Average customer rating:
- I loved it, at least, what I could make out of the dialog
- EXCELLENT Movie !
- You'll love it or be bored to tears
- Beat to "General Quarters" For This One
- Extremely well made
|
Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World (Widescreen Edition)
Starring:
Russell Crowe ,
Paul Bettany ,
James D'Arcy ,
Edward Woodall , and
Chris Larkin
Director:
Peter Weir
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
 General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Swashbucklers
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Costume Adventures
| By Theme
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Espionage
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Sea Adventure
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Action & Combat
| Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
War at Sea
| By Theme
| Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
War Epics
| Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
DTS
| Fully Loaded DVDs
| Features
| DVD
| Video
( M )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Crowe, Russell
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Darcy, James
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Innes, George
| ( I )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Pugh, Robert
| ( P )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Threlfall, David
| ( T )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Woodall, Edward
| ( W )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Weir, Peter
| ( W )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
All Fox Titles
| 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
General
| Action
| 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DVDs Under $15
| Fox DVD Budget Store
| 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DVDs Under $7.49
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
-
The Last Samurai (Two-Disc Special Edition)
-
Gladiator (Widescreen Edition)
-
Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)
-
Black Hawk Down
-
Braveheart
ASIN: B0001HLVS2
Release Date: 2004-04-20 |
Amazon.com essential video
In the capable hands of director Peter Weir, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a seafaring adventure like no other, impeccably authentic, dynamically cast, and thrilling enough to give any classic swashbuckler a run for its money. In adapting two of Patrick O'Brian's enormously popular novels about British naval hero Capt. Jack Aubrey, Weir and cowriter John Collee have changed the timeframe from the British/American war of 1812 to the British/French opposition of 1805, where the HMS Surprise, under Aubrey's confident command, is patrolling the South Atlantic in pursuit of the Acheron, a French warship with the strategic advantage of greater size, speed, and artillery. Russell Crowe is outstanding as Aubrey, firm and fiercely loyal, focused on his prey even if it means locking horns with his friend and ship's surgeon, played by Crowe's A Beautiful Mind costar Paul Bettany. Employing a seamless combination of carefully matched ocean footage, detailed models, full-scale ships, and CGI enhancements, Weir pays exacting attention to every nautical detail, while maintaining a very human story of honor, warfare, and survival under wretched conditions. Raging storms and hull-shattering battles provide pulse-pounding action, and a visit to the Galapagos Islands lends a note of otherworldly wonder, adding yet another layer of historical perspective to this splendidly epic adventure. --Jeff Shannon
Description
When a sudden attack by a French warship inflicts casualities and severe damage upon his vessel, Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey (Crowe) of the British Royal Navy is torn between duty and friendship as he embarks on a thrilling, high-stakes chase across two oceans to intercept and capture the enemy at any cost. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture!
Customer Reviews:
I loved it, at least, what I could make out of the dialog.......2007-09-03
Thoroughly enjoyable adventure yarn, but damned if I could make out a lot of the dialogue. Too much mumbling or was it just poor audio quality? I'm actually quite familiar with British dialect and British accent, but far too many spoken lines were unintelligible. Maybe I should find an edition with captions ... :-)
EXCELLENT Movie !.......2007-08-31
This movie has been reviewed over 500 times now, so I won't write much. I'd like to ditto (i.e. concur with) the review by Michael J. Mazza.
The film is about as realistic in setting as one could make it. There are a few inconsistencies in the sailing, but only noticeable to an experienced sailor - they don't take away from the film anyway.
The film catches the right balance between focusing on the crew and its adventures and daily life, versus the Napoleonic Wars. In otherwords, no need to be a student of that period to understand or appreciate the movie.
There is no romance, which has probably hurt the film in terms of broad popularity; perhaps in the same sense of the movie "Tora Tora Tora !" from the 70s. It was one of the best war films ever made (subjective, I know:). Point is, both are 'limited' by lack of romance in their plots. The two share excellent settings and historical research.
I will point out that M&C distinctively shows the antecedents of 'modern' military leadership: the Capt must balance his personal ambitions with care for the crew, he must coach the young midshipmen (Hollom, Blakeney, Callamy, etc), and use a persuasion to get the sailing master and more experienced Officers and crew to follow him in dire situations. This sort of shows the development of "leadership principles" as used today.
Good movie all around. Crowe was GREAT !
