Forever disappointed we didn't get more of these. Amazing production, casting and acting. The movie adapted elements of three of the 20 novels in the series so they still had plenty of material to work with.
@@neptunusrex5195 Yeah, it was the same year as Return of the King. But also the first Pirates of the Caribbean came out that summer and was a wild success so I guess people favored the "fun supernatural" sailing film over the more historically accurate one😅
@@elliotadams3402Crowe was all in this. Doubt he'd be the star in the prequel. Plus hwood is a decrepit husk of what it was back in those days. Long story short the ship has sailed
Have you ever seen the series "The English"? There is a really good scene in there where the velocity difference between sound, light, and bullets, plays a major factor.
Addie is the only reactor I've seen who picks up on Nelson's empty sleeve in the book illustration and why, as a gift, that book is doubly significant for Blakeny. It's a nice little touch.
Well, don't I feel like the idiot. I've watched movie several times, and seen countless reactions to it, but I never noticed the empty sleeve. o.O Nice one. :)
This is the greatest Age of Sail movie that has been filmed. It feels like they really work and live on the ship, and it is almost like a character in the film. And also just a wonderful skillfully made movie in every way. :)
This is why the Original Series Star Trek show and films did so well, they captured this same feeling, only in a space navy :P The ship was very much a character in itself, and the calculating chess moves of combat, maneuvering to get a favorable position to do the most damage or to escape (such as in Wrath of Khan) were very naval in their execution. I kind of wish that modern Star Trek had kept to this instead of going all BSG on us :/
Naval service back then, some 200+ years ago, was unimaginable compared to what how we live now. Yes, children served in the Navy, trainee Officers (midshipmen), from the right families, considered 'gentlemen'. They were usually teenagers, so from 13 upwards but some were as young as 10 or 11. Then there were also 'powder monkeys', boys aged about 12-14, usually small in stature, whose job it was to deliver gunpowder to the cannons and their crews. Being small they could more easily more around the small confines of the ship. They usually came from poor families, working class. There are so many phrases or sayings that originate from the Navy, and also from Naval law. 'Tell tale signs', 'Pipe down', 'batten down the hatches', 'three sheets to the wind'. 'over a barrel', 'to show one's true colours', 'push the boat out', and so on.
They really brushed past the term Pressed in that part of the video. As I'm sure you know, no small number of sailors were involuntarily physically rounded up and marched straight into the Navy.
@@BubbaCoop yep, well remembered. The press gangs, when voluntary recruitment wasn't sufficient. Legend has it that one method was to drop a shilling in a tankard of someone unsuspecting in a tavern, and if they drank, it was claimed that they had 'accepted the King's shilling' and thus accepted to join the Navy. I have in my time seen pewter tankards with a glass bottom, the whole point being able to see through the contents to the bottom and evade this approach.
The leading cause of the Warbof 1812 was that the Royal Navy would press Americans out of American ships. If the sailor was born before the end of the American Revolution, the Royal Navy considered them British subjects and eligible to be pressed into naval service.
This film *almost* won a ton of Academy Awards. It was nominated for 10 or so because of how brilliantly it was executed: costume, cinematography, sound editing, adapted screenplay, directing, etc. Just brilliant. The reason it didn't win everything? It was up against Return of the King.
While the movie is entirely fictional, it was historically accurate. And more than that, the captain was based on the real-life captain Thomas, Lord Cochrane, who the French called "The Sea Wolf", and who they probably couldn't make a movie about because his exploits were too unbelievable. (His reputation was so great that he once sailed into a harbor in disguise, to do reconnaissance, but when the people in the harbor recognized who he was, they just surrendered the entire city to him. On another occasion he captured seven fortifications and a city in one night, with only two ships of his own.)
@@MrBendylaw Oh yeah, I forgot about that one. Piloted a fireship full of explosives toward an enemy position, lit the fuse and dove off... only to realize the crew's pet dog was on the boat, so he boarded it again to rescue the dog even though it could explode at any moment. Grabbed the dog and got off again just in time.
@@UnclePengy Thomas Cochrane never had one second of concern about disobedience or mutiny I guess. He was terrifying in his fearlessness. In very rare company with Nelson, Yi Sun-Sin, and a few others...
The music in the scene in the Captain's cabin with cello and violin is “Musica Notturna delle Strade di Madrid”. (Night Music from the Streets of Madrid) by Luigi Boccherini circa 1790-1800.
34:38 - Yes, the officer class starts at the bottom with Midshipmen who, at this time, typically started at around age 12 or 13. A really important point in this movie is that Mr. Hollom (who committed suicide) coming up on 30 years old was very old indeed for a Midshipman. Usually they would have taken and passed their examination for Lieutenant long before then, so it's a key part of his character that he is still stuck in the bottom rank, unable to find the confidence in himself necessary to lead when, by contrast, young Mr. Blakeney at maybe 13 years old, even with only one arm, was swinging into the lower decks of the Acheron, pistol blazing and sword swinging - hollering orderers to a rabble of hardened, salty sea dogs twice his age. It was a different time.
@poolhall9632 Haven’t read the books yet, but from what I can gather Blakeney is a first son. He’s “Lord Blakeney”, he’s only addressed as “mister” due to naval custom of officers below captain or commander being addressed simply as mister. If he were a younger son of a lord, he’d simply be “The Honourable William Blakeney”. But he is “Lord Blakeney”
@@konstantinosnikolakakis8125 fair point - it was common for second sons to have to "make their fortune" which often times meant a career at sea or the army.
@@weldonwin No, Nelson went to grammar school until 12 and joined the Navy at age 13. Young lords were always educated - they needed to be able to read and calculate to navigate at sea. The officer class needed that critical early education.
I live and breathe for people reacting to this on TH-cam. This is one of the most underrated films of its time, and had it not been for other blockbuster movies that year I think it could've won some awards. Stellar cast, amazing cinematography, beautiful world building... just stunning.
@@JH-lo9ut yeah - kinda hard to beat the One Ring. But you're absolutely right. The Foley on this movie is legendary. The flying chunks of wood, The creaking of the boat the environment - all there.
@@artbagley1406 Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis is an exception - written in 1910. Even so, it fits perfectly into a film that does not put a foot wrong. Visuals, plot, dialogue, maritime detail in hardware and language - all is as close to perfection as any film has ever been.
@@kumasenlac5504 Many thanks for the education, ...5504! I never took the time to look up the genesis of each piece, but relied on what may have been hearsay speculation. Do you have a degree in classical music or some such "attachment" that brought you the awareness?
Not to mention "Dead Poets Society" and "The Truman Show." "Picnic at Hanging Rock," "The Last Wave," "The Mosquito Coast," and "The Way Back" are also all particularly underrated.
The cutting loose of the sail and the funeral at sea are two of the best, and cruelest, uses of Vaughan-Williams's Thomas Tallis Fantasia. Gets me every time.
Since others have shared knowledge about what constitutes midshipmen, I'll talk about Points on a compass. At that time, the compass wasn't divided into 360 degrees. It had 64 Points, each point having its own name. So when the captain gives a course heading of "southeast by east", he's naming a specific point name. And "two points off the starboard bow" also references these measurements. Naming the full circuit of 64 Points in order is called "boxing the compass".
- and if anyone who's taken sailing classes wonders why red and green lanterns cover that awkard angle - 112.5 degrees - why, that's because that's the angle between dead ahead and two points abaft the beam.
