lmao is it in every titanic movie, itz in 3 so far the ones i have seen...how can someone think of playing in a time of crisis..lol but those men are soo cool! i wuld freak out and be like forget this, im out
"Love is the warmest place to be when it's cold outside."-The Father, from the movie Octane/Pulse
They played for as long as they could because they wanted to try to keep passengers calm and avoid mass hysteria and panic.
You do realize that the band playing on the deck really did happen, right? That would be why you have seen it in so many Titanic movies.
[deleted]
I am surprised that there are people out there unaware that this aspect of the Titanic tragedy is factual. The band, or rather the orchestra (there were no brass or wind instruments in it) are reported as having played music until almost the last moment. I say "reported" because no orchestra member survived the night, and we can only go on the written accounts of survivors who said they heard the band play the entire night. Still, the vast number of survivors who said they heard the band playing to the end would seem to make their statements valid.
The real question is what was the final song? Many people, and most filmakers, speculate that it was "Nearer My God to Thee." This is suggested due to a quote from orchestra leader Wallace Hartly who stated once that, were he on a sinking ship, he would play "Nearer My God to Thee" because it was his favorite song and he wanted it played at his funeral one day. Still there are survivors, Colonel Archibald Gracie comes to mind, who were insistant that "Nearer My God to Thee" was not played. Gracie went so far as to suggest that playing the song would have been ludicrous to anyone attempting to keep from instilling panic in the crowd of passengers on deck.
As an historian who has studied the Titanic for 20+ years, my theory is that "Nearer my God to Thee" was played that night, though not a version familiar to the American survivors. There are several melodies associated with the lyrics of this hymn - primarily a British and American version. The American version is that heard in the 1953 Fox film "Titanic," the 1996 miniseries "Titanic," and the 1997 Cameron film "Titanic." The British version is that heard in the 1958 film "A Night to Remember," and briefly in the 2003 James Cameron documentary "Ghosts of the Abyss." The version most likely played was the British version, and I can think of several reasons for assuming this. First of all, let us reflect that there were a great many reports that "Nearer My God to Thee" was played - though few that specified which version. Secondly, Archibald Gracie was adamant that this song was NOT played - but he was American, and in the rush of the last few minutes on the decks of the Titanic he found himself pulled under water as the ship sank from under him and would have enjoyed the full mental faculties to decifer the identity of the song being played. Thirdly, we have Hartly's own words regarding the song - and Hartly was an Englishman who would have been much more associated with the British version than the American version.
Perhaps this explains the mystery behind the song a little more. Regardless, it is safe to say the band played the majority of the night. Why, one might ask. The answer is simple. To quote the character of Hartly in the film "A Night to Remember:"
Hartly: They don't listen to us at dinner, either, but we play just the same, isn't that so sir?
Andrews: They say it helps the digestion.
Hartly: That's right, because it soothes the nerves.