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

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.

Director:

Peter Weir

Writers:

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

Stars:

Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd

Won 2 Oscars. Another 21 wins & 90 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In April 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars, H.M.S. Surprise, a British frigate, is under the command of Captain Jack Aubrey. Aubrey and the Surprise's current orders are to track and capture or destroy a French privateer named Acheron. The Acheron is currently in the Atlantic off South America headed toward the Pacific in order to extend Napoleon's reach of the wars. This task will be a difficult one as Aubrey quickly learns in an initial battle with the Acheron that it is a bigger and faster ship than the Surprise, which puts the Surprise at a disadvantage. Aubrey's single-mindedness in this seemingly impossible pursuit puts him at odds with the Surprise's doctor and naturalist, Stephen Maturin, who is also Aubrey's most trusted advisor on board and closest friend. Facing other internal obstacles which have resulted in what they consider a string of bad luck, Aubrey ultimately uses Maturin's scientific exploits to figure out a way to achieve his and the ship's seemingly impossible goal.

---

Plot Keywords:

napoleonic wars | ship | royal navy | 1800s | naturalist | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The miniatures of the Surprise and the Acheron were built by WETA workshops in New Zealand who then spent five weeks filming them in action.

---

Goofs

At the beginning of the movie, Midshipman Calamy issues the order to "beat to quarters". This would not have been ordered by a midshipman. He would have reported to the officer of the watch (one of the lieutenants or the Master, certainly not another midshipman, as was shown) who would then have woken the Captain and reported that a sail had been spotted. It would then be up to the Captain to give the order.

---

Quotes

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

---

Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits.

---

Connections

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005)

---

Soundtracks

Ghost of Time
Composed by Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon and Richard Tognetti
Performed by Iva Davies and Icehouse
Featured Violin Performance by Richard Tognetti
Orchestrated by Christopher Gordon

User Reviews

A fine adaptation

As a fan of the Aubrey/Maturin novels, I have to say that this is an amazing adaptation. Crowe isn't big enough for Aubrey, Bettany is too good looking to play Maturin, and Billy Boyd is far too small for Barrett Bonden... but they all work very well in the roles.

Much of the charm of the novels is that there is much that goes unsaid - actions must be inferred from future events. Translating this to the screen is not easy, but here it works out well. Because the film takes bits from all of the books (or many of them, at least), it's chock full of tasty bits of O'Brian. The preeminent pun of the series, regarding dog-watches, is oddly absent, but others are there.

If you like the novels, you will like the film. It captures the feel of the books. The flavor of Nelson's navy is retained. Had I not seen the movie, I would complain about the casting. Having seen it, I have no complaints.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Portuguese

Release Date:

14 November 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Far Side of the World

Filming Locations:

HMS Surprise, Maritime Museum of San Diego, San Diego, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$25,105,990, 16 November 2003

Gross USA:

$93,927,920

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$211,622,535

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Miramax, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1