@@thomasklausen4596 And for anyone how wonders where "red light districs" come from, ships docked traditionally on their port side (ladderboard->larboard->port side), where the red lantern iluminated the docks, where of course where pubs and brothels for the seamen.
Some interesting insights for you Addie . It was common for young boys to join the navy as despite being dangerous and tough it was often better than home. You were fed reasonably well and educated to a certain degree. Also rich families could only enlist (for example Lord Blackeney) at Midshipman rank, and earn promotion via skill and leadership. In the British army at that time you could buy a commission and start as a Lieutenant or even a Captain if you had the money, in the navy you had to earn it. Also Midshipmen were encouraged to keep a log so Blakeneys notebook is accurate. If you go to the Navy museums at Portsmouth of Chatham there are many of these on display. Great reaction to one of my favorite movies!
The Aubrey/Maturin novels the movie is based on are all immensely fun to read. Aubrey and Maturin are both much more complex figures than they are in the movies: Aubrey has been described as "a lion at sea and an ass on land," while Maturin in addition to being a doctor and a naturalist is also an intelligence agent and a drug addict. Both have complicated romantic and financial affairs on land, and in the course of the novels they range literally all over the Earth. Get these books! Run, don't walk...
A wonderful movie. The books, however, are unbelivably good. The Author Patrick O'Brien was truly a literary genius, I have personally read all 21 of his books many, many times each.
I re-read the whole series every few years, currently on Desolation Island. This movie, despite being a mix of a bunch of the books was brilliant from start to finish. I'd love to see the entire book series done as well as this someday.
Re-read several times as well. O'Brian's vast knowledge extended from sailing and naval combat to music, language, and complex human emotions. The man was a genius!
It's a fantastic series. For anyone who's read the books I also recommend C.S. forresters Hornblower series, Alexander Kent's Bolitho series and Julian Stockwin's Kydd series which are all just as good.
A brilliant movie, and incredibly accurate. The language, the youth of some of the officers, the superstition, the medicine. Russel Crowe's finest movie, and he actually learned the violin for this part. He was really playing in those scenes, not just sawing away on a silent prop.
He and Paul Bettany were taught by a world famous Australian violinist, but they didn't play the music, just mimed to it. As a violinist myself, I can say that though it was a good try it wasn't fully convincing. Though Paul Bettany *did* look like he could play, even though he began as a stranger to the instrument as well.
@@wolf310ii Oh, I don't think they were thinking of that - more just to look convincing for the movie. But apparently Russell Crowe really took it on board (sorry), practiced every day etc. And probably looks pretty good if you don't know the difference. OTOH Susan Sarandon did it quite convincingly in the Witches of Eastwick, despite only having the same few weeks to learn.
Yea, they average an 8 out of 10 or so on accuracy of naval combat at the time. To be fair though, some of them were having to REALLY nitpick to find inaccuracies. The dude who made this movie did quite a bit of research.
if only they didnt feel they had to pander to the americans by changing the nationality of the enemy ship and change the time plus that also screws up several minor points (like calling napoleon master of europe which he wasnt at the date they changed this move to be set at)
@@kmortensen9312 Ya they have such low confidence in their own people. Same as they decided to change the name of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to Sorcerer's Stone because they didn't think they would go to a movie about philosophers.
This movie is the perfect demonstration of historical authencity over accuracy. Nothing in the movie actually happened in history, none of the people, events or ships were real. All inspired by real people and ships, Captain Jack Aubry was Thomas Cochrane, the Acheon was the USS Constitution but not a 1 for 1 replication. However the technology, terminology, procedures and overall feel of the movie are as close to authentically portraying the golden age of sail as has ever been put to film. It's a lot of historians favorite movie because the people who made this movie cared so much about getting even the little things right. And despite what Ridley Scott says that's all we want from historical films, not 100% accuracy but authencity and a respect for history. Great movie and a great reaction. :)
This film is a forgotten masterpiece. It would have gotten much more attention had it not been released the same year as Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
Critical Drinker had an interview recently with Russell Crowe and they discussed this film. Crowe mentions it failed commercially for two main reasons: 1) it was an art film mistakenly marketed as swashbuckling action movie, and 2) post-production went on too long because the director is a perfectionist and it came out after Pirates of the Carribean. It's currently undergoing a resurgance as new people are discovering it; which is great to see because it's simply a brilliant film. Nearly perfect in every aspect.
One of the best book series, ever. The Aubrey-Maturin relationship and characterizations are perfection, and you get a glimpse of that in the movie. The movie is an absolute classic, so glad you watched!
Indeed. If I have any regret at all about this movie it's that we start in the middle so to speak, with their relationship already well established. Because seeing it begin, grow and blossom throughout the series is such a joy. (but that's not really a complaint about the film, more that they didn't make 20 of them :)
@@anonymes2884 Na, 20 are way to much, a second movie, maybe a third but not more, just look what happend to Pirates of the Caribbean, Rocky, Rambo or Indiana Jones.
Agreed, It's an excellent series and for anyone who likes the books I also recommend C.S Forrester's classic Hornblower series, Alexander Kent's Bolitho series and Julain Stockwin's Kydd series which are all just as good.
The Midshipmen, commonly referred to as “the middies” or “the young gentleman” were officers in training, and they were frequently very young when they signed on. They tended to be sons of captains and admirals, but also the sons or nephews of the white collar, middle class, who had the means to live comfortably, but not provide a better future for their offspring (or they just wished to be rid of them), so they would find a ship with room for another middie and send him off to sea. After a time, they would have to pass for Lieutenant, an exam of sorts, involving a board of review made up of admirals and captains, who would ask them challenging seafaring questions. Once they passed, they would become lieutenants and proper officers. Hollum was rather old for a midshipman, indicating that he had failed to pass for lieutenant, probably several times, and further indicating that he was perhaps not cut out for command. The Surprise was unique in having an actual medical doctor with a degree, something almost unheard of on a warship of the era, and really anywhere at that time, modern medicine being in its nascent stages. The books from which this movie is derived are fantastic adventure/historical military fiction. The friendship between Jack and Stephen is like another character, starting as a young Jack takes his first command, and lasting through the entirety of the Napoleonic era. The prose is very unique, almost like its own language and is said to be very historically accurate, as is the description of life at sea and fighting a ship at sea. Lots of humor as well; Jack is a bit of a cut up. If this was to be the only movie we were going to get from the books, one could ask for little better. I would have liked a sequel or three, it was certainly set up for one, but the marvel logo wouldn’t fit anywhere, so that’s all we get.
Once they passed the exam, they became passed midshipmen and had to wait until a post became available and they needed someone with influence in the navy to be promotet to lieutenant.
Paul Bettany & Russell Crowe did 2001's "A Beautiful Mind" together with Jenifer Connelly, Ed Harris, & Christopher Plummer. It's a masterpiece based on a true & incredible story. It was directed by Ron Howard who has done many fantastic films. It won 4 Oscars for best picture, best director, best writing, & best supporting actress (Connelly). Crowe was in Hollywood hot water at the time so he lost out on his Oscar even though his performance was one of the greatest ever, imo. I hope you react to it. Another Howard/Crowe masterpiece is the true story; "Cinderella Man". Please watch it as well. Thx for M&C reaction, loved it!!!
The Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower series of books were the "Star Treks" before Star Trek. Roddenberry himself described Star Trek as "Horatio Hornblower in Space."
I always liked the fact that they named the disguised ship "Syrene" (the old spelling of "Siren"). Siren, in Greek mythology, was a half bird and half woman creature who lured sailors to destruction by the sweetness of her song.
Definitely in my top 5 favorite movies of all time. The atmosphere is fantastic and so beautifully reproduced for us. So glad you enjoyed this masterpiece of a movie, Addie.
From the Internet: Boys would join the navy around the age of 12 and they would serve as a servant for one of the officers, as a volunteer, or as a seaman. After about three years, they would be promoted to midshipman. 'Young gentlemen' was also used as a synonym for midshipmen.
The real trick to portraying history is to get across that historical people were both alien to us and just like us. It's really difficult to do; I think this movie managed it. Amazing accomplishment, fantastic film.
The director of this film is called Peter Weir. He's australian. In 1975 he made a masterpiece called Picnic At Hanging Rock. It is absolutly amazing. I think you would love watching it, Addie.
Crowe and Bettany star in A Beautiful Mind, which is also worth watching. The Acheron was based on a real ship, The US Constitution. But, they didn’t want to vilify the US for the story, so the pirates had to someone else.
The boys are "Midshipmen" which were Sea - Cadets. They signed on in the navy generally with 12 / 13 years. Even younger boys were the "powdermonkeys" who went to sea with about 10 / 11 years.
When the entire film is basically a car chase, the vehicle becomes a character itself. Like most quest films which keep the viewer on the move, adding historical relevance grounds it and adds layers to the premise. The distances traveled by sea allow more opportunity for story telling than faster forms of transportation. The isolation helps keep character building at the fore.
This movie is so good, its historically accurate (not events but how things were, combat done, and life on the ship) and it has stellar cast. Its sad more of these films were never made. Only one in our family who ever made himself even slightly more known, was commanding ship of the line in the 1670's : ship was Svärdet. She was 94 gun ship of the line. Due unfortunate events just before the Battle Öland 1676, grand Lorentz Kreutz flagship Kronan capsized just after Sea battle of Öland was starting. This made Swedish navy disarray and Dutch-Danish fleet charged, leading Svärdet fighting 4 vs 1. After hours of battle, surrender order was given, but unfortunately Dutch fire ship, didn't saw surrender signal and it rammed Svärdet, detonating powder magazine. Only 51 survived out of 670 men, my great-great-great (many times over grand father, Claes Uggla) wasn't among survivors.
Officers back then started their training when they were incredibly young, like teenagers, I believe they're the equivalent of cadets at this point. officers in training. I don't know what it was like for the army, but the navy they had to get that work experience. Back then, you could buy your way in the army, buy you can't buy your way at sea. By the time they are commissioned as official naval officers, they would've had several years of work experience already under their belt.
"After all, Surprise is on our side" as they're about to attack the Acheron. HMS Surprise is the ship they're sailing, and it was formerly a French ship until it was captured by the Royal Navy, so it's a good subtle joke.
Thank you SO MUCH for reacting to this one, Addie! An underappreciated masterpiece if ever there was one, in my opinion. Eternally bummed we didn’t get more of these, bc it just happened to be released around the same time of the first Pirates Of The Caribbean movie. You could argue it was POTC that killed the swashbuckling/sailing adventure movie genre, given how it basically scared away everyone else from trying it since…
The reason Blakeney asks for help with the last stitch is because it goes through the nose. It acted as a last test for life, but it also teathered the shroud to the body so it didn't follow the ship. Nothing says "Free Boat" like a a ton of body bags floating next to your ship. As excellent as this movie is, the books are even better
Did you notice? The man the captain taught about "the lesser of 2 weevils" (I forget his name) was also the voice of Jarvis in the Iron Man movies and later Vision.
This movie was based on the Aubrey-Maturin book series by Patrick O'Brian. While the movie pulls from several of the books, it is based mainly on the Far Side of the World. This book is set during the War of 1812 with America and the HMS Surprise is actually hunting an American warship. (Based on the historical events surrounding the voyage of the USS Essex). The movie production didnt think the American movie goers would appreciate have the "enemy" be American, so they changed it to a French privateer. 😂
From the book Far Side of the World is mainly only the titel and the order and the chase of a ship into the pacific. In that book there is only one sea battle and that is "off screen".
Such a great film and I'm so glad I got to see this in theatres on a big screen. Another great film dealing with naval service at this time is "The Bounty" with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins (and it's actually I think the 2nd remake from the original, "Mutiny on the Bounty") and also based on a true story. And then there's a fantastic and, sadly, less well known one season limited series called "The Terror" which is based on a book which was based on a true story of two British ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, which were trapped in ice for years searching for the Northwest Passage. The book added a fictional horror element of a creature stalking the men but it becomes so much more than that and it's one of my favorite series ever.
Exactly because of the fictional horror element The Terror isnt a great series. As if the Franklin Expedition itself wasnt intressting enough, the autor had to include a totaly made up inuit legend with a manbearpig
@@wolf310ii - Agree to disagree. While I feel the horror element ended up being the least interesting aspect of the series as it went on, the acting and storylines on the sailors was fantastic (94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, not that that's the end-all-be-all, but still). Jared Harris and the rest of the cast were stellar.
An underrated masterpiece! And I loved your reaction. This is a great movie, but for history buffs and sailors, is something else, it's so full of beautiful and meaningful details.
So glad you checked this movie out and appreciated it as much as the rest of us. I'm hoping reaction channels like yours will grow this wonderful film's following because it definitely flew under the radar a bit when it came out. (It did win some awards but it was a LOTR release year...). The YT channel History Buffs has a good episode if you want to learn more about the film, including some history regarding the real life captain that Captain Jack is based on.
I love that they show the grief over their losses. To use a quote from the same Era by Wellington "Believe me, nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won."
The crew won't still think Hollom was a jonah because the wind came back right after Jack asked god and Hollom's spirit for forgiveness. The wind comes back after Jack has apologised for their treatment of him, suggesting that the calm was god punishing them for their ill treatment of their shipmate.
Watching this movie at the theaters was absolutly magical. One of my top best film exoeriences of my life. The director, Peter Weir, has made a lot of greatvmovies in his career. Sadly he stopped making movies in the 2000s and never made a movie again.
Keep in mind, Valparaiso is in Chile. They will reclaim the Acheron because Captain Pullings isn't a pushover and they are missing a main mast. "Fish in a barrel." Chile is still on the Pacific side of Cape Horn. They will have time to explore the Galapagos.
Winston Churchill was an Admiralty lord. His favorite movie was That Hamilton Woman, with Laurence Olivier as Horatio Nelson and Vivien Leigh as Emma Hamilton.
The few POV shots from the enemy ship were ingenious. There are so many horror films that do that and the effect is very similar. It’s the killer in the shadows, horrors in the fog, hungry creatures under the surface.
One of my Top 5 films if not the top one, In the book the Acheron is an American Ship. Hollywood changed it to French so as not to alienate American audiences. One of the best series of books ever written, Patrick O'Brians works are regarded by many as Literature as opposed to Fiction.
4:13 that’s where “cabin boy” comes from. Sailing is dangerous and it’s important that enlisted men and officers receive training from an early age so that they are skilled and competent when they come of age to be regular crew.
