The unthinkable happens when an iceberg shears open the ship's hull. Titanic starts taking on water. Unaware of the danger, first-class passengers resent being asked to wear life vests. Meanwhile, the have-nots scramble from flooded quarters. From here on, the human drama is especially gritty and compelling.
True gentlemen stand apart from cowardly opportunists.
The best and worst of human nature surfaces as an inadequate number of lifeboats carry off the fortunate few. The terror facing those left behind on the doomed liner is disturbingly realistic. Violent moments find panic-stricken passengers falling from great heights. Other victims are electrocuted, drowned or crushed by toppling smokestacks. A nervous armed guard attempting to control the crowd shoots a man, then kills himself.