You'll love it or be bored to tears.......2007-08-22
During the Napoleonic wars, a British warship patrols the waters off South America searching for an elusive French privateer. When the French ship proves itself bigger, stronger, faster, and more heavily gunned, with a captain every bit as skillful and aggressive, the British captain refuses to relent in the pursuit even to the point of overstepping Admiralty orders.
There have been many films on the British war at sea against Napoleon but none seems to deposit the viewer so forcefully into the period with so little exposition. Customary explanations are often given begrudgingly as when the ship's surgeon asks for an explanation of what is meant by the `weather gauge' and the captain says wearily, "Shall I tell you again, then, Stephen?"
The refusal to explain lends the environment a note both fascinating and threatening. These ships were tightly disciplined and integrated worlds of their own with the captain having almost godlike power over his crew. We are shown the interactions and relationships for example the growing admiration of the sailing master towards the captain though the master never refrains from voicing an opinion, the reverence the men have towards the ship's surgeon, and the loathing held by the crew for an unlucky midshipman unfortunate enough to lack the strength of command. In fact it is a tiny society so complex that repeated viewing are quite rewarding, each one allowing the viewer to spot some detail or character that might have passed him on earlier viewings. By the end of the film, we have enough awareness so that when the captain turns over command of the ship to a small boy, we realize he has made a wise choice.
Director Peter Weir approaches the film with intelligence and wit and makes the brave assumption that his audience approaches the film with intelligence as well. The cast is uniformly excellent with memorable lead performances by Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. It is difficult to single out any one performance. Each actor seems to etch out a unique personality. The children in the cast are especially good. For those who have not yet heard it, the score, a mixture of classical and folk tunes, is perfect.
The DVD has little in the way of extras. For those who find the movie compelling but the world it portrays mystifying, this could be a bit of a drawback. Nevertheless, for those who can stand to forego the extras, the disk is just fine. For other films providing additional exposition on Napoleonic naval warfare, try Damn the Defiant, Captain Horatio Hornblower, or Billy Budd.
Beat to "General Quarters" For This One.......2007-08-07
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Britain and Franch were mortal enemies fighting for dominance of Europe by land and sea. England was threatened with invasion for the first time in three hundred years. The only thing protecting the isle was the Royal Navy. This is the backdrop of Master and Commander who fights for England with his brave crew and stout ship against France on the far side of the world.
Russell Crowe heads a first rate caste that replays a genre that hasn't been seen since Gregory Peck played the title role of "Horatio Hornblower." From a consistent script and story, one gets the impression of what life was like on the high seas during this time and how quickly, silently, and deadly mortal danger could arise. There was no sonar or radar save those in one's sight, hearing and judgment. And the fog could be one's enemy as much as it could be a friend.
Besides the acting, the music lent perfectly to the story, and one can recognize Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 played by Yo Yo Ma. My favorite was Boccherini's La Musica Notturna Della providing the background for captain's order to beat to "General Quarters."
As soon as you can, steer a course and set sail to your nearest store and purchase "Master and Commander..." It's one of those stories that seems to get better with each viewing.
Extremely well made.......2007-07-27
There have been a few good movies made in the last few years. I think 2001-2005 was a pretty good stretch, some of the credit due to Peter Weir's "Master and Commander the Far Side of the World".
You remember those old 'tales on the high seas' brought to you on the silver screen way back in the day? Of course you don't, that was much too long ago, but thank goodness for TCM! I'm talking about movies like "Captain Blood". Now there was a good one, a classic sea faring adventure if there ever was one. Long before the days of Captain Jack and "Pirates of the Caribbean" hollywood used to really know how to give us a swashbuckling adventure. Those days have, for a short time, returned.
When you've watched "Master and Commander" you feel like you've really been there in a story told of about 120 years ago, when the French and the English we're at war, in the times of Napolean. While the foot soldier held his ground in Europe, on the far side of the world there we're battleships and Man of war's battling it out for supremacy of the seas. That's what this movie is about, just a small glimpse of the little wooden world of planks, rigging and cannon held together by Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey of His Majesty's Royal Navy.
