Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
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Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World | |
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IMDB Page (external link) | |
| Writer: | screenplay by Peter Weir and John Collee adapted from novels by Patrick O'Brian |
| Starring: | Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy |
| Director: | Peter Weir |
| Music by: | Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon, Richard Tognetti |
| Distributor: | 20th Century Fox |
| Released: | November 14 2003 (USA) |
| Runtime: | 138 min. |
| Language: | English |
| Awards: | Best Cinematography and Best Sound Effects Editing (76th Academy Awards), #10 Film of the Year (2003 National Board of Review) |
Awards
Russell Boyd won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on this film while Richard King won an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing.
Plot Summary
The film is based on the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian and includes episodes from several novels in the series. The plot of the film, in which Aubrey in HMS Surprise chases an enemy frigate round Cape Horn into the Pacific, is based loosely on The Far Side of the World, but the American frigate USS Norfolk in the book becomes the French privateer Acheron in the film. The episode of deception of the enemy by means of a raft bearing lanterns is taken from from Master and Commander; the episode in which Maturin operates on himself to remove a bullet is taken from HMS Surprise.
The movie's success and the wide-open ending has led to credible speculation about a sequel, although it is not known whether Weir would wish to direct.
The film's DVD release contains behind-the-scenes material giving useful insights into the filmmmaking process. Some of the filming actually took place at sea on board the HMS Rose - a reproduction of an 18th century frigate, while other scenes were shot on a full-scale replica mounted on gimbals in a large tank. A storm sequence was enhanced using digitally-composited footage of waves actually shot on board a sailing ship rounding Cape Horn. All of the actors were given a thorough grounding in the naval life of the period in order to make their performances as authentic as possible.
