To bear down, grit it out, stay the course.
Originally a nautical term probably borrowed from the Dutch "houd vast" (hold tight) referring to the importance of securely gripping a ship's rigging.
I usually don´t say this about MANY movies, but if you haven´t seen this one, BUY IT.
I believe it is a MUST in every house, it is a testament of GREAT filmmaking and a brilliantly told TALE. Awesome cast, flawless editing and music that reaches your soul. I must confess i saw it not in cinemas or in rental. I saw it because my wife showed it to me. And i trully am a fan of this film. It is worth it. An EPIC FILM.
PUSH PLAY IF YOU WANT
TO HEAR THE SOUNDTRACK
In November 2003 the movie premiered to much aclaim of the public, it received 10 oscar nominations.With a budget of 150 million dollars, most of it went to making it FAITHFULLY. If you´ve ever read any book about war, this movie is told the same way.
The Director
"i saw a ship ...i think we should buy it"
-Peter Weir
After watching The Lord of the Rings, film Director Peter Weir, wanted his next movie to use miniatures. Known for his work in TRUMAN SHOW and DEAD POETS SOCIETY, australian Peter Weir wanted to tell a historical novel he read , based on the Patrick O´Brian series of MASTER AND COMMANDER.
The story features Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin, and is set in the Napoleonic Wars. The novel proved to be the start of a 20-novel series, written from 1969 until the author's death early in 2000.
The SEA
"I have to pay respect to history and make it
as real as possible"
as real as possible"
-Peter Weir
The movie begins in the ATLANTIC OCEAN.
The first thing was getting real footage from the sea. So that in the moment you are in a storm or in a calm sea, the footage from the sea is real and not computer animated. It is so well done you can´t tell the difference .
.
The SHIP
In May 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars, Captain Jack Aubrey of HMS Surprise is ordered to pursue the Frenchprivateer Acheron, and "Sink, Burn or take her a Prize."
Using the same water tank as in the film, Titanic so that it gave it the authenticity it needed. HUGE SETS, HUGE BOATS, HUGE EFFECTS.
"it´s a world they have not seen before, an experience they not had."
-Peter Weir
Great efforts were made to reproduce the authentic look and feel of life aboard an early nineteenth-century man-of-war. However, only ten days of the filming actually took place at sea on board Rose (a reproduction of the 18th-century post ship HMS Rose), while other scenes were shot on a full-scale replica mounted on gimbals in a large tank. The Rose is now renamed HMS Surprise in honor of her movie role; she is moored at the San Diego Maritime Museum and serves as a dockside attraction .
"England is under threat of invasion,
and though we be on the far side of the world,
this ship is our home.
This ship is England."
-Capt. Jack Aubrey
The CAST
Russell Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey
His crew often follows him from ship to ship, not just because of his leadership but also due to his knack for capturing valuable prizes, for which he is nicknamed "Lucky Jack". Aubrey's love of women has led to problems with the men and with his wife, Sophia. His other great loves are the violin and jokes, which he seems to enjoy creating as much as telling.
Before anyone of the crew the first one to arrive at the set was Russell Crowe. I fe he wanted to be the leader of every one he needed to answer any question.
Paul Bettany as Dr. Stephen Maturin.
A former Irish radical, he is a ship's surgeon who has sailed with Aubrey since his first voyage as Commander. Unlike many surgeons in this era, Maturin is a physician, and is highly regarded for his intimate knowledge of anatomy and diseases. His skills have saved the lives of many of his shipmates.
Several weeks went into an intensive cast camp for fighting, swords, canon firing, the different responsabilities in the ship, how to adress one another, the choreography of not only fights but the order in which as if in the theatre everyone has a spot to stand and then to go.
As equals, one of the movies strongest points is to make everyone aware of the fact that, THEY ARE ALL ON THE SAME SHIP. This ship is their HOME. So they need each other in order to survive. Any lack of respect will be punished , and every aid to a partner will be awarded.
One of the aspects i love about this film it´s the way it treats the HERO factor. Everyone in that ship is afraid, everyone. They search inside one another for the COURAGE they need. They are flawed characters full of defects and worries. Normal people doing an extraordinary thing. Today we can´t imagine going for 6 months into an isolated place from one point to another. But back then the world was a BIGGER, SCARIER place. Full of wonder and mystery.
Making the whole cast more united, instead of having different trailers for everyone, they had a huge space together. They had laptops with internet access , music, instruments to play.
To hang out, play chess, READ BOOKS, play rugby , pool, eat, talk, begin to unite. AS ONE CREW. This is what the movie TRANSPIRES. UNITY.
The Cinematography
"Think about what you are doing,
apply your skills,
practice, practice, practice..."
