Britannic is a fictional romantic drama film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith. It stars Edward Atterton and Amanda Ryan as star-crossed lovers on the forgotten sister ship of the RMS Titanic: the HMHS Britannic. The film's co-stars include Jacqueline Bisset, Ben Daniels and John Rhys-Davies.
Plot
In 1916, the Britannic has been refitted as a hospital ship for wounded soldiers fighting on the Western Front and elsewhere. Among the nurses who are to serve aboard her is Lady Lewis (Jacqueline Bisset), who is being delivered to Greece via Naples, where her husband has become Ambassador for Great Britain. Travelling with her is Vera Campbell (Amanda Ryan), an operative of British Intelligence posing as Lady Lewis' governesss. Campbell is constantly unnerved by the voyage, having survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic four years previously, losing her husband in the process.
Meanwhile, a German spy has boarded the Britannic posing as the ship's chaplain, Chaplain Reynolds (Edward Atterton), and soon discovers that the Britannic is indeed carrying small arms as was believed - although he is unaware that Captain Bartlett (John Rhys-Davies) has placed the small arms aboard as a means of protection against mutiny. Under the articles of war, Reynolds considers his actions against the Britannic to be legal (any attack on a hospital ship in wartime is considered to be a war crime) and sets about initiating a series of sabotage attempts to try and either take over the Britannic or otherwise sink her, including allying himself with the Irish stokers, all members of the Irish Republican Army, to mutiny and take over the ship.
Over the course of the film, each sabotage attempt is foiled by Vera Campbell - with the eventual co-operation of the ship's crew. Unaware that Campbell is responsible, Reynolds finds himself growing attracted to Campbell whilst the voyage continues. However, Campbell soon discovers Reynolds' true identity, and finds herself trapped on the Britannic as she slowly sinks.
Goofs
Factual errors
- The ship did not sink at early morning before sunrise, but at eight in the morning.
- The ship did not carry any passengers of any form except for military medical personnel and wounded soldiers.
- An Irish crew member claims revenge for the Black and Tans. The Britannic sank in 1916. The Black and Tans were not sent to Ireland until after 1918.
- The only 30 (est.) deaths were when two life boats were launched before orders were given (when still under way), and sucked into the propellers, and propellers were stopped after orders were given. But in the movie, the propellers were never stopped, and the two life boats were sucked in after all the other life boats had been launched.
- Factual errors: Britannic's Captain was Charles A. Bartlett and not Charles A. Barrett.
- The Titanic's sinking is seen in a flashback, but she does not break in half.
Continuity
- Vera Campbell is wearing a different undergarment (or girdle) when she wakes up from spending the night with Chaplain Reynolds then when she arrived at his cabin the night before.
Plot holes
- It is not possible for a WWI submarine while submerged to shadow a steamer for several days. The steamer is too fast.
- There were never any German spies on board; wreck investigations have also revealed that there were no weapons on board, and the evidence shows that the sinking was caused by a mine followed by secondary coal storage explosions, not a bomb. Indeed, a hospital ship carrying weapons would have been a violation of international laws.
References
- Britannic (film) at Wikipedia.
- Brittanic at the Internet Movie Database.