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

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:

Peter Weir shot footage of an actual typhoon specifically to be used during the movie.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): At the beginning of the movie Surprise is shown with a white pennant, indicating she was under independent command; however, during the final fight with the Acheron the Surprise flies a Red Ensign. She should have been flying a White Ensign.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: Written in the Stars (#5.3)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Spanish Ladies

Enjoy the ride

Master and Commander succeeds not so much in the fact that it has an exceptional plot, but in the fact that it carries the viewer along on its voyage exceptionally. It follows the voyage of Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey sailing for the English empire while being chased by a French vessel during the Napoleonic Wars. It's not an entirely innovative or original plot, but it's the experience rather than the plot that drives this movie. The chemistry between the characters and strong performances by all is what make it an exceptional movie. Rather than casting good-looking Hollywood types as crew members, Peter Weir went after people who look like believable seamen who are also great actors in their own right. The cast even had a sort of boot camp training so that everyone knew how to make the ship function. It is this attention to detail that make the movie so believable and enjoyable. Rather than indulging itself in melodrama and Hollywood type moral-based clichés, this film pulls no punches about how it perceives the workings of a British Naval ship to function in the early 19th century. It simply bleeds authenticity at every corner. Excellent performances by Crowe and his doctor right-hand-man played by Paul Bettany only add to the thrill.

The film also has a great original and non-original score which makes it flow perfectly. The interaction between the ship members is what makes it a success. Though 2+hours may seem like a long time to spend with an all-male cast inside a ship, I was never once bored. Instead, you truly feel like you are in the ship with them and at the end you feel like you would want to follow Russel Crowe's "Captain Jack" virtually anywhere he would lead.