-Russell Boyd
Russell Boyd , is an Australian cinematographer. He rose to prominence with his highly praised work on Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), the first of several collaborations with director Peter Weir. The on-location shots of the Galapagos were unique for a feature film as normally only documentaries are filmed on the islands.
THE EDITING
Lee Smith (born 1960 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian film editor who has worked in the film industry since the 1980s. He began his film career as a sound editor on such films as Dead Calm (1989), The Piano (1993), The Portrait of a Lady (1996) and Holy Smoke! (1999). During breaks he started editing films like Robocop 2 (1990).
Smith was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2004) and The Dark Knight (2008). More recently, Smith has edited six films with director Christopher Nolan. (Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight , Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar.)
The Sound
Sound designer Richard King earned Master and Commander an Oscar for its sound effects by going to great lengths to record realistic sounds, particularly for the battle scenes and the storm scenes. King and director Peter Weir began by spending months reading the Patrick O'Brian novels in search of descriptions of the sounds that would have been heard on board the ship—for example, the "screeching bellow" of cannon fire and the "deep howl" of a cannonball passing overhead.The Music
Richard King is an American sound designer and editor who has worked on over 70 films. A native of Tampa, Florida, he won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing for the films Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), The Dark Knight (2008) andInception (2010). Won Best Sound for Inception.He was also nominated for War of the Worlds (2005) and Interstellar(2014).
The PLOT
The film combines elements from 13 different novels of Patrick O'Brian, but the basic plot mostly comes from The Far Side of the World.
The story is so multilayered and so upfront you don´t pay attention to anything else. You are not distracted by this actor or this effect shot. It is so perfectly crafted and glued together. The film goes by in a flash.
The editing is very very good. The sound sorrounds us in every possible way. We feel at sea, feeling the cold, the lonesome night, the storms, evry single sound. It surrounds us. The audience is the main character here. Where they cannot say anything, but just watch and be amazed by a beautiful well told story.
The Singing
In several scenes the crew sings, not because it is a musical, but it is a key element of being on the sea. This men have tradition, honor and are risking their lives together. In many films this is made by a dance sequence, a little intermission for the action or narrative to pause and relax.
"Don't Forget Your Old Shipmate" is a naval traditional song that was sung by British Royal Navy sailors in the Napoleonic Era. In the film it is sung in the wardroom scene in the film and is still sung aboard some surface combatant ships of the Royal Navy.
Safe and sound at home again, let the waters roar, Jack.
Safe and sound at home again, let the waters roar, Jack.
Long we've tossed on the rolling main, now we're safe ashore, Jack.
Don't forget yer old shipmate,
faldee raldee raldee raldee rye-eye-doe!
"O'Sullivan's March", "Spanish Ladies" and "The British Tars"
In December 2010 Russell Crowe launched an appeal on Twitter (@russellcrowe) to get the sequel made: "If you want a Master and Commander sequel I suggest you e-mail Tom Rothman at Fox and let him know your thoughts".
The PERFECT ENDING
SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU HAVEN´T SEEN THE MOVIE
DO NOT CONTINUE READING.
The movie ends in the PACIFIC OCEAN.
I truly believe there are PERFECT ENDINGS in some films. This movie has one of those. This film has a unique style of making us feel there, in that momentin time , in that space . It doesn´t feel cloustrophobic as many movies in open sea.
The camera work has to be achknowledge too. The perfect ending of this movie is the moment where we all think ITS ALL WELL NOW. Back to the ROUTINE. We can go to GALAPAGOS to explore and the doctor can watch his WINGLESS BIRD, The english won ,the french loose. Everything is back on track. BUT WAIT. Something is wrong here .
Acheron and Surprise are repaired; while Surprise will remain in the Galapagos, the captured Acheron is to be taken to Valparaíso. As Acheron sails away, Maturin mentions that their doctor had died months ago. Realising the French captain deceived him by pretending to be the ship's doctor, Aubrey gives the order to change course to intercept the Acheron and escort her to Valparaíso, and for the crew to assume battle stations. Maturin is again denied the chance to explore the Galapagos, but Aubrey wryly notes that since the bird he seeks is flightless, "it's not going anywhere", and the two play a selection of Luigi Boccherini as the crew assumes battle stations and the Surprise turns in pursuit of the Acheron.
It is in that moment when they realized what really happened. As many twist endings will deliver a full emotional flashback, this film does not .The director made an awesome decision of not going back. He respects the audience. It doesn´t need that flash back . As the final scenes do not use any sound... only music.
A true MASTERPIECE.
"The simple truth is, not all of us become the men we once hoped we might be. But we are all God's creatures. If there are those among us who thought ill of Mr. Hollom, or spoke ill of him, or failed him in respect of fellowship... then we ask for your forgiveness, Lord. And we ask for his."
-Capt. Jack Aubrey:
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