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Master and Commander

Of course, this human interaction all takes place against the backdrop of a stunning set, including the beautiful HMS Surprise.Master and Commander features a host of impressive technical effects, all of which blend seamlessly in some of the greatest seafaring scenes ever recorded on film. The ship's voyage around Cape Horn is particularly spectacular.

All this is due to the superb directorial skills of Peter Weir, who paid equal attention to the physical and emotional elements of the movie. In addition to following O'Brian's details, Weir employed historical and technical consultants to faithfully re-create the era. Weir's crew re-fitted an actual ship of that era and filmed much of the movie in the enormous tank used during the production of "Titanic."

The result is an intimate, historically accurate look at what life was like on a tall ship in 1805. Stomach-turning storms, searing heat, menial chores, periods of rest and repair punctuated by the frenzy of battle—these shared experiences form a tight-knit community, where good friends, good music and good grog are some of life's greatest pleasures.

The film's opening scene gives the state of the Surprise: "28 guns. 197 souls." By the end of their journey, the crew has experienced significant losses. Through its emphasis on characters and not merely action, Master and Commander does not let us forget that all individuals are souls with flesh and blood, not merely empty casualties of war.

1. Has there ever been anyone that impacted you in the way Lord Nelson impacted Captain Aubrey? ("With Nelson, you felt your heart glow.") Would anyone say the same about you?
   
   
2. In addition to the Jonah figure, are there any other crew members who seem to mirror biblical characters?
   
   
3. Aubrey is faced with tough choices at several points. Would you have acted in the same way? Have you ever felt like a decision you must make will have a negative consequence no matter which course of action you choose? What did you decide, and why?
   
   

As a war movie, the film doesn't shy away from showing violent, and sometimes disturbing, images—not so much during the battle sequences as in the aftermath, and most of those in Doctor Maturin's surgery. There's an amputation of an arm, though the cutting occurs offscreen. There's a gruesome head injury that requires surgery. And there's a make-you-grimace scene where the doctor performs surgery on himself.

But if you're eager to get the scoop on Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, a spectacular and suspenseful high-seas adventure starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany, my full review of the film is posted here, and Michael Elliott's review is up at Movie Parables.

There are few subjects more relevant and timely than that of a leader's responsibilities in wartime. Director Peter Weir has explored the tension between power, duty, and conscience in such memorable films as The Year of Living Dangerously, The Mosquito Coast, Fearless, Witness, and The Truman Show. He tackles these issues again in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

The film's central character, Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe), is a man of ambition, valor, patriotism, and deadly cunning. Aubrey has been assigned by the British government to lead his able but reluctant crew on a devil-take-the-odds voyage to intercept the French warship Acheron, a craft so strong it could turn the tide of the Napoleonic Wars. Aubrey's optimism, ingenuity, and charisma inspire his men, but they do not discourage the questions of conscience raised by his best friend, the ship's doctor, a naturalist named Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany). When Aubrey's ship, the HMS Surprise, is crippled in a violent clash with the enemy, the captain's determination to pursue and overcome his nemesis toes the line of irresponsibility. The men begin to grumble that perhaps he is acting selfishly, caring more about a quest of revenge than the fulfillment of duty.

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