The Making of 'A Night to Remember'

This sixty-minute documentary pieces together William MacQuitty's rare behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the 1958 film A Night to Remember. Rather than a straightforward narration, it stitches candid on-set moments, studio preparations, and rehearsal clips into a portrait of how a mid-century British production came together. Archive appearances include Kenneth More, Honor Blackman, Michael Goodliffe, and Laurence Naismith, with author Walter Lord appearing as himself. The film keeps its focus on the craft and atmosphere of the original shoot, letting the archival material show stunt work, model construction, set dressing, and the interactions between cast and crew without revealing any major surprises about the finished picture.

Directed by Ray Johnson and created by David F. Hutchings, the documentary was released in 1993 and relies heavily on MacQuitty's previously unseen footage as its source material, offering a preservationist look at an important historical record.

There are no records of major awards or high-profile festival prizes for this documentary, and it did not earn widespread recognition in awards circuits after its release.

Among historians and devoted fans of classic cinema, the film has value as a primary-source document. Its clips turn up in retrospectives and academic screenings, and restorers and researchers reference it when reconstructing production histories. Its niche status means it rarely appears in mainstream pop culture, but within specialist circles it has practical importance.

Critical attention has been limited, and audience response appears modest, reflected in scarce reviews and low user ratings. The documentary emphasizes technical craft, collaboration on large-scale sets, and the logistics of mid-century filmmaking, making it useful for students of film production rather than general viewers seeking a broad documentary narrative.