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.

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Plot Keywords:

napoleonic wars | ship | royal navy | naturalist | naval battle | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

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, 14 November 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$93,927,920

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$212,011,111

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Russell Crowe's attempt at an English accent drew much criticism.

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Goofs

As two seamen enter Aubry's cabin to present him with a model of the "phantom's" hull, both salute the captain (at around 28 mins). However, one salutes with his left hand while the other salutes with his right. It is often assumed that a proper salute is completed with the right hand. The salute was not standardized in the Royal Navy until the late Nineteenth Century. Before that enlisted "saluted" by "tugging the forelock". While typically done with the right hand, this form of "salute" could be performed with either hand.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits.

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Connections

Featured in The Hundred Days (2004)

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Soundtracks

Prelude (From the Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007)
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Courtesy of Sony Classical
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

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.