Overview
Based on a series of books by Patrick O'Brian, and directed by Peter Weir, MASTER AND COMMANDER plunges viewers deep into the story of a British Navy ship at sea during the Napoleonic war. Russell Crowe stars as Aubrey, the charismatic captain who wrestles with issues like honor, pride, duty, sacrifice and loyalty while using ingenious tactics to engage his prey--a much larger and better-equipped French Man o' War. Paul Bettany plays his friend, the ship's doctor, who cautions Aubrey about letting revenge cloud his judgment after the French Man o' War almost sinks them in an early battle. Before the incredibly intense final skirmish the men battle a raging storm, launch an excursion to the Galapagos Islands, find time for grog-enhanced merriment, and endure some primitive surgery. Weir fills the film with a rich wealth of period detail, convincing dialogue, and the same haunting, dreamlike mood that has informed his best films, such as PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, THE LAST WAVE and THE TRUMAN SHOW. The wealth of sounds and sights on display are so evocative one can practically smell the salt air and feel the heave of the ocean. Russell is intense and inspiring as Aubrey, and Bettany proves a worthy match. MASTER AND COMMANDER is another triumph for Weir, and further evidence of his ability to fuse poetic realism with rousing entertainment.
Awards:
2003 - Academy Awards - Best Cinematography - Winner
Main Cast & Crew:
Peter Weir - Director
Russell Crowe
Paul Bettany
Billy Boyd
James D'Arcy
Lee Ingleby
George Innes
Mark Lewis Jones
Richard McCabe
Robert Pugh
David Threlfall
Details
- Format: DVD (New Box Art)
- Run Time: 138
- Color Format: Color
- UPC: 024543114215
- Genre: Action
- Rating: PG-13 (MPAA) (intense battle sequences, related images, and brief language)
- Release Date: April 2004
Movie Reviews
Notes:
Theatrical Release Date: November 14, 2003
Reviews:
"...To see Crowe as Capt. Jack Aubrey in MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD is to see a consummate performer doing what he does best..." - 11/14/2003 Los Angeles Times, p.C1
"...The battle sequences are filmed with impressive coherence and rigor..." - 11/14/2003 New York Times, p.E1
"...[A] masterful and commanding film....A story in full billow..." - 11/21/2003 Entertainment Weekly, p.58-60
"...A rousing high-seas adventure that sweeps you into another world..." - 11/27/2003 Rolling Stone, p.102
"[I]t's the film's thoughtful use of naturalism as metaphor and plot device that gives MASTER AND COMMANDER a sense of Tom Stoppard-like, upscale intelligence." - 12/31/2003 Sight and Sound, p.53-4
"[T]his is a plain old good movie….it ought to find fans among the young and the old and both genders." - 11/14/2003 USA Today, p.1E
"[A]n intelligent movie about men tested by the sea. Director Peter Weir mounts an impressive production..." - 12/21/2003 Chicago Sun-Times, p.11
"[I]t's a wonderfully vivid journey to a distant time and place." - 02/01/2004 Movieline's Hollywood Life, p.101
"The detailed depiction of shipboard life is total and overwhelming." - 01/01/2004 Uncut, p.134
4 stars out of 5 -- "It's all about sweeping views of 1700s battleships, tropical islands speckled across the horizon and weather-beaten shots of Russell Crowe." - 05/01/2008 Ultimate DVD, p.75
"[M]ost of the action of Peter Weir’s movie, an adaptation of Patrick O’Brian’s popular series of seafaring novels, is of a far calmer variety, delving into the curious human ecosystem of a British warship." - 10/31/2020 The Atlantic
