The Torpedoing of the Oceania

There’s a war on, yet the last days of October pass by “sunny and tranquil” as warm rays light up an expansive ocean. The grand liners Titan and Oceania cross the Atlantic to Europe. Yet under the seemingly placid surface of the water looms the threat of submarines, “vipers of the sea”. The Oceania is torpedoed and quickly sinks. After the dramatic intensity of the opening, however, Il siluramento dell’Oceania seems to swiftly abandon the echoes of the Lusitania and its burden of tragedy, channeling itself into the more frivolous tides of the typical adventure drama fashionable at that time, unafraid of either improbable coincidences or clichéd characters. Cecil Tryan plays the heroine, a beautiful heiress unjustly banished with her mother from her ancestral castle. She weeps at the thought of no longer being able to order seven dresses in one go from her tailor, and ultimately falls in love with the courageous captain, also a survivor, who saves her life and fortune.

Directed by Augusto Genina, The Torpedoing of the Oceania leans on a strong ensemble — Cecyl Tryan, Vasco Creti, Ileana Leonidoff — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1917.