Tweet
Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World - A Review January 04, 2004
MPAA rating: PG-13 for intense battle sequences, related images, and brief language
runtime: 138 minutes
The adventures on the bounding main are with us again! It's been many years since we've been given a serious, big-budget, big-star film about naval adventure during the era of the Napoleonic Wars and the men who lived it. Peter Weir (Gallipolli, Witness, Fearless, The Truman Show) not only directed, but also is credited with co-screenwriting with John Collee on this highly anticipated film based on two of the 20 "Jack Aubrey" novels by Patrick O'Brian. The cast includes:
This well filmed, highly detailed movie brings us the tale of the frigate HMS Surprise - in the opening credits described as having 28 guns and 197 souls - it's captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey, his friend/ship's surgeon/naturalist Dr. Stephen Maturin, and their pursuit of, and engagements with the larger, faster, more heavily armed French privateer Archeron. The attention to detail is evident throughout this film and allows the viewer to easily immerse themself fully into the story. You do believe you are on one of Her Majesty's frigates in the year of our lord 1805. Sails rumble when full of wind, tortured wood screams as a storm tries to drive the ship under, sailors run barefoot to their tasks (officers excepting, of course), 13-year-old youths are aboard as junior officers, some of the crew are men "pressed" into the service of The Queen, and everything, everything down to a pair of weevils - don't ask - is under the watchful eye of the captain. Oh, one warning, the dialog may as well be in Attic Greek for some viewers (in several scenes) as the actual nautical jargon and tactics of the day have been resurrected. Study courses can be found on-line at . . . Speaking of study, Russell Crowe in my opinion, is one of the extraordinary actors of our time. His drive to succeed in a role and his ability to take on new challenges is quite amazing. He physically gained 20 or so pounds for the role (none of it muscle), learned to handle a large sailing ship - not just the dialog, he actually commanded (at times) the ship used in the film on its voyage from the Atlantic to the west coast for filming - and just to round things out, learned to play the violin - all to be a more convincing, believable Captain Jack.
I found almost nothing to be critical of in this film, either visually or aurally. The color palette is full, deep and well-balanced without filters. Interior and nighttime shots are dark, almost murky, with shadows constantly dancing across the setting from the gimbal-mounted lanterns - again staying true to form for that time period. A furiously massive storm complete with surging walls of water rages in a grey, misty, scene as the ship rounds The Horn of South America on its way to the Pacific ocean in pursuit of the French privateer. Close-up detail is good overall with only a couple of scenes that exhibited a slightly soft focus which may have been deliberate based on the events transpiring. On the whole, this film is a visual masterpiece, and kudos should be given to cinematographers Russell Boyd and Sandi Sissel for their accomplishment.
This film is as pleasing sonically as it is visually. Small whispers of wind in the sails, the chest-pounding thunder of a full broadside of cannons, creaking of the masts under sail, water gently slapping the hull, squeaking of hammocks while crew slept in them - everything is present and everything is in context. Voices are clear and understandable (if you speak "nauticalese") without chestiness, bloating or unnaturalness. Use of surround channels for the ongoing ambient noises aboard a ship keeps the viewer enthralled with the happenings on the screen. One very effective moment involved a cannonade in a fog bank with the unseen shot screaming past in the grey. There is nothing out-of-place left to pull you away from the story as it unfolds. Again, it's a masterpiece.
There are so many interesting, intriguing, funny, disconcerting, beautiful, touching, chilling, overpowering moments in this film that I want to tell you about - but I can't, or won't at least. There are no women in this film (except for one seconds-long scene), there is no sexuality, no dumbing-down of the story to accomodate the "lowest common denominator" in the audience. It's a movie that tells a true-to-the-time story of bravery, honor, duty and sacrifice. You really need to experience it for yourself. Go see Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World. You won't be disappointed.
I give Master And Commander a well earned and deserving :4: out of :5:.
