Titanic

Not the campy soap opera film with Leonardo, but a rather more gritty German version, which, by the way, seems to have had some story lines stolen directly from it and put into the most recent production by Hollywood. Not the best film to watch if you're trying to reaffirm your belief in all that is good with human nature, but entertaining, nonetheless. The film itself was banned in Germany during the War, because the scenes of panic and terror were thought to be "too close to home" as Allied planes were slowly making Germany's cities into heaps of rubble. After the War, it was once more banned -- this time by the victorious Allies -- because of the not-too-subtle suggestion that the British owner's financial interests in having the ship recklessly speed from England directly caused the deaths of 1500 persons on board. To add to the film's historical bad luck, it should also be added that the film's director was arrested, because he was overheard making derogatory comments about the Wehrmacht. Having refused to withdraw his comments, he was thrown into prison, where he promptly hanged himself rather than face Gestapo interrogation. Most memorable moment: after the ship's crew has loaded up all the oh-so-few lifeboats with some of the passengers, the captain shouts down from the bridge to the sailors standing with the remaining passengers, "People! You have done your duty; now save yourselves, whoever can!" and causes an immediate heartwrenching panic among those who have been left behind on the sinking ship.