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Happy Saturday GAF, this is a thread I've been wanting to make for a while now - just a simple appreciation thread for one of my favorite films of all time - the much-overlooked Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
Theatrical Trailer
Behind the Scenes/Making-Of Featurette
The bulk of the film's narrative comes from the 10th book in the series - The Far Side of the World - but it also draws in elements from the first book - Master & Commander - as well as books 3 & 5 - HMS Suprirse and Desolation Island, respectively. There are even smaller details still borrowed from a number of the other entries in the series.
Although here's an interesting bit of trivia regarding the film's antagonist. In the book (The Far Side of the World) the events take place during the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States, as such the enemy ship is in an American vessel named the USS Norfolk. However, according to Peter Weir, because the film was made in the wake of 9/11, depicting the Americans as the bad guys was a no-no in Hollywood at the time. The studio requested that aspect of the story be changed. This was done rather easily by setting the film 7 years earlier in 1805 - when Britain was at war with France. As a result, the USS Norfolk was changed to be the French privateer ship Acheron (although the film does maintain the ship was "Yankee-built").
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The original HMS Rose (the replica of which became the HMS Surprise for the film) was actually a French ship, captured by the British in 1757. When it was in dry dock in Hull, England, it was modified along British lines and saw action under the British during the American Revolution. It was scuttled in 1779. The replica, based on the same plans as the original which were housed at the Admiralty in Whitehall, London, was built in Nova Scotia in 1970 by Rhode Island historian John Fitzhugh Millar. It was the only remaining working frigate in the world when Peter Weir came across it at a maritime festival. When he learned that it was for sale, Weir concluded that he was fated to make "Master and Commander" after all, a project he had previously turned down.
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(That's Crowe standing out on the bowsprit of the HMS Surprise in the picture on the upper-right)
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Main Cast:
The film features a classic combination of digital and practical effects. Here's an excellent article discussing the film's VFX work. Many of the wide-shots feature ridiculously detailed miniatures of both the HMS Surprise and the Acheron created by Weta Workshop.
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Alas, one cannot make a thread dedicated to Master and Commander without mentioning the film's sound editing and mixing. In a word, it's stunning. Since its release, the film has become a center piece for those showing off their home theaters. Even in low-quality YouTube footage, the whole film is a feast for the ears.
NPR did an audio interview with one of the film's sound engineers back during the film's release, and he goes into great detail as to how they achieved certain sounds. The article itself even includes the the audio clips from the film which are discussed in the interview. Check'em out!
Here's the opening cannon battle, crank up dat sound. It only gets better from there. The film's climactic eight-minute final battle sequence is essentially one long ear-gasm. Going from ship vs. ship cannon combat and then transitioning to close-quarters sword/pistol fighting, the visuals and audio make for one of the best final action sequences in any film.
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And finally we come to cherry on top- the film's soundtrack, which is beautiful. Featuring much of its own original music, it also features classic works from the likes of Bach, Mozart, Boccherini, and Corelli. Master and Commander is basically where my appreiation for classical music stems from.
Select tracks:
Adagio from Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 8 in G Minor
Prelude (Bach's Cello Suit 1 in G Major performed by Yo-Yo Ma)
Cuckold Comes Out of the Amery
Mozart's Violin Concerto #3 (and Bocherinni)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Saturday GAF, this is a thread I've been wanting to make for a while now - just a simple appreciation thread for one of my favorite films of all time - the much-overlooked Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
Theatrical Trailer
Behind the Scenes/Making-Of Featurette
The bulk of the film's narrative comes from the 10th book in the series - The Far Side of the World - but it also draws in elements from the first book - Master & Commander - as well as books 3 & 5 - HMS Suprirse and Desolation Island, respectively. There are even smaller details still borrowed from a number of the other entries in the series.
Although here's an interesting bit of trivia regarding the film's antagonist. In the book (The Far Side of the World) the events take place during the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States, as such the enemy ship is in an American vessel named the USS Norfolk. However, according to Peter Weir, because the film was made in the wake of 9/11, depicting the Americans as the bad guys was a no-no in Hollywood at the time. The studio requested that aspect of the story be changed. This was done rather easily by setting the film 7 years earlier in 1805 - when Britain was at war with France. As a result, the USS Norfolk was changed to be the French privateer ship Acheron (although the film does maintain the ship was "Yankee-built").
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The original HMS Rose (the replica of which became the HMS Surprise for the film) was actually a French ship, captured by the British in 1757. When it was in dry dock in Hull, England, it was modified along British lines and saw action under the British during the American Revolution. It was scuttled in 1779. The replica, based on the same plans as the original which were housed at the Admiralty in Whitehall, London, was built in Nova Scotia in 1970 by Rhode Island historian John Fitzhugh Millar. It was the only remaining working frigate in the world when Peter Weir came across it at a maritime festival. When he learned that it was for sale, Weir concluded that he was fated to make "Master and Commander" after all, a project he had previously turned down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(That's Crowe standing out on the bowsprit of the HMS Surprise in the picture on the upper-right)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Main Cast:
- Captain Jack Aubrey – Russell Crowe
- Dr. Stephen Maturin – Paul Bettany
- First Lieutenant / Acting Captain Thomas Pullings – James D'Arcy
- Second Lieutenant William Mowett – Edward Woodall
- Captain Howard, Royal Marines – Chris Larkin
- Midshipman Lord William Blakeney – Max Pirkis
- Midshipman Boyle – Jack Randall
- Midshipman / Acting Third Lieutenant Peter Myles Calamy – Max Benitz
- Midshipman Hollom – Lee Ingleby
- Midshipman Williamson – Richard Pates
- John Allen, Sailing Master – Robert Pugh
The film features a classic combination of digital and practical effects. Here's an excellent article discussing the film's VFX work. Many of the wide-shots feature ridiculously detailed miniatures of both the HMS Surprise and the Acheron created by Weta Workshop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alas, one cannot make a thread dedicated to Master and Commander without mentioning the film's sound editing and mixing. In a word, it's stunning. Since its release, the film has become a center piece for those showing off their home theaters. Even in low-quality YouTube footage, the whole film is a feast for the ears.
NPR did an audio interview with one of the film's sound engineers back during the film's release, and he goes into great detail as to how they achieved certain sounds. The article itself even includes the the audio clips from the film which are discussed in the interview. Check'em out!
Here's the opening cannon battle, crank up dat sound. It only gets better from there. The film's climactic eight-minute final battle sequence is essentially one long ear-gasm. Going from ship vs. ship cannon combat and then transitioning to close-quarters sword/pistol fighting, the visuals and audio make for one of the best final action sequences in any film.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And finally we come to cherry on top- the film's soundtrack, which is beautiful. Featuring much of its own original music, it also features classic works from the likes of Bach, Mozart, Boccherini, and Corelli. Master and Commander is basically where my appreiation for classical music stems from.
Select tracks:
Adagio from Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 8 in G Minor
Prelude (Bach's Cello Suit 1 in G Major performed by Yo-Yo Ma)
Cuckold Comes Out of the Amery
Mozart's Violin Concerto #3 (and Bocherinni)
