Maître à bord: De l'autre côté du monde

"Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" is a very unusual film because the filmmakers obviously were not attempting to make yet another Hollywood style blockbuster. Instead, they seemed to be doing the impossible--make a film that tries very hard to replicate what life was like at sea back during the Napoleonic Wars. As a retired history teacher, this is the sort of stuff I love--even if in the original, the 'bad guys' were actually the Americans and it was set during the War of 1812! I assume they changed the enemy to the French to make the film more marketable. After all, it would be a hard sell in the large American market to get the audiences to root for the British Navy in this altercation!

The story occurs around the beginning of the 19th century. The Brits and French have been fighting off and on for almost a decade (and would continue to do so until 1815). The action is set aboard a British Naval ship commanded by Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe). His ship has encountered a larger and faster French vessel and managed to escape. However, instead of running, Crowe plays a very determined man--and spends much of the film hunting down this ship. Along the way, there are lots of adventures--mostly of the variety you might actually have seen during the era. I could talk about them, but frankly this would spoil the suspense.

Overall, while this film is very slowly and deliberately paced (which will obviously turn off some viewers), the film is so expertly crafted that for a reasonably patient viewer, it should be a very engaging film. The film looks great--with a lot of attention to details and accuracy. It also has the best looking sea footage you can find in a period film--especially when the ship is rounding the Cape (it must have been amazing on the big screen). The acting is lovely as well--understated but quite realistic. Well done in every way and the director really deserves kudos for this one. While I love films from the same period as "Damn the Defiant", "Captain Horatio Hornblower", "Mutiny on the Bounty" and the like, clearly "Master and Commander" is superior when it comes to accurately portraying the life of a seaman.

In April 1805, Napoleon rules Europe. British frigate H.M.S. Surprise under the command of Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) is ordered to intercept French Privateer Acheron. In the first battle, Aubrey quickly discovers that Acheron is actually bigger, faster and more powerful skippered by a smart tactician. He escapes only through his skills and experience. After being soundly beaten, Aubrey decides to keep going instead of returning to base to refit. The ship's surgeon and Aubrey's friend Dr. Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany) clash with him more and more as the far ranging battle continues.

The action is exciting and more realistic than sail seafaring battle movies before it. The most compelling are the splinters that fly everywhere. It is the CGI that pushes the envelop on this action. Realism is everywhere. It is dirty, ugly, bloody, and horrifying. Russell Crowe delivers a solid performance to anchor this movie in reality. Then there are the everyday things that happen in between the battles. This has the epic scale conflicts but the human size struggle.

There is a scene in MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD where the captain of a British Naval ship, circa 1805, debates the difference between duty and passion. Having passed on an opportunity to make wonderful new discoveries in favor of the pursuit of a massive French war ship, the scene manages to make a rather eloquent, yet subtle comment on the nature of man and his place within the world. The beauty of this film is that there are many such moments where the viewer is simultaneously bombarded with thematic musings, exciting action sequences, great acting and historical accuracy to the point where it becomes difficult to take it all in at once.

Those of you looking for something more like Pirates of the Caribbean will be disappointed as this film is short on action and long on character development. There are only two major battle sequences, separated by more than an hour and a half of time. And while they are great; violently realistic and dramatically involving, the real guts of this film lies in the human stories told along the way. The director, Peter Weir, highlights his ability to tell an intimate story amidst a grand backdrop much like he did in The Truman Show. We get to know these men, their strengths and weaknesses and we see how the long and hard voyage plays on their minds over the film's progression. In one scene, a young officer feels the pressure of his men's dismissive stares and decides to end matters in his own way, afraid of what may be in store for him should he stick it out. Weir does a good job at highlighting the many facets of seafaring life.

If you're looking for an intelligent and thought-provoking journey into the life of a 19th Century British Naval Vessell, look no further. Master and Commander has the depth of a good Discovery Channel show and the action worthy of almost any other high-seas adventure that comes to mind.

And surprised I was. After hearing a friend rant endlessly about it, and having nothing to do one Friday night, I rented Master and Commander. The marketing staff should be cackling in glee, that a female in her 20's, would love this movie. It's an amazing movie. Russell Crowe is a force of nature, and all the other actors from Paul Bettany to Billy Boyd give wonderful performances. I especially enjoyed the details of life at sea, though most would call them boring. The day after my 5-day rental, I had to run to the nearest shop and buy the DVD, and have since re-watched it endlessly. I've never seen a more beautifully adapted, filmed and acted movie. Five stars out of five.

