Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
From WikiPOBia
Master and Commander:The Far Side of the World was the first, and to date only filmed version of any of the Aubrey-Maturin series. It was released in 2003 and produced a world-wide box office return of $210,477,920. The film also won several awards including Oscars for Best Sound Editing and Best Cinematography in 2004.
Though it takes its name and basic plot from The Far Side of the World, the film includes references, snippets of dialogue and certain plot threads from numerous books in the Canon. It is frequently referred to as "The fillum" in certain quarters.
Contents |
Cast
Summary
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World takes lines and incidents from a number of Patrick O'Brian's books though the main plot line and strategies come from The Far Side of the World (the tenth book in the series). The film is set during the Napoleonic Wars, and much of the film's action takes place at sea.
| SPOILER WARNING: Plot or ending details for "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" follow. |
We first see HMS Surprise off the Brazilian coast in search of a French privateer, Acheron. Captain Aubrey and his crew have been sent after Acheron to stop her from carrying the war into the Pacific Ocean by preying on the British whaling fleet, even though Acheron is described as being a "faster, heavier ship."
After a near-disastrous first encounter, Surprise follows Acheron around Cape Horn and into the Pacific where Dr. Stephen Maturin is first denied, and later given a chance, to explore part of the Galapagos Islands and in the words of Jack, "Be the first naturalist to set foot on the Islands, I'll wager." While exploring the Galapagos, Stephen finds the elusive Acheron hiding in a cove.
Taking a page from the natural world and phasmids, Jack disguises Surprise as a British whaler Syren to lure the French ship close enough to board and take her.
| Spoilers end here |
Trivia
- Certain scenes are filmed on the Galapagos Islands; this was the first commercial film production allowed to film on the islands.
- Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany learned to play the violin and cello respectively for the film.
- The Acheron is based on USN Constitution
- Significant scenes have been taken from other novels aside from those mentioned in the title.
- The date of the movie is 1805, however the novel is set in 1813.
Other Reading
- The Making of Master and Commander:The Far Side of the World ISBN 0-393-32553-9 by Tom McGregor
References
- Box Office MoJo Retrieved March 2005
- IMdb Retrieved March 2005