@@ComeOnIsSuchAJoy - It's a pretty darn good movie, I'd wager. As far as the Ron Howard/Russel Crowe films, I like Cinderella Man a bit more, though strictly speaking it's not fair to compare.
I read somewhere that 12 was the low age limit for boys to enlist. Horatio Nelson did not recommend it. The frigates were perfect vessels for their purpose, intelligence, logistics, and piracy, light enough to be fast, and heavy enough for carrying artillery. They often siled alone and a lot of responsibility was put on their captains. Only the very best officers and crews served on them. It was dangerous work, but quite profitable. All loot stayed onboard and was distributed around the crew. Many were the captains who refused promotion, they preferred to stay on their frigate and become millionaires. With old age, they went ashore and invested their wealth, becoming captains of industry instead.
The lesser of two weevils scene is hugely significent: the doctor who isn't all that big on naval discipline is arguing that power always corrupts, causing a bit of tension among the officers. The captain then, through the weevil joke, points out that leaders having absolute power may not be perfect, but it is better than the alternative: anarchy, and at the same time releaving the tension through a play on words. On the surface its a silly word joke but underneath there is the whole central theme of the movie.
The Children as you see are Midshipmen, Officers in training, Sons of wealthy Englishmen. This smallest, The one that lost his arm was Lord Blakeney. He would have been an earl but his father had died so he being the oldest son is now a Lord. Even though he is maybe 11 years old. All the guys in the tall hats are midshipmen. Considered officers and the common sailors are subordinate to them. The one that was whipped. Nagel was his name. He was a Carpenter's Mate. The one that was in the Lord of the Rings was Bondin. He was Boatswain's (Bozen's) mate, Helm'sman. The stout blond middleaged man was Mr. Allen The Sailing Master or Pilot. This took place just before the war of 1812. There was a ship built like the Acharon. that the cannon at the time could not penetrate It was Yankee Built in Boston just like Wally had said. It was made from what was called Swamp Oak. Oak trees that grow in wetlands grow a denser wood, Heavier. and harder. The U.S.S. Constitution that came to be called Old Ironsides was the ship the Acheron was based on the wood that the constitution was built from came from Louisiana Bayou country. It was built like a rock in so much that The U.S.S. Constitution is Still a float and is classified an active ship of the line. This was what naval warfare looked like at the beginning of the 19th century. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. ... ... Author Edward F Imhoff. Look for me on Amazon. . .
Many midshipman were Sons of Wealthy Lords, but so too were many of them Sons and orphans of commoners. The Royal Navy was the one British Military Service (and frankly the only one in the world at the time) where one could not simply Buy their Officer Commissions. Wealthy Nobel or Common Fisherman’s son, you had to Earn your way. Some of the most skilled and notable Captains and Admirals came from Humble beginnings.
If Blakeney was the eldest son of an Earl, and his father died, then he would inherit the title regardless of age. The term "Lord" can be used to refer to any Peer regardless of rank, it was also used as a courtesy title for the eldest son of Peer while his father still lived. So if he was being introduced to someone, after his father had died, he might be introduced as, Lord Blakeney, the Earl of Somesuch, (whatever the name of the earldom was). Lord Thomas Cochrane (on whom the character of Jack Aubrey was based) was the eldest son of the 10th Earl Dundonald, in the Scottish Peerage. He eventually inherited the title becoming the 11th Earl Dundonald.
Anyone wanting to know a little more history and of the real life sailor who was the inspiration for Jack Aubry should read up on Thomas Cochrane - a British nobleman and Admiral in the Royal Navy. And the Chilean Navy. And the Imperial Brazilian Navy. And the Hellenic (Greek) Navy. He was the colorful "think outside the box" sort, too. On being convicted (proably wrongly) of some sort of financial impropriety, he escaped Britain and went to South America to involve himself in some wars of independence there, and was later reinstated into the Royal Navy.
Little MCU trivia. You have both versions of Jarvis here. Paul Bethany was the AI version, and the actor who gets promoted at the end is the actual butler for Howard Stark.
I was so happy to see you notice that Lord Horatio Nelson was missing an arm. Lord Nelson is the closest thing to a navy god as it gets for the Brits (rightly so) and he also suffered many other injuries in his service including going blind in one eye. The arm was actually fairly early in his career.
The finest film of war at sea ever made, and one of my Top Ten movies of any kind. 100% believable, 100% fascinating. Yes- Crowe and Bettany were in "Beautiful Mind." A great, natural pairing of two brilliant actors.
Fun fact, this story is actually supposed to be about a British captain fighting an American frigate during the War of 1812, but they didn't think American audiences would like it (though I think they're wrong).
Yeah, I feel like US film and TV producers generally underestimate the intelligence of the American audience moreso than other nations. Maybe because the US population is so large they feel they need to dumb down their content more to have wider appeal, but I think they're wrong too.
Brilliant film. Great interaction between the cast, some fabby performances and the action sequences were seriously, brutally realistic. This is where the expression 'shiver my timbers' originated. When a cannonball struck a wooden ship, the lethally sharp pieces of splintered timber were referred to as'shivers' of wood. On a lighter note, I always enjoy the 'Weevil' gag! I've seen this film a few times and I'm giggling like a loon before Russell Crowe even says the punchline😂. Thanks for another great reaction,Addie😀👍
One of my favourites of all time. Such well made movie. Great historic adventure feels, but also created are real feeling of the details and everyday living in a ship like that. Great performances all around.
This is one of my favorite movies. The context is historical but the story is completely fictional. Nevertheless, the shots, the acting, the photography and the recreation of that era is so good.
When Jack received the French captain's sword, that's an acknowledgement of defeat, surrendering your sword meant you accepted defeat, and placed yourself in the hands of the victorious captain..... In fact, when making Pullings the captain of the French ship, Jack actually says that they will "parole the prisoners" in Valparaiso, meaning they will probably hand them over to the French, or at least release them on parole......that handing over of the sword also meant that at that moment, there were not going to be any more "tricks"...
The "maybe teenagers" are midshipmen -- apprentice officers. Yep, that's how young they started. It took a lot of time to learn to navigate and command ships, and there weren't academies like West Point and Annapolis and Sandhurst back then.
This movie is amazing. There is only one thing that breaks the spell for me: There is no way, absolutely no way, that they could disguise a war ship as a whaler by painting it and making smoke. Sailors can recognice the silhouette, not only of different types of ships, but of individual ships too. It is something that comes natural if you spend time at sea, but the navies also had catalogs of friendly and enemy ships, to keep on board, so that they could identify them at long distance. If you see a ship, especially in a remote place, the first response would be to try to identify it. You would go get your reference catalogue, if needed, but in this case, it is so obviously a warship, and one that they have met before, and know is in these waters. The French would have recognized them instantly.
In the Age of Sail, it was common for Lords to purchase commissions for their younger sons (generally not the heirs) in the Army and Navy, so that they could have a promising career, and if they ever DID inherit, they'd know how to lead men. Pre-teen boys and on would serve as junior officers, such as Lord Blakeney here. During a naval battle in this time, the longboats would be let out on tethers with ship's supplies in them, to reduce the chance of losing those supplies to enemy fire, and also to reduce the chance of splinters from the boats being shot. Splintering was one of the most dangerous things on board a combat sailing ship, as you can clearly see. What many now don't know is that the Ship's Carpenter was essentially the Chief Engineer, supervising repairs and maintaining the hull and rigging. Many had the expertise of master shipwrights, and some went to work as such at the dockyards after their tours were over. Carpenter's Mates were the engineering crew, like the men helping Mr. Lamb to plug the holes in the hull during their first battle in the film. Crafting new pulleys, capstans, and even new masts were all done aboard ship in order to avoid having to port whenever they took damage.
