so understand that the review you are about to read comes from someone who isn't prone to gushing with platitudes.I came into "Titanic: Blood and Steel" with an open mind and after viewing 10 of the 12 episodes I feel truly rewarded in a way not sensed since "Road to Perdition" or "Out of Africa" before that. It isn't to say I was moved in the same way each time for they were great productions all their own. But this a truly professionally executed example of filmmaking.This series is very well-acted from the legendary Derek Jacobi as Lord Pirrie to the small part players. I especially like the performance of Ophelia Lovibond as Kitty because I feel almost as if I've traveled back in time whenever her character is on. I could go on about all the fine acting. The production values are nearly perfect but I have to say that the CGI rendering could have been slightly better. But hey, the matte backgrounds of many classic movies are obvious too.If you watch this series expecting a documentary-perfect telling of events, you will be disappointed. This is a portrayal of fictional characters in fictional story arcs centered upon the factual events surrounding the conceptualization, construction and eventual fate of the Titanic.I am absolutely hooked on this story and with two episodes to go I'm already mourning the fact that it will be over. I feel that this is one of my ten best films of all time even as I speak as somewhat of a history buff who demands accuracy. I'm not one who watches a series such as this. My usual entertainment consists of NFL football, EPL soccer and scientific documentaries.With all the dreck coming out of Hollywood during my almost 53 years of existence, its refreshing as well as encouraging to witness such a fine effort from people who respect the tastes and intelligence of the viewers.Bravo!
pwrightwood I was really looking forward to this series in spite of its timing. It came out as the Titanic anniversary was on the wane and most people were Titaniced-out by other disappointing documentaries and commemorations.I watched a number of episodes...my disappointment increasing but with hope that it would get better. It didn't. To say it got worse is an understatement. The historical accuracies only increased. I totally agree with a previous reviewer that the romance and labour dispute issues were portrayed using contemporary values. The latter underscores what is really wrong. As a Canadian, I really hate to admit it but once Canadians get into the movies or mini-series business they cannot help themselves from being politically correct and by doing so, fail to render historical accuracy. Rewriting history is something we do so well...I know...I am a Quebecer. I was hoping for something more from the Irish.Two stars for photography.
J Kent Layton As a maritime and Titanic author and historian, I was quite interested to see this production, as it focused on the construction of the legendary liner and came at things from a unique perspective. Unfortunately, I am beyond disappointed (appalled would be a more apt word) by the historical errors that made their way into the miniseries.I have been working my way through the 12-part miniseries, trying desperately not to shred the arms of my chair or grinding my teeth to powder in so doing. Although the production might be an enjoyable piece if it were purely fictional, the history of the Titanic became a tragic, jumbled mess in this production.In some respects I found that it captured the period. However even there the effect was not complete; for example, the "jazz" music in the early-episode society scenes was about 10-15 years too premature, and that's something that anyone could get right.Was it poor research that caused this historical monstrosity? Apparently not. Why? Because of how many little details they apparently had easy access to and saw fit to include in the production (i.e., the number of passengers on Olympic's crossing where she tangled with the Hawke, the design of the Great Gantry, the fact that the riveters were paid by the rivet, the way the rivet seals were tested, the name of the British Board of Trade inspector, etc.). Meanwhile, the production included an overwhelming number of serious historical errors, many of which were easier to "get right" than the aforementioned factoids.Included in this list of grievous technical and historical mistakes are:* The "fact" that J. P. Morgan bankrolled and exercised great influence in the design and construction of the vessels. White Star paid for the vessels, and Ismay and White Star, rather than Morgan directly, had primary influence in the design and construction; * The steel issues, which is an older theory which has really been addressed and is blown entirely out of proportion in this production; * The blueprints for the Titanic shown from the opening credits through every episode, and which are actually, in every instance I noticed, of the Lusitania; * The slip that the Titanic was built on in the show is actually Olympic's slip; * The "fact" that the Olympic/Hawke collision (September 20, 1911) took place long before the launch of the Titanic (May 31, 1911) (???!!!); * The term "unsinkable" (or "practically unsinkable") is dreamed up and applied primarily to Titanic by the fictional character after the collision with the Hawke, when in reality it was introduced by White Star publicity and period Trade journals such as The Shipbuilder during construction of the two liners, and was applied to both equally. (Coincidentally, the special number of The Shipbuilder in which the term appeared is seen in the series long before Muir supposedly dreamed up the term); * The damage to the Olympic appears on the forward-port quarter of the hull, rather than the aft-starboard quarter; * Ismay saying that the Titanic would be 'much larger' than the Olympic; * Ismay didn't even have a speaking part, I don't believe, until the third episode; * The timing of any discussion regarding the possibilities of a double hull would have been back around 1907-1908 and applied to both ships, and would not have been applied solely to Titanic after the collision between the Olympic and the Hawke (in the end, a double-bottom was adopted for each); * The complete out-of-character, irritated, gruff behavior of Thomas Andrews throughout much of the first half of the series; * The worries within the yard that Titanic was just "too big" (the Germans were already starting work on the Imperator, which was still larger); * BOT Inspector Francis Carruthers was on site virtually every day of construction, yet he is not seen - until what, the fifth episode? - when he is lethargically tapping a couple of rivets. The implication is that Carruthers and the BOT exercised no real authority or oversight during construction, when in reality the original documentation and correspondence shows that they did not always see 'eye-to-eye' and had to work together to reach satisfactory results for both; * The concept that Harland & Wolff paid an unusually small amount of money to laborers (for the period, mind you) or were extraordinarily ungenerous in paying out benefits to families of those who were injured or killed in their yard (again, for the period). The record of payout benefits given to injured workers or to the families of those killed during construction of the two ships is still available and is actually quite high for the period.The list of egregious historical blunders just goes on and on. They are quite shocking in this series, especially since someone involved with the production/screenplay writing so clearly had access to little factoids that they saw fit to include. It was so badly done that I began to see in the fictional Muir character shades of the German Second Officer from the Nazi propaganda film, where he was the sole voice of reason warning everyone that the ship was doomed.If one even bothers to watch this miniseries, don't take anything in it as fact unless it is checked against leading research on the subject. In my view, this was a completely missed opportunity.