David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker
MPAA rating: PG-13 for intense battle sequences, related images, and brief language
runtime: 138 minutes
The adventures on the bounding main are with us again! It's been many years since we've been given a serious, big-budget, big-star film about naval adventure during the era of the Napoleonic Wars and the men who lived it. Peter Weir (Gallipolli, Witness, Fearless, The Truman Show) not only directed, but also is credited with co-screenwriting with John Collee on this highly anticipated film based on two of the 20 "Jack Aubrey" novels by Patrick O'Brian. The cast includes:
- Russell Crowe (L. A. Confidential, Gladiator, Proof Of Life, A Beautiful Mind) as Capt. Jack Aubrey
Paul Bettany (The Suicide Club, A Knight's Tale, A Beautiful Mind) as Dr. Stephen Maturin
Billy Boyd (The Lord Of The Rings, The Two Towers, The Return Of The King) as Coxswain Barrett Bonden
This well filmed, highly detailed movie brings us the tale of the frigate HMS Surprise - in the opening credits described as having 28 guns and 197 souls - it's captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey, his friend/ship's surgeon/naturalist Dr. Stephen Maturin, and their pursuit of, and engagements with the larger, faster, more heavily armed French privateer Archeron. The attention to detail is evident throughout this film and allows the viewer to easily immerse themself fully into the story. You do believe you are on one of Her Majesty's frigates in the year of our lord 1805. Sails rumble when full of wind, tortured wood screams as a storm tries to drive the ship under, sailors run barefoot to their tasks (officers excepting, of course), 13-year-old youths are aboard as junior officers, some of the crew are men "pressed" into the service of The Queen, and everything, everything down to a pair of weevils - don't ask - is under the watchful eye of the captain. Oh, one warning, the dialog may as well be in Attic Greek for some viewers (in several scenes) as the actual nautical jargon and tactics of the day have been resurrected. Study courses can be found on-line at . . . Speaking of study, Russell Crowe in my opinion, is one of the extraordinary actors of our time. His drive to succeed in a role and his ability to take on new challenges is quite amazing. He physically gained 20 or so pounds for the role (none of it muscle), learned to handle a large sailing ship - not just the dialog, he actually commanded (at times) the ship used in the film on its voyage from the Atlantic to the west coast for filming - and just to round things out, learned to play the violin - all to be a more convincing, believable Captain Jack.
I found almost nothing to be critical of in this film, either visually or aurally. The color palette is full, deep and well-balanced without filters. Interior and nighttime shots are dark, almost murky, with shadows constantly dancing across the setting from the gimbal-mounted lanterns - again staying true to form for that time period. A furiously massive storm complete with surging walls of water rages in a grey, misty, scene as the ship rounds The Horn of South America on its way to the Pacific ocean in pursuit of the French privateer. Close-up detail is good overall with only a couple of scenes that exhibited a slightly soft focus which may have been deliberate based on the events transpiring. On the whole, this film is a visual masterpiece, and kudos should be given to cinematographers Russell Boyd and Sandi Sissel for their accomplishment.
This film is as pleasing sonically as it is visually. Small whispers of wind in the sails, the chest-pounding thunder of a full broadside of cannons, creaking of the masts under sail, water gently slapping the hull, squeaking of hammocks while crew slept in them - everything is present and everything is in context. Voices are clear and understandable (if you speak "nauticalese") without chestiness, bloating or unnaturalness. Use of surround channels for the ongoing ambient noises aboard a ship keeps the viewer enthralled with the happenings on the screen. One very effective moment involved a cannonade in a fog bank with the unseen shot screaming past in the grey. There is nothing out-of-place left to pull you away from the story as it unfolds. Again, it's a masterpiece.
There are so many interesting, intriguing, funny, disconcerting, beautiful, touching, chilling, overpowering moments in this film that I want to tell you about - but I can't, or won't at least. There are no women in this film (except for one seconds-long scene), there is no sexuality, no dumbing-down of the story to accomodate the "lowest common denominator" in the audience. It's a movie that tells a true-to-the-time story of bravery, honor, duty and sacrifice. You really need to experience it for yourself. Go see Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World. You won't be disappointed.
I give Master And Commander a well earned and deserving :4: out of :5:.
David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker
Comment