The Last Signals (2012) User Reviews

Captures the suspense and emotion while still remaining historically accurate.

[ianlaing · 8/10 · 12 February 2012]

This short film is great for those of us who are interested in the historical event, as well as for those who want to feel really involved in the story. The character portrayal is excellent. The rolls of Harold Bride and John Phillips are totally believable and their dialog seems to come completely naturally as it would have in the actual event. You really get a good sense of what the characters were like as well as who they were historically. You also get a good sense of the working relationship between the two. This really helps you to relate to the characters and tie you into the plot, and makes it that much more suspenseful later on in the film. Throw it all together with a great set, some explosions, and special effects and you'll feel like you were on the ship. Spot on ya mates!

A Fantastic Film!

[pressurepointstudios · 9/10 · 10 December 2012]

Looking back, and I'm sure Tom Lynskey and crew can attest to this, it is crazy to think of how far we have come as filmmakers. From the typical "pretend war in the backyard" to now the acclaimed "The Last Signals," Tom Lynskey shines again.

I had been following this project for quite some time and have even had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Lynskey on this project. An exhausting, time consuming, film; the dedication and effort that the crew put into this clearly shows.

The acting is fantastic, the cinematography is great and the overall look of the film (black and white was a perfect choice!) makes it all the more professional and efficient. I look forward to more releases from Tom and the rest of the crew. Superb.

Accurate & disturbing vision of the Titanic disaster.

[jason-210 · 8/10 · 13 March 2013]

I found this to be a very interesting and disturbing portrayal of the sinking of Titanic told through the eyes its Junior Wireless operator, Harold Bride, who survived the event.

For me, part of the reason why it worked was because of the close attention paid to accurate historical events and technical details, as well as the competent acting by Jake Swing and Thomas Lynskey.

Because it's told through the eyes of one person, and because most of the scenes are confined to a single room, the film for me had an existential quality. The two wireless operators lived their interwoven lives in the this small, almost surrealistic environment, whose only communication with the outside world was through the electrical buzz of primitive wireless equipment, or through little paper slips sent back forth and in capsules through pneumatic tubes. Only very occasionally would the door to the outside world open and an officer pop his head inside. I couldn't help thinking of Jean Paul Satre's "No Exit" during these scenes, or at times the 1976 version of the BBC's "The Signalman".

As one might expect with a low budget, independent film, the special effects were limited, but mostly tastefully handled with restraint, and always depicted through the eyes of Harold Bride.

The Last Signals Review - By Patrick C. Johnson

[nyjetsrock · 8/10 · 6 May 2014]

In this backyard independent film, Tom Lynskey and his production crew of friends and colleagues where able to put together a "tight" complete package of a film about two young men "Jack Phillips" and "Harold Bride" the wireless operators who where on there first and last voyage aboard the R.M.S. TITANIC. Their job aboard the largest ship in the world was to have the ability to communicate with other vessels across the Atlantic ocean, for emergencies and for the crew to be able to contact other crew members in different ships. As well as their own. Now that was the summery of the true to life story, lets now talk about the film in general. This film when I first laid my eyes on it, I thought that I was on board with the TITANIC. The sets for this film which really is only one room, LOOKED COMPLETELY REAL in the sense of how accurate and authentic the set looked. It was just like I stepped into the 20th century. (The Black & White also suffices) The sets are on par with what a Marconi Wireless Operating Room would look like, in that time period of 1912. At first I thought the rooms and sets we're shot at a museum entirely, but it wasn't. Most of sets you see were built from the ground up. (Minus the Grand Staircase Scene) Same goes for the wardrobe. The clothing, clipboards, glass plates and life jackets look completely authentic, and in reality it makes Tom Lynskey's "The Last Signals" a unique work of art. The acting for the main characters was spot on as well. Jacob Swing who plays "Harold Bride" (The Junior Operator) does a fantastic job portraying the character, his ability to portray a man under loads of stress during the sinking of the ship, and not being able to show it fully for the sake of his friend Jack, shows off and makes his character have a reason to live on after the disaster. Tom Lynskey who is the "Ben Affleck" of the crew directed the film, wrote the film, and even acted as one of the main characters as "Jack Phillips" (The Senior Operator). Tom Lynskey who is mostly admired as a Director, does a fantastic job also doing this role. The ability to show strength in what his profession is as the senior operator shows off, as he was able to act fast for the sake of his Captain and for his partner sake as well. While also Jack begins to loose his cool as the water comes up from the engine room, Tom does the job perfectly on which the stress was starting to show off. Which also stands out, was how Tom was able to connect creative elements together. While Captain Smith relieves the men of their duty and claims that their's no hope left, he and as well as Jack Phillips, shows FEAR on how their situation really was a matter of life and death. And in reality they were portraying how the rest of the people were experiencing during the last minutes of the death of the Titanic. Other actors for the film do their part as well. Richard Myers who plays "Captain E. J. Smith" does a wonderful job. Of course the acting for his part was "average", but it substitutes for the background production Tom Lynskey had for the time. Same goes for Robert Bagdon who played the senior operator of the RMS Carpathia. (Which rescued the Titanic Survivors) In retrospect, this film breaks the sound barrier into what independent filmmaking can accomplish. This film also to the Titanic community IS AN ACHIEVEMENT beyond any stretch of the word. A fantastic indie film and a film that in my opinion, is one of the best indie films I've ever seen. 9/10!

Impressive Historical Film

[jpiccone-87844 · 8/10 · 3 January 2019]

Here's a review from someone not involved in the production.

This is an amazing achievement on an obviously minute budget, covering three heroes of the Titanic story that deserve more attention. The sets & effects are adequate for the purpose, and the acting... not exactly Oscar material, particularly the bit parts, but the Bride actor does a good job and and Philips isn't bad either.

This film won't appeal much to anyone with no interest in history or the Titanic, but if you are, it is faithful to the record and the actors are not hard on the eyes, especially the Bride guy, who is objectively beautiful.

It was a nice touch having an image of the actual Titanic iceberg in the background when the Carpathia arrives.

Definitely Impressed!

[dkm1981 · 8/10 · 21 June 2020]

I rarely write reviews on here and normally only do so if I feel passionately about a film I have watched or if I feel another reviewer has unfairly slated a production.

I have to say having only just discovered this short film today and watched it twice I am unbelievably impressed by how well put together it is. You would think that any production focusing on the RMS Titanic would require a huge budget and cast of hundreds and a ton of special effects, however when you consider what these young film makers managed to achieve, taking into account what they had to work with, the finished article is nothing short of amazing. While some of the special effects are not outstanding they are good and the authenticity and attention to detail of the set and costumes is excellent.

I personally think that one of the biggest strengths of this film arose from one of its weaknesses. That was the decision to change the film from colour to black and white. I think this ads an excellent element of authenticity to the whole thing and as stated in the trivia probably covers for some of the constraints experienced by the film makers.

While the accents are at times a little ropey (particularly a clearly American Captain Smith), the actors portraying Marconi Operators John "Jack" Phillips and Harold Bride do so very well. I think at times it would have been easy to overact given the enormity of the situation they are portraying, but they both give calm and assured performances.

I have always been interested in the Titanic story and while some may criticize the actions of Phillips and Bride and the part they may have played in the sinking (ice warnings not being sent to the bridge, rebuffing Californian), its impossible to tell the story without acknowledging them in some way. I'm sure neither of them ever imagined that one day the Titanic story would be told through their eyes.