Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Peter Weir

Writers:

Patrick O'Brian (novels)
Peter Weir (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 November 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

Tagline:

The Courage To Do The Impossible Lies In The Hearts of Men.

Plot:

During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.

Plot Keywords:

French | Napoleonic Wars | Violin | Pursuit | Naturalist

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 57 nominations

Cast

Russell Crowe	...	Capt. Jack Aubrey
Paul Bettany	...	Dr. Stephen Maturin, Surgeon
James D'Arcy	...	1st Lt. Tom Pullings
Edward Woodall	...	2nd Lt. William Mowett
Chris Larkin	...	Capt. Howard, Royal Marines
Max Pirkis	...	Blakeney, Midshipman
Jack Randall	...	Boyle, Midshipman
Max Benitz	...	Calamy, Midshipman
Lee Ingleby	...	Hollom, Midshipman
Richard Pates	...	Williamson, Midshipman
Robert Pugh	...	Mr. Allen, Master
Richard McCabe	...	Mr. Higgins, Surgeon's Mate
Ian Mercer	...	Mr. Hollar, Boatswain
Tony Dolan	...	Mr. Lamb, Carpenter
David Threlfall	...	Preserved Killick, Captain's Steward

Also Known As:

The Far Side of the World (Australia) (working title) (USA) (working title)
Capitán de mar y guerra (Argentina) (short title) [es]
Capitán de mar y guerra: La costa más lejana del mundo (Argentina) [es]
Kuninkaan mies: Maailman laidalla (Finland) (trailer title) [fi]
Maître à bord: de l'autre côté du monde (Canada: French title) [fr]
Master & Commander - Bis ans Ende der Welt (Germany) [de]
Master & Commander: Odvrácená strana sveta (Czech Republic) [cs]
Master and Commander (Japan) [ja]
Master and Commander - Bis ans Ende der Welt (Austria) [de]
Master and Commander: Na opacnom konci sveta (Slovakia) [sk]
Master and Commander: Sta perata tou kosmou (Greece) [el]
Master and commander - Dünyanin uzak ucu (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Master and commander: Al otro lado del mundo (Spain) [es]
Master and commander: Bortom världens ände (Sweden) [sv]
Master and commander: De l'autre côté du monde (France) [fr]
Master and commander: Maailman laidalla (Finland) [fi]
Master and commander: Sfida ai confini del mare (Italy) [it]
Master and commander: Til verdens ende (Denmark) [da]
Mestre dos Mares - O Lado Mais Distante do Mundo (Brazil) [pt]
Pan i wladca - Na krancu swiata (Poland) [pl]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences, related images, and brief language.

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 | Malaysia:U | France:-12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:12 | Portugal:M/12 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | Chile:TE | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA | Norway:11 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39922)

Filming Locations:

Fox Baja Studios, Rosarito, Baja California Norte, Mexico

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The first movie to ever film on the Galapagos Islands. Although, the scene where the crew is chasing marine iguanas was filmed in Baja California with regular green iguana which had been dyed black.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the Bible is handed to Crowe for morning devotions while they are becalmed, it is opened more than halfway through the book, but Job appears in the first half of the book and would have been much earlier in the Bible than represented.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Preserved Killick, Captain's Steward: [taking egg from chicken coup] Come on, come on. It's all right.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Endless Ocean

Masterly and Commanding

Few films manage to capture the era in which the original work was set and often rely on clichés of the particular genre at the expense of the core story. This film manages to avoid these pitfalls but more importantly serves as a worthwhile historical document. Anyone who is new to this period of history will not go far wrong keeping a copy of this movie as the attention to detail is excellent and adds to the experience as a whole (teachers take note).

This movie manages to tread a fine line between gritty realism and Boy's Own, portraying the pursuit of an elite French warship by an older embattled British frigate. The production values are very high and the dialogue and length allow the director a better than average framework for character development. The predominantly unknown British supporting cast (some aged as young as 12) are expertly handled and provide a counter balance to the excellent performances of Crowe and Bettany. Crowe's delivery is very reminiscent of Richard Burton, exuding a measured screen presence without overpowering the dialogue.

It would have been easy for the director to read through the salty notes of previous period pieces and deliver the usual tale of ocean going brutality and scurvy encrusted woe but Peter Weir's version of order through respect and camaraderie is far more believable especially when you realize that the sailor's greatest enemy was the ocean itself.

I found little to dislike and much to admire. Highly recommended.