Rent The Liners: The Great Duel (1997)
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0h 55min
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- Synopsis:
Ocean liners were far more than simply giant ships that carried passengers across the seas. They were bold statements of national power and technological might; pawns in a giant volatile game of one-upmanship between rival nations. Like rocket ships in the space race of the 1970s, liners were the symbols of ultimate power in the early struggle between the superpowers for dominance of the world. The Great Duel picks up the story during the great economic depression of the 1930s when all works on Cunard's new project, the Queen Mary, had ceased. However, following Germany's mighty Bremen winning the much coveted Blue Riband and the subsequent unveiling of France's Normandie, the biggest and most luxurious ship in the world, Britain's j maritime reputation was now at stake and so work re-commenced on the Queen Mary. Indeed, a great duel had begun for dominance of the oceans between the world's two largest and fastest ships. This great rivalry between the pride of France and the new Cunard Queen saw new speed records set and the eventual capturing of the Blue Riband by the Queen Mary. In fact the Queen Mary had set a record time for the crossing of the Atlantic that would stand for almost two decades. The Great Duel also includes the years that directly led up to World War Two, with the Nazis very own "strength through joy" cruises, the launching of the world famous Queen Elizabeth, and also how the liners played their part during the war effort. With a combination of superb archive footage, expert commentary and fascinating interviews this DVD is much more than simply a story about big, beautiful ships. It is a saga of the volatile changing world of the last 150 years, a world in which these giant transoceanic people movers became the conduit for enormous technological, social and political change. - Directors:
- Peter Butt
- Producers:
- Rob McAuley
- Narrated By:
- Sandy McCutcheon
- Writers:
- Peter Butt
- Studio:
- Demand DVD
- Genres:
- Documentary, Special Interest