You could not purchase a commission in the Royal Navy, as you could in the Army. Even with the class system, a ship was too important and too expensive to be commanded by amateurs or by those who did not exhibit competence. The Navy even had to let commoners rise to key positions.
You are so sweet Addie! Thank you again for these movie reactions. Master and Commander is a brilliant period film that accurately portrays naval warfare during the Age of Sail. It’s such a shame we didn’t get more of these films because it’s based on the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O’Brian. I consider this film an underrated gem. It was actually quite common for ensigns and midshipmen to be that young in the 1800s. They are “apprentices” undergoing naval training. (28:49) Captain Aubrey wasn’t wounded. He caught the French sailor in time just as the dagger was pressed up against his side. The blood on Aubrey’s shirt wasn’t his. It was from the intense battle aboard the Acheron. They mentioned Lord Horatio Nelson several times in this film. He was renowned for his leadership, and brilliant strategic mind. He is best remembered for leading the British Fleet to victory over the combined fleets of the French and Spanish navies during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Even today Lord Nelson is hailed as a national hero in Great Britain. I’m not sure if you notice, but the ships doctor, Stephen Maturin, was played by Paul Bettany. He’s the same actor who played Vision in the Avenger films.
The long title of the movie is due to the combination of two of Patrick O'Brian's 21 Aubrey / Maturin novels. Even more ridiculous is the fact they used the entire title as the web url to promote the movie.
You can tour the ship that was used in the film, HMS Surprise, it's in San Diego. The ship used is a replica of the actual ship that fought through all of that, the British Frigate HMS Rose. I've toured the ship and it's pretty f*cking cool. It is the ship used to make the film. There are some really good documentaries on the making of the film, also very cool.
"He fights like you, Jack". Pretty clever disguising yourself as the ships doctor. That way you could rally the original crew to overthrow those from the Surprize.
Didn't read the book, but have read many military books of the era. Wish there were a sizeable audience for more well-crafted historical dramas like Master and Commander.
The book has very little to do with this movie.. this movie is actually mostly taken from the first book.. in far side of the world surprise never catches the AMERICAN ship its chasing and it turns out that the american ended up destroying itself on a reef so there was never a climactic finish to the book like in the movie.. the most climactic event in the book was probably when the doctor falls out of the windows of the great cabin and is picked up by a tribe of all female native polynesians and his future looks quite uncertain till surprise finally finds him after several days (or weeks dont remember) :D
@@kmortensen9312 yeah, Jack dives out the window after him and they are both picked up by the all female crew. Both are in some danger of castration and/or death then, after a day or two, are rescued by Surprise. For the OP @eschiedler I recommend picking up the 3rd book, HMS Surprise, for an exciting novel to see if you like the writing style.
That part of the oceans between Tierra Del Fuego and Antarctica is one of the most dangerous places to navigate on Earth. That is why the straits of Magellan are so opportune to come across. That is also why it was profitable to dig the Panama canal.
Naval historians love this movie; it comes as close to how historians agree life on board of early 19th century navy vessels was. Yes, the youngest crew members were indeed that young (12-14 y/o). You were afraid they would eat the weevils - their larvae anyway. I do not know about the officers that had some finer food than the crew, but the crew were mandated to eat them when found in their ship's biscuits; after some time it was often the only source of animal protein available for the men and important to remain healthy. Plucking them out and throwing them away in stead of eating them was a flogging offense.
i actually have had 3 stick insects hang out by my front door, don't know why they like it there, but they are so cool and move their long legs wildly when moving.
There are certain movies that were shot in the Super 35 film format and sometimes, the full screen version may open up to reveal more picture at the top and bottom of the frame. The results may vary based on how much of the original Super 35 image was protected. That's why I often watch both versions, but in general, I still prefer the widescreen version.
"This movie is so well made." Best warfare movie of that era hands down, there were three planned but this one didn't do great at the box office so the others were cancelled. I think they are working on a sequel or prequel right now though.
Although not historically accurate, you would LOVE “A Knights Tale” with legend Heath Ledger. RIP King 🤴 Knights tale has a killer soundtrack (70s rock in 14th century medieval jousting? Yes,please 😁) and great cast (Heath ledger, mark addy, ALAN TUDYK), and wholesome rags to riches story making your own destiny just a great film you’d love it. Even if you don’t watch it for the channel and just watch it your own it’s a great movie right up there with princess bride
Forever disappointed we didn't get more of these. Amazing production, casting and acting. The movie adapted elements of three of the 20 novels in the series so they still had plenty of material to work with.
Lord of the rings came out around the same time so that’s why. But yeah, HUUUGE missed opportunity 😭
@@neptunusrex5195 Yeah, it was the same year as Return of the King. But also the first Pirates of the Caribbean came out that summer and was a wild success so I guess people favored the "fun supernatural" sailing film over the more historically accurate one😅
@@elliotadams3402Crowe was all in this. Doubt he'd be the star in the prequel. Plus hwood is a decrepit husk of what it was back in those days. Long story short the ship has sailed
Didn't even know it was a book series.
I am thankful that the movie led me to these fantastic books.
2:08 First they see the light. Then they hear the sound. Then they get hit by the cannonballs.
I love when movies respect physics.
Have you ever seen the series "The English"?
There is a really good scene in there where the velocity difference between sound, light, and bullets, plays a major factor.
Addie is the only reactor I've seen who picks up on Nelson's empty sleeve in the book illustration and why, as a gift, that book is doubly significant for Blakeny.
It's a nice little touch.
Noticed it too.
Well, don't I feel like the idiot. I've watched movie several times, and seen countless reactions to it, but I never noticed the empty sleeve. o.O Nice one. :)
@@phj223 Same, this is possibly my favorite movie of all time and I never noticed until she mentioned it
No doubt about it, Addie is the best.
Nelson is historically famous for being a one armed naval hero for the UK.
This is the greatest Age of Sail movie that has been filmed. It feels like they really work and live on the ship, and it is almost like a character in the film. And also just a wonderful skillfully made movie in every way. :)
This is why the Original Series Star Trek show and films did so well, they captured this same feeling, only in a space navy :P The ship was very much a character in itself, and the calculating chess moves of combat, maneuvering to get a favorable position to do the most damage or to escape (such as in Wrath of Khan) were very naval in their execution. I kind of wish that modern Star Trek had kept to this instead of going all BSG on us :/
Another great one was Damn the Defiant! (1962 ) with Alec Guinness.
And Gregory Peck in Captain Horatio Hornblower
Being a tall ship sailor myself, I marvel at the accuracy. Every command, every maneuver - perfection.
@@thomasklausen4596 It helps when you film on the genuine article! Can't help but get it right in such an environment
Naval service back then, some 200+ years ago, was unimaginable compared to what how we live now. Yes, children served in the Navy, trainee Officers (midshipmen), from the right families, considered 'gentlemen'. They were usually teenagers, so from 13 upwards but some were as young as 10 or 11.
