 Released in 1958 and produced by MacQuitty, the film is based on the 1955 book of the same name by Walter Lord.Its budget of £600,000 (£ today) was exceptionally large for a British film and made it the most expensive film ever made in Britain up to that time.The film focuses on the story of the sinking, portraying the major incidents and players in a documentary-style fashion with considerable attention to detail; 30 sets were constructed using the builders' original plans for "Titanic".