Peter Weir directs this beautifully crafted work, a historical adventure of what war of the time was really like. Not just a mundane historical account you understand, this adventure explores the lives of the men on board, their stories, friendships, struggles of course, and their encounters with the French Man of war, The Acheron. Captain Jack Aubrey (Russel Crowe) has orders to sink, burn or take the Acheron a prize. In doing this he leads his crew into the unexplored waters around the southern tip of South America to the unknown Islands of the Galapagos. A really beautiful backdrop to this story. The acting is superb with Russel Crowe giving one of his top performances along side Paul Bettany as supporting actor among others. The scenery is teriffic, costumes spectacular and the web of all the little sub-stories is immaculate. Its really a joy to watch and one of my favorite movies of all time. There are just not enough movies like this around, and to be so well made makes it a true find, well not really a find since it garnered 10 nominations for Academy Awards back in 2003. The art direction is particularly good as it did manage to take home an Oscar for Cinematography that year. The music is one of the best film scores I've heard in ages, and I like how they weaved the two main players, Russel Crowe and Paul Bettany's, scenes playing the violin and bass into the actual music score (even though the playing is not actually from the two, I think the sound editors did a fine job matching it).
If I could give this film 6 stars I would. It's just that well made! So much detail could be written about this movie, but that would just be teribbly monotanous, so I'll simply say watch this movie!
Average customer rating:
- I loved it, at least, what I could make out of the dialog
- EXCELLENT Movie !
- You'll love it or be bored to tears
- Beat to "General Quarters" For This One
- Extremely well made
|
Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
Starring:
Russell Crowe ,
Paul Bettany ,
James D'Arcy ,
Edward Woodall , and
Chris Larkin
Director:
Peter Weir
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Swashbucklers
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Costume Adventures
| By Theme
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Espionage
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Sea Adventure
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Action & Combat
| Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
War at Sea
| By Theme
| Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
War Epics
| Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
DTS
| Fully Loaded DVDs
| Features
| DVD
| Video
( M )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Crowe, Russell
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Darcy, James
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Innes, George
| ( I )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Pugh, Robert
| ( P )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Threlfall, David
| ( T )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Woodall, Edward
| ( W )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Weir, Peter
| ( W )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
All Fox Titles
| 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
General
| Action
| 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DVDs Under $15
| Fox DVD Budget Store
| 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
20th Century Fox Collector's Editions
| 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DVDs Under $14.99
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
-
The Last Samurai (Two-Disc Special Edition)
-
Gladiator (Widescreen Edition)
-
Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)
-
Black Hawk Down
-
Braveheart
ASIN: B0001DI0FI
Release Date: 2004-04-20 |
Amazon.com essential video
In the capable hands of director Peter Weir, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a seafaring adventure like no other, impeccably authentic, dynamically cast, and thrilling enough to give any classic swashbuckler a run for its money. In adapting two of Patrick O'Brian's enormously popular novels about British naval hero Capt. Jack Aubrey, Weir and cowriter John Collee have changed the timeframe from the British/American war of 1812 to the British/French opposition of 1805, where the HMS Surprise, under Aubrey's confident command, is patrolling the South Atlantic in pursuit of the Acheron, a French warship with the strategic advantage of greater size, speed, and artillery. Russell Crowe is outstanding as Aubrey, firm and fiercely loyal, focused on his prey even if it means locking horns with his friend and ship's surgeon, played by Crowe's A Beautiful Mind costar Paul Bettany. Employing a seamless combination of carefully matched ocean footage, detailed models, full-scale ships, and CGI enhancements, Weir pays exacting attention to every nautical detail, while maintaining a very human story of honor, warfare, and survival under wretched conditions. Raging storms and hull-shattering battles provide pulse-pounding action, and a visit to the Galapagos Islands lends a note of otherworldly wonder, adding yet another layer of historical perspective to this splendidly epic adventure. --Jeff Shannon
Description
When a sudden attack by a French warship inflicts casualities and severe damage upon his vessel, Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey (Crowe) of the British Royal Navy is torn between duty and friendship as he embarks on a thrilling, high-stakes chase across two oceans to intercept and capture the enemy at any cost. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture!
Customer Reviews:
I loved it, at least, what I could make out of the dialog.......2007-09-03
Thoroughly enjoyable adventure yarn, but damned if I could make out a lot of the dialogue. Too much mumbling or was it just poor audio quality? I'm actually quite familiar with British dialect and British accent, but far too many spoken lines were unintelligible. Maybe I should find an edition with captions ... :-)
EXCELLENT Movie !.......2007-08-31
This movie has been reviewed over 500 times now, so I won't write much. I'd like to ditto (i.e. concur with) the review by Michael J. Mazza.
The film is about as realistic in setting as one could make it. There are a few inconsistencies in the sailing, but only noticeable to an experienced sailor - they don't take away from the film anyway.