Then there were also 'powder monkeys', boys aged about 12-14, usually small in stature, whose job it was to deliver gunpowder to the cannons and their crews. Being small they could more easily more around the small confines of the ship. They usually came from poor families, working class.
There are so many phrases or sayings that originate from the Navy, and also from Naval law. 'Tell tale signs', 'Pipe down', 'batten down the hatches', 'three sheets to the wind'. 'over a barrel', 'to show one's true colours', 'push the boat out', and so on.
They really brushed past the term Pressed in that part of the video.
As I'm sure you know, no small number of sailors were involuntarily physically rounded up and marched straight into the Navy.
@@BubbaCoop yep, well remembered. The press gangs, when voluntary recruitment wasn't sufficient. Legend has it that one method was to drop a shilling in a tankard of someone unsuspecting in a tavern, and if they drank, it was claimed that they had 'accepted the King's shilling' and thus accepted to join the Navy. I have in my time seen pewter tankards with a glass bottom, the whole point being able to see through the contents to the bottom and evade this approach.
The leading cause of the Warbof 1812 was that the Royal Navy would press Americans out of American ships. If the sailor was born before the end of the American Revolution, the Royal Navy considered them British subjects and eligible to be pressed into naval service.
@@BubbaCoop Pressing is just another word for conscription, it was no different to the US forcing citizens to fight in the Vietnam War.
@@StuSaville Press ganging, conscription, the draft; different terms for the same thing.
This film *almost* won a ton of Academy Awards. It was nominated for 10 or so because of how brilliantly it was executed: costume, cinematography, sound editing, adapted screenplay, directing, etc. Just brilliant. The reason it didn't win everything? It was up against Return of the King.
While the movie is entirely fictional, it was historically accurate. And more than that, the captain was based on the real-life captain Thomas, Lord Cochrane, who the French called "The Sea Wolf", and who they probably couldn't make a movie about because his exploits were too unbelievable. (His reputation was so great that he once sailed into a harbor in disguise, to do reconnaissance, but when the people in the harbor recognized who he was, they just surrendered the entire city to him. On another occasion he captured seven fortifications and a city in one night, with only two ships of his own.)
Those were nothing. He went back for the dog...
@@MrBendylaw Oh yeah, I forgot about that one. Piloted a fireship full of explosives toward an enemy position, lit the fuse and dove off... only to realize the crew's pet dog was on the boat, so he boarded it again to rescue the dog even though it could explode at any moment. Grabbed the dog and got off again just in time.
@@UnclePengy Thomas Cochrane never had one second of concern about disobedience or mutiny I guess. He was terrifying in his fearlessness. In very rare company with Nelson, Yi Sun-Sin, and a few others...
@@UnclePengy What the hell was the dog doing on the fireship in the first place??!
The music in the scene in the Captain's cabin with cello and violin is “Musica Notturna delle Strade di Madrid”. (Night Music from the Streets of Madrid) by Luigi Boccherini circa 1790-1800.
And a masterpiece it is.
“Oh, and William? Beat to Quarters. “
@@gawainethefirst Aye sir.
34:38 - Yes, the officer class starts at the bottom with Midshipmen who, at this time, typically started at around age 12 or 13. A really important point in this movie is that Mr. Hollom (who committed suicide) coming up on 30 years old was very old indeed for a Midshipman. Usually they would have taken and passed their examination for Lieutenant long before then, so it's a key part of his character that he is still stuck in the bottom rank, unable to find the confidence in himself necessary to lead when, by contrast, young Mr. Blakeney at maybe 13 years old, even with only one arm, was swinging into the lower decks of the Acheron, pistol blazing and sword swinging - hollering orderers to a rabble of hardened, salty sea dogs twice his age. It was a different time.
Yeah, being the second son sucked a big one.😅
@poolhall9632 Haven’t read the books yet, but from what I can gather Blakeney is a first son. He’s “Lord Blakeney”, he’s only addressed as “mister” due to naval custom of officers below captain or commander being addressed simply as mister. If he were a younger son of a lord, he’d simply be “The Honourable William Blakeney”. But he is “Lord Blakeney”
@@konstantinosnikolakakis8125 fair point - it was common for second sons to have to "make their fortune" which often times meant a career at sea or the army.
Midshipmen could be even younger in fact, with Lord Nelson having started his naval career at the grand age of about *9* years old
@@weldonwin No, Nelson went to grammar school until 12 and joined the Navy at age 13. Young lords were always educated - they needed to be able to read and calculate to navigate at sea. The officer class needed that critical early education.
I live and breathe for people reacting to this on TH-cam.
This is one of the most underrated films of its time, and had it not been for other blockbuster movies that year I think it could've won some awards.
Stellar cast, amazing cinematography, beautiful world building... just stunning.
The music soundtrack is to be greatly admired as well!!! Music contemporary with the setting of the movie: very early 19th century.
They did win an Oscar for best sound.
"Return of the king" won everything else that year.
@@JH-lo9ut yeah - kinda hard to beat the One Ring. But you're absolutely right. The Foley on this movie is legendary. The flying chunks of wood, The creaking of the boat the environment - all there.
@@artbagley1406 Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis is an exception - written in 1910.
Even so, it fits perfectly into a film that does not put a foot wrong. Visuals, plot, dialogue, maritime detail in hardware and language - all is as close to perfection as any film has ever been.
@@kumasenlac5504 Many thanks for the education, ...5504! I never took the time to look up the genesis of each piece, but relied on what may have been hearsay speculation. Do you have a degree in classical music or some such "attachment" that brought you the awareness?
Director Peter Weir has 6 Oscar nominations. "Witness", "The Year of Living Dangerously" and "Gallipoli" are well worth a watch.
Not to mention "Dead Poets Society" and "The Truman Show." "Picnic at Hanging Rock," "The Last Wave," "The Mosquito Coast," and "The Way Back" are also all particularly underrated.
He's an absolute stickler for accuracy as well. Love his movies.
The cutting loose of the sail and the funeral at sea are two of the best, and cruelest, uses of Vaughan-Williams's Thomas Tallis Fantasia. Gets me every time.
Me too :
One of the most atmospheric performances
th-cam.com/video/ihx5LCF1yJY/w-d-xo.html
Since others have shared knowledge about what constitutes midshipmen, I'll talk about Points on a compass. At that time, the compass wasn't divided into 360 degrees. It had 64 Points, each point having its own name. So when the captain gives a course heading of "southeast by east", he's naming a specific point name. And "two points off the starboard bow" also references these measurements.
Naming the full circuit of 64 Points in order is called "boxing the compass".
- and if anyone who's taken sailing classes wonders why red and green lanterns cover that awkard angle - 112.5 degrees - why, that's because that's the angle between dead ahead and two points abaft the beam.
@@thomasklausen4596 And for anyone how wonders where "red light districs" come from, ships docked traditionally on their port side (ladderboard->larboard->port side), where the red lantern iluminated the docks, where of course where pubs and brothels for the seamen.
Some interesting insights for you Addie . It was common for young boys to join the navy as despite being dangerous and tough it was often better than home. You were fed reasonably well and educated to a certain degree. Also rich families could only enlist (for example Lord Blackeney) at Midshipman rank, and earn promotion via skill and leadership. In the British army at that time you could buy a commission and start as a Lieutenant or even a Captain if you had the money, in the navy you had to earn it. Also Midshipmen were encouraged to keep a log so Blakeneys notebook is accurate. If you go to the Navy museums at Portsmouth of Chatham there are many of these on display. Great reaction to one of my favorite movies!
