Longitude (2000)

In two parallel stories, the clockmaker John Harrison builds the marine chronometer for safe navigation at sea in the 18th Century and the horologist Rupert Gould becomes obsessed with restoring it in the 20th Century.

Director:

Charles Sturridge

Writers:

Dava Sobel (book), Charles Sturridge

Stars:

Jonathan Coy, Christopher Hodsol, Jeremy Irons

7 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonathan Coy	...	Adm. Sir Cloudsley Shovell
Christopher Hodsol	...	Capt. Ainsley
Jeremy Irons	...	Rupert Gould
Peter Cartwright	...	Army Doctor
Gemma Jones	...	Elizabeth Harrison
John Nettleton	...	Minister for the Navy
Michael Gambon	...	John Harrison
Nigel Davenport	...	Sir Charles Pelham
Liam Jennings	...	Young William Harrison
Anna Chancellor	...	Muriel Gould
Frank Finlay	...	Adm. Wagner
Geoffrey Hutchings	...	Estate Manager
Andrew Scott	...	John Campbell
John Standing	...	Capt. Proctor
John Wood	...	Sir Edmund Halley

Storyline

In the 18th century, the only way to navigate accurately at sea was to follow a coastline all the way, which would not get you from Europe to the West Indies or the Americas. Observing the sun or stars would give you the latitude, but not the longitude unless done in conjunction with a clock that would keep time accurately at sea, and no such clock existed. After one too many maritime disasters due to navigational errors, the British Parliament set up a substantial prize for a way to find the longitude at sea. The film's main story is that of craftsman John Harrison: he built a clock that would do the job, what we would now call a marine chronometer. But the Board of Longitude was biased against this approach and claiming the prize was no simple matter. Told in parallel is the 20th century story of Rupert Gould, for whom the restoration of Harrison's clocks to working order became first a hobby, then an obsession that threatened to wreck his life.

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Plot Keywords:

tv mini series | clock | sea | navigation | chronometer | 

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 January 2000 (UK)

Also Known As:

A hosszúsági fok

Filming Locations:

Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda

Company Credits

Production Co:

A&E Television Networks,Granada Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

250 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the final voice over, Dava Sobel talks about charting our three dimensional world. However, one of the major points of this movie is that, as far as navigation is concerned, only two dimensions, latitude and longitude, are required to chart it.

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Quotes

George Graham: Mr. Harrison! Summer and winter... how is it done? How is it done, the compensation?
John Harrison: I use a pendulum of different metals that work against each other.
George Graham: Impossible. Doesn't work. I've tried it.
John Harrison: It is possible. It does work. I've built it.

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Connections

References The Brains Trust (1955)

User Reviews

Absolutely first rate!

Despite its feared four-hour length (including commercials as shown on A&E), "Longitude" gets my top rating. Totally engrossing, with absolutely no false or phony notes. Acting, photography superlative.

(Available on home video without commercials and with additional footage.)