The film catches the right balance between focusing on the crew and its adventures and daily life, versus the Napoleonic Wars. In otherwords, no need to be a student of that period to understand or appreciate the movie.
There is no romance, which has probably hurt the film in terms of broad popularity; perhaps in the same sense of the movie "Tora Tora Tora !" from the 70s. It was one of the best war films ever made (subjective, I know:). Point is, both are 'limited' by lack of romance in their plots. The two share excellent settings and historical research.
I will point out that M&C distinctively shows the antecedents of 'modern' military leadership: the Capt must balance his personal ambitions with care for the crew, he must coach the young midshipmen (Hollom, Blakeney, Callamy, etc), and use a persuasion to get the sailing master and more experienced Officers and crew to follow him in dire situations. This sort of shows the development of "leadership principles" as used today.
Good movie all around. Crowe was GREAT !
You'll love it or be bored to tears.......2007-08-22
During the Napoleonic wars, a British warship patrols the waters off South America searching for an elusive French privateer. When the French ship proves itself bigger, stronger, faster, and more heavily gunned, with a captain every bit as skillful and aggressive, the British captain refuses to relent in the pursuit even to the point of overstepping Admiralty orders.
There have been many films on the British war at sea against Napoleon but none seems to deposit the viewer so forcefully into the period with so little exposition. Customary explanations are often given begrudgingly as when the ship's surgeon asks for an explanation of what is meant by the `weather gauge' and the captain says wearily, "Shall I tell you again, then, Stephen?"
The refusal to explain lends the environment a note both fascinating and threatening. These ships were tightly disciplined and integrated worlds of their own with the captain having almost godlike power over his crew. We are shown the interactions and relationships for example the growing admiration of the sailing master towards the captain though the master never refrains from voicing an opinion, the reverence the men have towards the ship's surgeon, and the loathing held by the crew for an unlucky midshipman unfortunate enough to lack the strength of command. In fact it is a tiny society so complex that repeated viewing are quite rewarding, each one allowing the viewer to spot some detail or character that might have passed him on earlier viewings. By the end of the film, we have enough awareness so that when the captain turns over command of the ship to a small boy, we realize he has made a wise choice.
Director Peter Weir approaches the film with intelligence and wit and makes the brave assumption that his audience approaches the film with intelligence as well. The cast is uniformly excellent with memorable lead performances by Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. It is difficult to single out any one performance. Each actor seems to etch out a unique personality. The children in the cast are especially good. For those who have not yet heard it, the score, a mixture of classical and folk tunes, is perfect.
The DVD has little in the way of extras. For those who find the movie compelling but the world it portrays mystifying, this could be a bit of a drawback. Nevertheless, for those who can stand to forego the extras, the disk is just fine. For other films providing additional exposition on Napoleonic naval warfare, try Damn the Defiant, Captain Horatio Hornblower, or Billy Budd.
Beat to "General Quarters" For This One.......2007-08-07
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Britain and Franch were mortal enemies fighting for dominance of Europe by land and sea. England was threatened with invasion for the first time in three hundred years. The only thing protecting the isle was the Royal Navy. This is the backdrop of Master and Commander who fights for England with his brave crew and stout ship against France on the far side of the world.
Russell Crowe heads a first rate caste that replays a genre that hasn't been seen since Gregory Peck played the title role of "Horatio Hornblower." From a consistent script and story, one gets the impression of what life was like on the high seas during this time and how quickly, silently, and deadly mortal danger could arise. There was no sonar or radar save those in one's sight, hearing and judgment. And the fog could be one's enemy as much as it could be a friend.
Besides the acting, the music lent perfectly to the story, and one can recognize Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 played by Yo Yo Ma. My favorite was Boccherini's La Musica Notturna Della providing the background for captain's order to beat to "General Quarters."
As soon as you can, steer a course and set sail to your nearest store and purchase "Master and Commander..." It's one of those stories that seems to get better with each viewing.
Extremely well made.......2007-07-27
There have been a few good movies made in the last few years. I think 2001-2005 was a pretty good stretch, some of the credit due to Peter Weir's "Master and Commander the Far Side of the World".
You remember those old 'tales on the high seas' brought to you on the silver screen way back in the day? Of course you don't, that was much too long ago, but thank goodness for TCM! I'm talking about movies like "Captain Blood". Now there was a good one, a classic sea faring adventure if there ever was one. Long before the days of Captain Jack and "Pirates of the Caribbean" hollywood used to really know how to give us a swashbuckling adventure. Those days have, for a short time, returned.