The Aubrey/Maturin novels the movie is based on are all immensely fun to read. Aubrey and Maturin are both much more complex figures than they are in the movies: Aubrey has been described as "a lion at sea and an ass on land," while Maturin in addition to being a doctor and a naturalist is also an intelligence agent and a drug addict. Both have complicated romantic and financial affairs on land, and in the course of the novels they range literally all over the Earth. Get these books! Run, don't walk...
A wonderful movie. The books, however, are unbelivably good. The Author Patrick O'Brien was truly a literary genius, I have personally read all 21 of his books many, many times each.
A shame that literally EVERYONE doesn't read them.
I re-read the whole series every few years, currently on Desolation Island. This movie, despite being a mix of a bunch of the books was brilliant from start to finish. I'd love to see the entire book series done as well as this someday.
Re-read several times as well. O'Brian's vast knowledge extended from sailing and naval combat to music, language, and complex human emotions.
The man was a genius!
@@captwrecked That's funny, I litterally have that book sitting on the table next to my laptop right now.
It's a fantastic series. For anyone who's read the books I also recommend C.S. forresters Hornblower series, Alexander Kent's Bolitho series and Julian Stockwin's Kydd series which are all just as good.
A brilliant movie, and incredibly accurate. The language, the youth of some of the officers, the superstition, the medicine.
Russel Crowe's finest movie, and he actually learned the violin for this part. He was really playing in those scenes, not just sawing away on a silent prop.
He and Paul Bettany were taught by a world famous Australian violinist, but they didn't play the music, just mimed to it. As a violinist myself, I can say that though it was a good try it wasn't fully convincing. Though Paul Bettany *did* look like he could play, even though he began as a stranger to the instrument as well.
@@stevenlowe3026 Its always baffeling that people think someone could learn to play violin/cello and Boccherini perfectly in just a few weeks
@@wolf310ii Oh, I don't think they were thinking of that - more just to look convincing for the movie. But apparently Russell Crowe really took it on board (sorry), practiced every day etc. And probably looks pretty good if you don't know the difference. OTOH Susan Sarandon did it quite convincingly in the Witches of Eastwick, despite only having the same few weeks to learn.
@@stevenlowe3026 Oh i dont mean the producer i mean all the "Crow is really playing the violin" coments
@@wolf310ii Ah, yes.
I follow several historians here on youtube, and a common theme is they praise this Movie of how true it is to being on a Ship at that time.
Yea, they average an 8 out of 10 or so on accuracy of naval combat at the time. To be fair though, some of them were having to REALLY nitpick to find inaccuracies. The dude who made this movie did quite a bit of research.
if only they didnt feel they had to pander to the americans by changing the nationality of the enemy ship and change the time plus that also screws up several minor points (like calling napoleon master of europe which he wasnt at the date they changed this move to be set at)
@@kmortensen9312 Ya they have such low confidence in their own people. Same as they decided to change the name of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to Sorcerer's Stone because they didn't think they would go to a movie about philosophers.
@@ronweber1402 true that xD its both funny and sad
This movie is the perfect demonstration of historical authencity over accuracy. Nothing in the movie actually happened in history, none of the people, events or ships were real. All inspired by real people and ships, Captain Jack Aubry was Thomas Cochrane, the Acheon was the USS Constitution but not a 1 for 1 replication. However the technology, terminology, procedures and overall feel of the movie are as close to authentically portraying the golden age of sail as has ever been put to film. It's a lot of historians favorite movie because the people who made this movie cared so much about getting even the little things right. And despite what Ridley Scott says that's all we want from historical films, not 100% accuracy but authencity and a respect for history. Great movie and a great reaction. :)
I always crack up at the weevil joke. It's terrible and hilarious and I love it 😂
In the book, Higgins is the dentist, not a surgeon. Steven is the one who recruits him on the voyage.
This film is a forgotten masterpiece. It would have gotten much more attention had it not been released the same year as Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
Critical Drinker had an interview recently with Russell Crowe and they discussed this film. Crowe mentions it failed commercially for two main reasons: 1) it was an art film mistakenly marketed as swashbuckling action movie, and 2) post-production went on too long because the director is a perfectionist and it came out after Pirates of the Carribean. It's currently undergoing a resurgance as new people are discovering it; which is great to see because it's simply a brilliant film. Nearly perfect in every aspect.
One of the best book series, ever. The Aubrey-Maturin relationship and characterizations are perfection, and you get a glimpse of that in the movie. The movie is an absolute classic, so glad you watched!
It's my favorite book series!
Indeed. If I have any regret at all about this movie it's that we start in the middle so to speak, with their relationship already well established. Because seeing it begin, grow and blossom throughout the series is such a joy.
(but that's not really a complaint about the film, more that they didn't make 20 of them :)
@@anonymes2884 Na, 20 are way to much, a second movie, maybe a third but not more, just look what happend to Pirates of the Caribbean, Rocky, Rambo or Indiana Jones.
Agreed, It's an excellent series and for anyone who likes the books I also recommend C.S Forrester's classic Hornblower series, Alexander Kent's Bolitho series and Julain Stockwin's Kydd series which are all just as good.
Paul Bettany and Russel Crowe were also co-stars in A Beautiful Mind, which is another excellent movie. Definitely would recommend it.
The Midshipmen, commonly referred to as “the middies” or “the young gentleman” were officers in training, and they were frequently very young when they signed on. They tended to be sons of captains and admirals, but also the sons or nephews of the white collar, middle class, who had the means to live comfortably, but not provide a better future for their offspring (or they just wished to be rid of them), so they would find a ship with room for another middie and send him off to sea. After a time, they would have to pass for Lieutenant, an exam of sorts, involving a board of review made up of admirals and captains, who would ask them challenging seafaring questions. Once they passed, they would become lieutenants and proper officers. Hollum was rather old for a midshipman, indicating that he had failed to pass for lieutenant, probably several times, and further indicating that he was perhaps not cut out for command.
The Surprise was unique in having an actual medical doctor with a degree, something almost unheard of on a warship of the era, and really anywhere at that time, modern medicine being in its nascent stages.
The books from which this movie is derived are fantastic adventure/historical military fiction. The friendship between Jack and Stephen is like another character, starting as a young Jack takes his first command, and lasting through the entirety of the Napoleonic era. The prose is very unique, almost like its own language and is said to be very historically accurate, as is the description of life at sea and fighting a ship at sea. Lots of humor as well; Jack is a bit of a cut up.
If this was to be the only movie we were going to get from the books, one could ask for little better. I would have liked a sequel or three, it was certainly set up for one, but the marvel logo wouldn’t fit anywhere, so that’s all we get.
Once they passed the exam, they became passed midshipmen and had to wait until a post became available and they needed someone with influence in the navy to be promotet to lieutenant.
Paul Bettany & Russell Crowe did 2001's "A Beautiful Mind" together with Jenifer Connelly, Ed Harris, & Christopher Plummer. It's a masterpiece based on a true & incredible story. It was directed by Ron Howard who has done many fantastic films. It won 4 Oscars for best picture, best director, best writing, & best supporting actress (Connelly). Crowe was in Hollywood hot water at the time so he lost out on his Oscar even though his performance was one of the greatest ever, imo. I hope you react to it. Another Howard/Crowe masterpiece is the true story; "Cinderella Man". Please watch it as well. Thx for M&C reaction, loved it!!!