Normally, I do not begrudge someone their opinion about a movie, but when they cast aspersions about other reviewers here, I feel compelled to respond. One disgruntled reviewer of this film stated that she cannot understand how anyone could like this movie, let alone love it. Further, she claimed that we, the other reviewers, only believe what we are told to believe. Nothing could be further from the truth.

That someone would loathe what others have lauded is not surprising, really. I have to admit that I, too, have disliked films that were highly rated by a large majority of film critics. 'Fargo' comes to mind as does 'Moulin Rouge' and 'Mystic River.' However, unlike the reviewer, I watched these films several times over before reaching a final judgment in the event that I had been too hasty in my initial impressions. Neither of these films, though, were hailed as classics like 'MASTER AND COMMANDER'

Many people go into a theatre with a preconceived notion of what they think they will see, only to be disappointed when what they see is not what they expected. Each person carries with them their own set of experiences and no amount of explanation or arguments will change their mind, either. Yet, once in awhile a movie transcends the boundaries that define it, and its true genius is not something that everyone is going to apprehend. This is the case with 'MASTER AND COMMANDER'.

All I can say to that reviewer is simply, 'I am really sorry that you were not able to see what I saw.'

Movies like 'MASTER AND COMMANDER' only come around once in a generation. It is, without question, the finest movie ever made about tall ships. However, its greatness lies not in the story line but in those elements that typically ruin what would otherwise be great historical films, namely: dialogue, special effects, and sound track. Take for example, 'Gangs of New York.' The cinematography and sets were outstanding but the dialogue of everyone but Daniel Day-Lewis was severely lacking in historical authenticity. Another example is the 'Passion of the Christ' which used a mix of Aramaic and Hebrew to add its authentic feel, but it came across as highly artificial.

'MASTER AND COMMANDER' brought to life a language totally forgotten: the language of the sea, circa early 1800's. Every actor spoke the language as if they were born into it, and that element alone made the viewer feel as if they were viewing a window in time of a world rarely seen.

The sound editing alone was worth the price of admission. I have never been to a film where I actually felt that I was part of the environment. 'MASTER AND COMMANDER' did that, and even if you play the DVD on a plain TV, you would still marvel at the realism of the sound.

Finally, unlike every other sea movie that preceded it, the special effects were seamlessly integrated into the real footage of the ships at sea. At no time, did I get the sense that I was watching a scale model in a tank. In reality, the actual ship passed through rough seas on its journey around the Horn and these real scenes were added to the movie.

All these factors I mentioned above set the movie apart but that does not mean it had a substandard plot and mediocre acting. On the contrary, Russell Crowe was at his best playing Lucky Jack Aubrey with a panache that could only be matched by the late Errol Flynn. If I were a seaman aboard the HMS Surprise, I would truly feel that I could follow him anywhere. Crowe commands both the stage and the ship wherever he goes.

Paul Bettany as Jack's most trusted friend and the ship's doctor, turns in his best performance to date. Another unusual part of this movie is that while no seagoing fare would be complete without a love affair, the one in this movie is a platonic one between the captain and the doctor.

The two have a special relationship that is constantly strained by Crowe's call to duty and his overarching ambition. Having served with the great Lord Nelson, Lucky Jack does his best to emulate him and carve out a piece of British naval history for himself.

The film reminded me of works like 'Run Silent, Run Deep' which although dealt with more contemporary battles at sea (WWII), also featured a classic battle of wits between unseen adversaries. We never get to meet Jack's nemesis directly, but we learn by his battle tactics that he is a worthy opponent and a lot like Jack himself.

'MASTER AND COMMANDER' is a movie that I never tire of watching, and each time I see it I learn something new. It has its weaknesses like every movie does. It lacks continuity and subplots. It lacks character development of some of the more interesting supporting actors. Often I found it hard to keep track of who is who when everyone is referred to by their last names. Yet, all in all, 'MASTER AND COMMANDER' is a must-see movie and a must-own DVD.