When you've watched "Master and Commander" you feel like you've really been there in a story told of about 120 years ago, when the French and the English we're at war, in the times of Napolean. While the foot soldier held his ground in Europe, on the far side of the world there we're battleships and Man of war's battling it out for supremacy of the seas. That's what this movie is about, just a small glimpse of the little wooden world of planks, rigging and cannon held together by Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey of His Majesty's Royal Navy.
Peter Weir directs this beautifully crafted work, a historical adventure of what war of the time was really like. Not just a mundane historical account you understand, this adventure explores the lives of the men on board, their stories, friendships, struggles of course, and their encounters with the French Man of war, The Acheron. Captain Jack Aubrey (Russel Crowe) has orders to sink, burn or take the Acheron a prize. In doing this he leads his crew into the unexplored waters around the southern tip of South America to the unknown Islands of the Galapagos. A really beautiful backdrop to this story. The acting is superb with Russel Crowe giving one of his top performances along side Paul Bettany as supporting actor among others. The scenery is teriffic, costumes spectacular and the web of all the little sub-stories is immaculate. Its really a joy to watch and one of my favorite movies of all time. There are just not enough movies like this around, and to be so well made makes it a true find, well not really a find since it garnered 10 nominations for Academy Awards back in 2003. The art direction is particularly good as it did manage to take home an Oscar for Cinematography that year. The music is one of the best film scores I've heard in ages, and I like how they weaved the two main players, Russel Crowe and Paul Bettany's, scenes playing the violin and bass into the actual music score (even though the playing is not actually from the two, I think the sound editors did a fine job matching it).
If I could give this film 6 stars I would. It's just that well made! So much detail could be written about this movie, but that would just be teribbly monotanous, so I'll simply say watch this movie!
Average customer rating:
- I loved it, at least, what I could make out of the dialog
- EXCELLENT Movie !
- You'll love it or be bored to tears
- Beat to "General Quarters" For This One
- Extremely well made
|
Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World (Full Screen Edition)
Starring:
Russell Crowe ,
Paul Bettany ,
James D'Arcy ,
Edward Woodall , and
Chris Larkin
Director:
Peter Weir
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Swashbucklers
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Costume Adventures
| By Theme
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Espionage
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Sea Adventure
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Action & Combat
| Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
War at Sea
| By Theme
| Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
War Epics
| Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
DTS
| Fully Loaded DVDs
| Features
| DVD
| Video
( M )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Crowe, Russell
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Darcy, James
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Innes, George
| ( I )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Pugh, Robert
| ( P )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Threlfall, David
| ( T )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Woodall, Edward
| ( W )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Weir, Peter
| ( W )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
All Fox Titles
| 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
General
| Action
| 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DVDs Under $15
| Fox DVD Budget Store
| 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
-
The Last Samurai (Two-Disc Special Edition)
-
Gladiator (Widescreen Edition)
-
Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)
-
Black Hawk Down
-
Braveheart
ASIN: B0001HLVSC
Release Date: 2004-04-20 |
Amazon.com essential video
In the capable hands of director Peter Weir, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a seafaring adventure like no other, impeccably authentic, dynamically cast, and thrilling enough to give any classic swashbuckler a run for its money. In adapting two of Patrick O'Brian's enormously popular novels about British naval hero Capt. Jack Aubrey, Weir and cowriter John Collee have changed the timeframe from the British/American war of 1812 to the British/French opposition of 1805, where the HMS Surprise, under Aubrey's confident command, is patrolling the South Atlantic in pursuit of the Acheron, a French warship with the strategic advantage of greater size, speed, and artillery. Russell Crowe is outstanding as Aubrey, firm and fiercely loyal, focused on his prey even if it means locking horns with his friend and ship's surgeon, played by Crowe's A Beautiful Mind costar Paul Bettany. Employing a seamless combination of carefully matched ocean footage, detailed models, full-scale ships, and CGI enhancements, Weir pays exacting attention to every nautical detail, while maintaining a very human story of honor, warfare, and survival under wretched conditions. Raging storms and hull-shattering battles provide pulse-pounding action, and a visit to the Galapagos Islands lends a note of otherworldly wonder, adding yet another layer of historical perspective to this splendidly epic adventure. --Jeff Shannon
Description
When a sudden attack by a French warship inflicts casualities and severe damage upon his vessel, Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey (Crowe) of the British Royal Navy is torn between duty and friendship as he embarks on a thrilling, high-stakes chase across two oceans to intercept and capture the enemy at any cost. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture!
