April 14th and 15th of 1912 will be marked as the days the Titanic sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean, dragging its secrets with it. Though many survived the shipwreck, several people went down with the ship. If you’ve ever been curious about the events that night, or rediscovering the ship at the bottom of the Atlantic, check out some of these best Titanic documentaries to refresh your history.
12. Mysteries from the Grave: Titanic (2022)
Our twelfth-best Titanic documentary is Mysteries from the Grave: Titanic, filmed in 2022. Even though it’s been over a century since the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic, an obsession still surrounds the fated ship and what happened in those final moments. This documentary continues to unearth new stories to try and decode the remaining secrets at the bottom of the Atlantic.
–IMDb Score: 6.1
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11. Waking the Titanic (2012)
Waking the Titanic is a docudrama told through the story of the 96 direct descendants of three villagers who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The three survivors were part of a group of 14 men and women from the poor community of Addergoole in County Mayo and traveled as third-class on the ship. Their harrowing escape to survive is worth watching.
–IMDb Score: 6.2
10. Return to the Titanic (1987)
The tenth-best Titanic documentary on our list is Return to the Titanic, a two-hour live television special that aired in 1987. In the special, host Telly Savalas discusses theories about the cause of the Titanic sinking and how they can be explored today. At the end of the show, they reveal the contents of a safe salvaged from the wreckage of the RMS Titanic.
–IMDb Score: 6.3
9. Drain the Titanic (2016)
You may have heard of the National Geographic TV series Drain the Oceans, and our next selection comes from their show. In one of the episodes, titled Drain the Titanic, computer-generated imagery and other visualization techniques allow us to see the true wreckage at the bottom of the Atlantic. The technology “drains” the water away from the ship to see the final resting place of the RMS Titanic, and how the ship fared as it dropped under the surface.
–IMDb Score: 6.4
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8. Titanic: The Investigation Begins (1996)
Dive into a scientific exploration in our eighth selection for best Titanic documentaries. Titanic: The Investigation Begins covers Discovery Channel’s expedition to recover a 20-ton piece of hull from the RMS Titanic’s hull. While recovering the piece, the documentary shows not only the technology but the people who make this kind of expedition possible.
–IMDb Score: 6.5
7. Titanic: 90 Years Below (2002)
Take a journey through the eyes of the man who discovered the RMS Titanic’s wreck in the documentary Titanic: 90 Years Below. Dr. Robert Ballard was the man who discovered the shipwreck in 1985, and in the film, we get to watch his last dive. As they prepare to dive, Ballard discusses his feelings about how the wreck has changed over the years with other experts in the field.
–IMDb Score: 7.1
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6. Titanic at 100: Mystery Solved (2012)
Join scientists at the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking in our sixth selection Titanic at 100: Mystery Solved. Along with scientists, engineers, archaeologists, and imaging experts join the fray to try and answer one of the most haunting questions about the ship — how did something called “unsinkable” manage to break apart and plunge to the bottom of the Atlantic?
–IMDb Score: 7.1
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5. Last Mysteries of the Titanic (2005)
Award-winning director James Cameron joins the best Titanic documentaries list with his film Last Mysteries of the Titanic. Cameron leads a team of underwater explorers on a set of dives to document the remains of the RMS Titanic. They can do this through a series of high-tech gadgets, including research subs, mini-robots, a seafloor-to-satellite data system, and advanced cameras.
–IMDb Score: 7.5
4. Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron (2012)
James Cameron appears again on our list for Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron, created in 2012. After Cameron’s record-breaking film Titanic hit the movie theaters, a group of engineers, architects, and historians came together to examine why the RMS Titanic sank using all new technology.
–IMDb Score: 7.5
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3. The Six (2020)
Instead of focusing on how or why the RMS Titanic sank, our third selection The Six brings to light some of the people who were on the ship. The Six tells the tale of the Chinese passengers on the ship, and how they were one of the groups with the highest survival rate, yet they disappeared from history books after arriving back in the U.S. Their experience is unique and worth taking the time to watch.
–IMDb Score: 7.6
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2. A Night to Remember (1958)
Though not exactly a full-fledged documentary, A Night to Remember was created just forty-two years after the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic to take a glimpse into the final moments of both the ship and the people on board. The film was meant as a way to highlight the event, and to talk about what happened after the ship struck the fatal iceberg.
–IMDb Score: 7.9
1. Titanic: Death of a Dream (1994)
Our final documentary selection is from 1994 and is titled Titanic: Death of a Dream. It was part of an American two-part film that told the story of the ocean liner the RMS Titanic as it sunk in 1912. The documentary discusses the ship and the people over four hours and was produced by A&E Television Networks.
–IMDb Score: 8.6
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