Master and Commander-Far Side of the World-Review

[Stede]

Russell Crowe provides an exceptional portrayal of the larger than life persona of Capt. Jack Aubrey from the Patrick O'Brien series of books..The film has all the expected scenes of swashbuckling adventure, heroics, and clashing of swords in entrenched battles, but yet it goes deeper into the delicate balance of loyalty between a Captain and his crew. Pursuit of battle and conquest takes a secondary seat to one becoming entranced in relationship of strength versus intellect that Capt. Jack shares with his best friend, and ship's surgeon, Steven Mautarin. As easily as the two instruments that the two men play, the cello and violin, can strike a screeching discord, the friendship is continuously challenged to remain a harmonious duet.

The story line has some of the seemingly unavoidable discontinuity that previous swashbuckling sea adventures have suffered. How did the ship suffer so much damage, but yet was able to sail again faster, and truer the next day,etc?. But even so, these are minor distractions to the strong understood objectives of the ship’s company that the audience is enveloped in.

“Name a bush after me, something prickley and hard to eradicate.” Capt. Jack tells his ships surgeon, and part time naturalist friend Steven. This movie is much like that. From the first scene, your senses are pricked as you witness what seems to be a very accurate portrayal of what life was like for seamen aboard a British Man O War tall ship during the Napoleonic era. You leave the theater wondering where Capt. Jack and crew are going next, and knowing that you want to be there with them.

On a scale of (1-3) Top Gallants - (3+)

*** Excellent movie, but the advertisements for it do carry the statement “ some scenes not suitable for young children.” I would totally agree with that. There was a young girl, probably 9 yrs .of age sitting beside me in the theater. The realistic battle scenes in the movie appeared to be quite disturbing to her.

[svbeausoleil]

No one is better than Patrick O'Brien for writing action at sea. The only problem is when you have read the last one. The horror, the sadness, at least you can start to read them all over again!

Or check out other books like these: Amazon.com: Mike Riley: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

OK. I have to admit, I did pen them. The 8 non fiction aren't in competition with Patrick but my two fiction are. Even after reading O'Brien again, those two books are damn good. But don't believe me. Give it a try. It's free to try!

[minaret]

I must have read all 21 books in the series at least a dozen times, as well as everything else O'Brian ever wrote. I must say, I absolutely hate the movie. Almost everything about it was deeply flawed IMO, from the casting to the godawful plot, composed of (gasp!), a compilation of content from the first book and the fourteenth (as well as one or two others)! The audacity! The nerve! To try to condense O'Brian's work into one two hour movie is the height of the many offenses this movie makes. Inexcusable.


If any of you are really O'Brian fans, you should definitely get deeply into the work of Frederick Marryat, if you are not already. He was O'Brian's great inspiration, and the favorite author of many literary greats, such as Conrad and Dickens. I own several first editions of Marryat, and they are some of my prize possessions.

[Jammer Six]

Didn't care for the O'Brian series-- things got weird in number three.

Much bigger fan of Hornblower. I may have to have another son, so I can name him Hornblower.

[goboatingnow]

Guys this is a 10 year old thread !!

[boatman61]

Its wet and cold out... we're desperate,,,,
Hornblower and there's another but the name escapes me...

[Paul Elliott]

Sure, it's an old thread, but "Master and Commander" is still one of my favorite films. A movie doesn't have to completely adhere to its source material (witness Ridley Scott's film "Blade Runner" vs Philip K. Dick's novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" -- quite different, but each a masterpiece.)

Anyway, the O'Brian books are quite enjoyable, as are C.S. Forester's Hornblower novels. The Hornblower series were turned into a miniseries by A&E, and these were also well done.

[MarkJ]

I loved the books till I actually put brain into gear. Have a look at how many times in his books they have westerlies in the Caribbean.

Then the house of cards begins to fall down. He could have had a look at the pilots charts.... Or gone there!

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

Sure, it's an old thread, but "Master and Commander" is still one of my favorite films. A movie doesn't have to completely adhere to its source material (witness Ridley Scott's film "Blade Runner" vs Philip K. Dick's novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" -- quite different, but each a masterpiece.)

Anyway, the O'Brian books are quite enjoyable, as are C.S. Forester's Hornblower novels. The Hornblower series were turned into a miniseries by A&E, and these were also well done.

While "Do Androids Dream" is indeed a masterpiece, it's a short story, not a novel. Blade Runner is only very loosely based on it, I'd say it stands alone just fine.

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by minaret

While "Do Androids Dream" is indeed a masterpiece, it's a short story, not a novel. Blade Runner is only very loosely based on it, I'd say it stands alone just fine.

"Androids" is definitely a novel. My 1972 edition has 183 pages. It is true that most of the other Dick-inspired movies were based on short stories. I would also claim that Blade Runner is closely based on the novel, and the differences are largely omissions of several sub-plot elements. Some of the tone, and perhaps the final philosophical statement, is different, but there is a huge amount that is a direct match.

[HappySeagull]

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

Didn't care for the O'Brian series-- things got weird in number three.

Much bigger fan of Hornblower. I may have to have another son, so I can name him Hornblower.

aye! C.S. Forester did it first and better.
I don't like supermen. They are caricatures and fail, seen beside real people

As to The Movie,
Master + Commander was so ... unlikely and... un-Navy. Too similar to Gladiator- also unlikely and un-Roman. Ignorant and Bad scripts....an opportunity missed.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

"Androids" is definitely a novel. My 1972 edition has 183 pages. It is true that most of the other Dick-inspired movies were based on short stories. I would also claim that Blade Runner is closely based on the novel, and the differences are largely omissions of several sub-plot elements. Some of the tone, and perhaps the final philosophical statement, is different, but there is a huge amount that is a direct match.

Must be some 1972 large print. Note that it is in most collections of Dick's short stories.

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by minaret

Must be some 1972 large print. Note that it is in most collections of Dick's short stories.

OK, are we talking about "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", the full-length novel that Blade Runner is based on? That's what I originally mentioned. Here's the Wikipedia article on this novel.

I don't think there even is a short story titled just "Android". Please point me to this short story of which you speak -- I have pretty nearly every PKD novel and story collection ever published right here in my bookshelf.

Or are you just pulling my chain?

[rgscpat]

Nelson's Victory was forty years old at Trafalgar, so this thread could go on for more than ten years easily.

Also like Dewey Lamdin (Ransome), James Nelson (Revolution at Sea)

[goboatingnow]

mind you its unfortunate the French were put in , most of the books have Aubrey fighting the Americans,( the far side of the world) but then that wouldn't go down to well in the cinemas

Dave