Customer Reviews:
I loved it, at least, what I could make out of the dialog.......2007-09-03
Thoroughly enjoyable adventure yarn, but damned if I could make out a lot of the dialogue. Too much mumbling or was it just poor audio quality? I'm actually quite familiar with British dialect and British accent, but far too many spoken lines were unintelligible. Maybe I should find an edition with captions ... :-)
EXCELLENT Movie !.......2007-08-31
This movie has been reviewed over 500 times now, so I won't write much. I'd like to ditto (i.e. concur with) the review by Michael J. Mazza.
The film is about as realistic in setting as one could make it. There are a few inconsistencies in the sailing, but only noticeable to an experienced sailor - they don't take away from the film anyway.
The film catches the right balance between focusing on the crew and its adventures and daily life, versus the Napoleonic Wars. In otherwords, no need to be a student of that period to understand or appreciate the movie.
There is no romance, which has probably hurt the film in terms of broad popularity; perhaps in the same sense of the movie "Tora Tora Tora !" from the 70s. It was one of the best war films ever made (subjective, I know:). Point is, both are 'limited' by lack of romance in their plots. The two share excellent settings and historical research.
I will point out that M&C distinctively shows the antecedents of 'modern' military leadership: the Capt must balance his personal ambitions with care for the crew, he must coach the young midshipmen (Hollom, Blakeney, Callamy, etc), and use a persuasion to get the sailing master and more experienced Officers and crew to follow him in dire situations. This sort of shows the development of "leadership principles" as used today.
Good movie all around. Crowe was GREAT !
You'll love it or be bored to tears.......2007-08-22
During the Napoleonic wars, a British warship patrols the waters off South America searching for an elusive French privateer. When the French ship proves itself bigger, stronger, faster, and more heavily gunned, with a captain every bit as skillful and aggressive, the British captain refuses to relent in the pursuit even to the point of overstepping Admiralty orders.
There have been many films on the British war at sea against Napoleon but none seems to deposit the viewer so forcefully into the period with so little exposition. Customary explanations are often given begrudgingly as when the ship's surgeon asks for an explanation of what is meant by the `weather gauge' and the captain says wearily, "Shall I tell you again, then, Stephen?"
The refusal to explain lends the environment a note both fascinating and threatening. These ships were tightly disciplined and integrated worlds of their own with the captain having almost godlike power over his crew. We are shown the interactions and relationships for example the growing admiration of the sailing master towards the captain though the master never refrains from voicing an opinion, the reverence the men have towards the ship's surgeon, and the loathing held by the crew for an unlucky midshipman unfortunate enough to lack the strength of command. In fact it is a tiny society so complex that repeated viewing are quite rewarding, each one allowing the viewer to spot some detail or character that might have passed him on earlier viewings. By the end of the film, we have enough awareness so that when the captain turns over command of the ship to a small boy, we realize he has made a wise choice.
Director Peter Weir approaches the film with intelligence and wit and makes the brave assumption that his audience approaches the film with intelligence as well. The cast is uniformly excellent with memorable lead performances by Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. It is difficult to single out any one performance. Each actor seems to etch out a unique personality. The children in the cast are especially good. For those who have not yet heard it, the score, a mixture of classical and folk tunes, is perfect.
The DVD has little in the way of extras. For those who find the movie compelling but the world it portrays mystifying, this could be a bit of a drawback. Nevertheless, for those who can stand to forego the extras, the disk is just fine. For other films providing additional exposition on Napoleonic naval warfare, try Damn the Defiant, Captain Horatio Hornblower, or Billy Budd.
Beat to "General Quarters" For This One.......2007-08-07
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Britain and Franch were mortal enemies fighting for dominance of Europe by land and sea. England was threatened with invasion for the first time in three hundred years. The only thing protecting the isle was the Royal Navy. This is the backdrop of Master and Commander who fights for England with his brave crew and stout ship against France on the far side of the world.
Russell Crowe heads a first rate caste that replays a genre that hasn't been seen since Gregory Peck played the title role of "Horatio Hornblower." From a consistent script and story, one gets the impression of what life was like on the high seas during this time and how quickly, silently, and deadly mortal danger could arise. There was no sonar or radar save those in one's sight, hearing and judgment. And the fog could be one's enemy as much as it could be a friend.
Besides the acting, the music lent perfectly to the story, and one can recognize Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 played by Yo Yo Ma. My favorite was Boccherini's La Musica Notturna Della providing the background for captain's order to beat to "General Quarters."
As soon as you can, steer a course and set sail to your nearest store and purchase "Master and Commander..." It's one of those stories that seems to get better with each viewing.
Extremely well made.......2007-07-27
There have been a few good movies made in the last few years. I think 2001-2005 was a pretty good stretch, some of the credit due to Peter Weir's "Master and Commander the Far Side of the World".
You remember those old 'tales on the high seas' brought to you on the silver screen way back in the day? Of course you don't, that was much too long ago, but thank goodness for TCM! I'm talking about movies like "Captain Blood". Now there was a good one, a classic sea faring adventure if there ever was one. Long before the days of Captain Jack and "Pirates of the Caribbean" hollywood used to really know how to give us a swashbuckling adventure. Those days have, for a short time, returned.
When you've watched "Master and Commander" you feel like you've really been there in a story told of about 120 years ago, when the French and the English we're at war, in the times of Napolean. While the foot soldier held his ground in Europe, on the far side of the world there we're battleships and Man of war's battling it out for supremacy of the seas. That's what this movie is about, just a small glimpse of the little wooden world of planks, rigging and cannon held together by Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey of His Majesty's Royal Navy.
Peter Weir directs this beautifully crafted work, a historical adventure of what war of the time was really like. Not just a mundane historical account you understand, this adventure explores the lives of the men on board, their stories, friendships, struggles of course, and their encounters with the French Man of war, The Acheron. Captain Jack Aubrey (Russel Crowe) has orders to sink, burn or take the Acheron a prize. In doing this he leads his crew into the unexplored waters around the southern tip of South America to the unknown Islands of the Galapagos. A really beautiful backdrop to this story. The acting is superb with Russel Crowe giving one of his top performances along side Paul Bettany as supporting actor among others. The scenery is teriffic, costumes spectacular and the web of all the little sub-stories is immaculate. Its really a joy to watch and one of my favorite movies of all time. There are just not enough movies like this around, and to be so well made makes it a true find, well not really a find since it garnered 10 nominations for Academy Awards back in 2003. The art direction is particularly good as it did manage to take home an Oscar for Cinematography that year. The music is one of the best film scores I've heard in ages, and I like how they weaved the two main players, Russel Crowe and Paul Bettany's, scenes playing the violin and bass into the actual music score (even though the playing is not actually from the two, I think the sound editors did a fine job matching it).
If I could give this film 6 stars I would. It's just that well made! So much detail could be written about this movie, but that would just be teribbly monotanous, so I'll simply say watch this movie!
Description
When a sudden attack by a French warship inflicts casualities and severe damage upon his vessel, Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey (Crowe) of the British Royal Navy is torn between duty and friendship as he embarks on a thrilling, high-stakes chase across two oceans to intercept and capture the enemy at any cost. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture!
Average customer rating:
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Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World / Cast Away
Starring:
Russell Crowe ,
Paul Bettany ,
James D'Arcy ,
Edward Woodall , and
Chris Larkin
Director:
Peter Weir , and
Robert Zemeckis
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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Woodall, Edward
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ASIN: B0002Q9VH0
Release Date: 2004-10-12 |
Customer Reviews:
Great movies.......2007-02-03
These are 2 great movies and I tend to watch them over and over again...high quality DVD's.
Average customer rating:
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Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World
Starring:
Russell Crowe ,
Paul Bettany ,
James D'Arcy ,
Edward Woodall , and
Chris Larkin
Director:
Peter Weir
Manufacturer: Fox Home Entertainment
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ASIN: B000GAKDB0
Release Date: 2004-04-20 |
Average customer rating:
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Master and Commander: -The Far Side of the World
Starring:
Russell Crowe ,
Paul Bettany ,
James D'Arcy ,
Edward Woodall , and
Chris Larkin
Director:
Peter Weir
Manufacturer: Fox Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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Crowe, Russell
| ( C )
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Darcy, James
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ASIN: B0006IWY0U
Release Date: 2004-04-20 |
Product Description
The Best Movie of the Year, Magnificent
![Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21QW5HTSQZL.jpg)
Average customer rating:
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Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World [Region 2]
Starring:
Russell Crowe ,
Paul Bettany ,
James D'Arcy ,
Edward Woodall , and
Chris Larkin
Director:
Peter Weir
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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Innes, George
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Pugh, Robert
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Threlfall, David
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ASIN: B0001M0LII |
Average customer rating:
- absorbing time-travel sea adventure
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Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World [Region 2]
Starring:
Russell Crowe ,
Paul Bettany ,
James D'Arcy ,
Edward Woodall , and
Chris Larkin
Director:
Peter Weir
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
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Crowe, Russell
| ( C )
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Darcy, James
| ( D )
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Innes, George
| ( I )
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Pugh, Robert
| ( P )
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| Stores
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Threlfall, David
| ( T )
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Woodall, Edward
| ( W )
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Weir, Peter
| ( W )
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ASIN: B00008W64E |
Customer Reviews:
absorbing time-travel sea adventure.......2007-09-06
This was an engrossing film for several reasons - the portrayal of ocean-going shipboard life and related scenery was totally realistic; the characters were 3-dimensional (interesting and realistic), and the resolution of the main pursuit drama against bad odds was believable and satisying -(the surviving good guys beat the "Crepauds" (French) marauders in a good blood-and-guts classic sea fight. Commendably realistic in setting and drama, vs. Errol Flynn and celuloid crew a half-century ago. Worth watching.
![Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21B0KRG0FGL.jpg)
Average customer rating:
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Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World [Region 2]
Starring:
Russell Crowe ,
Paul Bettany ,
James D'Arcy ,
Edward Woodall , and
Chris Larkin
Director:
Peter Weir
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
| Boxed Sets
| Action & Combat
| Anti-War Films
| By Theme
| Civil War
| Comedy
| Documentary
| Drama
| International
| Iraq War
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| War Epics
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| World War II
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| Universal Media Discs
DTS
| Fully Loaded DVDs
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( M )
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Crowe, Russell
| ( C )
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| Stores
| DVD
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Darcy, James
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
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Innes, George
| ( I )
| Actors & Actresses
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Pugh, Robert
| ( P )
| Actors & Actresses
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Threlfall, David
| ( T )
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Woodall, Edward
| ( W )
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Weir, Peter
| ( W )
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ASIN: B0001CKGOM |
Customer Reviews:
Authentic Swashbuckler.......2006-09-19
Given the number of excellent movies that have been made about sailing ships and the breadth of coverage of those movies, at first you might wonder how yet another movie is going to add anything to the genre. If you have seen this movie you need no answer to that question. This story is as compelling as "Moby Dick," and the captain of H.M.S. Surprise is just as driven as Captain Ahab, though generally not mad as was Ahab.
The story at first appears to be a classic story of a strategic sea chase between two captains. However, it cannot be, for the pursuer and the pursued frequently change position, and the English pursuer is the weaker of the two opponents. In order to have any chance against an enemy with longer range guns, more speed, and a nearly impenetrable hull, Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) will need luck, bravery, and a superb strategy. Fortunately all three will eventually work in his favor, at least sufficiently to make a grand finish to this movie.
Three things set this movie apart from its predecessors.
First, the detail in this movie is incredibly good. The research into the conditions about a sailing ship of this era was apparently quite extensive as the details in the operation of the ship were numerous. Details regarding the relationships between the officers and crew also appeared quite authentic, recalling from my dim past the book "Two Years Before the Mast." While it would be easy to dismiss the attention to detail, that very detail makes much of this movie a delight to watch.
Secondly, the two captains were every bit as crafty as any two captains have ever been portrayed. We only see the results of the French captain's efforts, but we see the result of those efforts on Captain Aubrey, and we realize that Captain Aubrey has met someone with a talent that is at least equal to his own. We have seen similar scenarios in movies such as "The Enemy Below" and "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and yet in every one of these movies the scenario, while similar, is sufficiently different that you will find the course of the movie and the ending to be different.
Third, the special effects benefit from decades of development of computer generated imagery. In the movies of days gone by the special effects would rely heavily on miniature ships floating about in a big pool. In this movie the special effects are so good that, just as in "Jurassic Park," you never know when you are looking at a ship and when you are looking at computer graphics. While there are places where you can guess computer images were used, try not to focus on that aspect too much because it can distract you from the story.
Russell Crowe gives an outstanding performance as Captain Aubrey, well supported by a similarly excellent cast. "Master and Commander" received ten nominations for Academy Awards in 2003, and in any other year would likely have won many more awards than the two it won, but "The Return of the King" overshadowed this superb historical fiction. It is gratifying to see such quality in film making. This movie is well worth five stars and then some.
Enjoy!
DVD:
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- Ocean's Twelve
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