I liked the little nod to Gladiator when they set the framing on the Doctor being carried similar to the one with Maximus.
#ABeautifulMindForAddieCounts
The Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower series of books were the "Star Treks" before Star Trek. Roddenberry himself described Star Trek as "Horatio Hornblower in Space."
I always liked the fact that they named the disguised ship "Syrene" (the old spelling of "Siren"). Siren, in Greek mythology, was a half bird and half woman creature who lured sailors to destruction by the sweetness of her song.
Definitely in my top 5 favorite movies of all time. The atmosphere is fantastic and so beautifully reproduced for us. So glad you enjoyed this masterpiece of a movie, Addie.
From the Internet: Boys would join the navy around the age of 12 and they would serve as a servant for one of the officers, as a volunteer, or as a seaman. After about three years, they would be promoted to midshipman. 'Young gentlemen' was also used as a synonym for midshipmen.
The real trick to portraying history is to get across that historical people were both alien to us and just like us. It's really difficult to do; I think this movie managed it. Amazing accomplishment, fantastic film.
"How young were some young of these boys?"
For reference, American Admiral Farragut "damn the torpedoes full speed ahead", went to sea at age eleven.
The director of this film is called Peter Weir. He's australian. In 1975 he made a masterpiece called Picnic At Hanging Rock. It is absolutly amazing. I think you would love watching it, Addie.
One of the greatest movies of ALL TIME! Thank you Addie for finally watching this.
Crowe and Bettany star in A Beautiful Mind, which is also worth watching. The Acheron was based on a real ship, The US Constitution. But, they didn’t want to vilify the US for the story, so the pirates had to someone else.
The boys are "Midshipmen" which were Sea - Cadets. They signed on in the navy generally with 12 / 13 years. Even younger boys were the "powdermonkeys" who went to sea with about 10 / 11 years.
When the entire film is basically a car chase, the vehicle becomes a character itself. Like most quest films which keep the viewer on the move, adding historical relevance grounds it and adds layers to the premise. The distances traveled by sea allow more opportunity for story telling than faster forms of transportation. The isolation helps keep character building at the fore.
This movie is so good, its historically accurate (not events but how things were, combat done, and life on the ship) and it has stellar cast. Its sad more of these films were never made.
Only one in our family who ever made himself even slightly more known, was commanding ship of the line in the 1670's : ship was Svärdet. She was 94 gun ship of the line. Due unfortunate events just before the Battle Öland 1676, grand Lorentz Kreutz flagship Kronan capsized just after Sea battle of Öland was starting. This made Swedish navy disarray and Dutch-Danish fleet charged, leading Svärdet fighting 4 vs 1. After hours of battle, surrender order was given, but unfortunately Dutch fire ship, didn't saw surrender signal and it rammed Svärdet, detonating powder magazine. Only 51 survived out of 670 men, my great-great-great (many times over grand father, Claes Uggla) wasn't among survivors.
I love this movie. Especially the ending, even if we never got a series out of it. And that "No sirs" " Aye, sir" bit is the most accurate thing ever.
"Stop apologising"
"Sorry"
Probably the most accurate film about naval warfare in that period.
Officers back then started their training when they were incredibly young, like teenagers, I believe they're the equivalent of cadets at this point. officers in training. I don't know what it was like for the army, but the navy they had to get that work experience. Back then, you could buy your way in the army, buy you can't buy your way at sea. By the time they are commissioned as official naval officers, they would've had several years of work experience already under their belt.
There is so much to this film. Great history, action, beautiful photography and timeless themes of friendship, leadership and fellowship.
"After all, Surprise is on our side" as they're about to attack the Acheron. HMS Surprise is the ship they're sailing, and it was formerly a French ship until it was captured by the Royal Navy, so it's a good subtle joke.
Thank you SO MUCH for reacting to this one, Addie! An underappreciated masterpiece if ever there was one, in my opinion. Eternally bummed we didn’t get more of these, bc it just happened to be released around the same time of the first Pirates Of The Caribbean movie. You could argue it was POTC that killed the swashbuckling/sailing adventure movie genre, given how it basically scared away everyone else from trying it since…
It really deserved a sequel
Indeed. The only negative thing about Jackson's Lord of the Rings was it took all the spotlight, leaving none for this film.
It's getting a prequel
The reason Blakeney asks for help with the last stitch is because it goes through the nose. It acted as a last test for life, but it also teathered the shroud to the body so it didn't follow the ship. Nothing says "Free Boat" like a a ton of body bags floating next to your ship. As excellent as this movie is, the books are even better
Did you notice? The man the captain taught about "the lesser of 2 weevils" (I forget his name) was also the voice of Jarvis in the Iron Man movies and later Vision.
This movie was based on the Aubrey-Maturin book series by Patrick O'Brian. While the movie pulls from several of the books, it is based mainly on the Far Side of the World.
This book is set during the War of 1812 with America and the HMS Surprise is actually hunting an American warship. (Based on the historical events surrounding the voyage of the USS Essex).
The movie production didnt think the American movie goers would appreciate have the "enemy" be American, so they changed it to a French privateer. 😂
From the book Far Side of the World is mainly only the titel and the order and the chase of a ship into the pacific. In that book there is only one sea battle and that is "off screen".
It had to end that way. In reality, Charles Darwin described the flightless cormorants when he visited on the Beagle a few decades after this was set.
Such a great film and I'm so glad I got to see this in theatres on a big screen. Another great film dealing with naval service at this time is "The Bounty" with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins (and it's actually I think the 2nd remake from the original, "Mutiny on the Bounty") and also based on a true story. And then there's a fantastic and, sadly, less well known one season limited series called "The Terror" which is based on a book which was based on a true story of two British ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, which were trapped in ice for years searching for the Northwest Passage. The book added a fictional horror element of a creature stalking the men but it becomes so much more than that and it's one of my favorite series ever.
Exactly because of the fictional horror element The Terror isnt a great series. As if the Franklin Expedition itself wasnt intressting enough, the autor had to include a totaly made up inuit legend with a manbearpig
@@wolf310ii - Agree to disagree. While I feel the horror element ended up being the least interesting aspect of the series as it went on, the acting and storylines on the sailors was fantastic (94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, not that that's the end-all-be-all, but still). Jared Harris and the rest of the cast were stellar.
An underrated masterpiece! And I loved your reaction. This is a great movie, but for history buffs and sailors, is something else, it's so full of beautiful and meaningful details.
So glad you checked this movie out and appreciated it as much as the rest of us. I'm hoping reaction channels like yours will grow this wonderful film's following because it definitely flew under the radar a bit when it came out. (It did win some awards but it was a LOTR release year...). The YT channel History Buffs has a good episode if you want to learn more about the film, including some history regarding the real life captain that Captain Jack is based on.
I love that they show the grief over their losses. To use a quote from the same Era by Wellington "Believe me, nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won."
The crew won't still think Hollom was a jonah because the wind came back right after Jack asked god and Hollom's spirit for forgiveness. The wind comes back after Jack has apologised for their treatment of him, suggesting that the calm was god punishing them for their ill treatment of their shipmate.
Isn't it based on a novel in which Americans are the adversaries? In the 1812 War. Changed partly for the benefit of American audiences.
Nelson lost an eye and an arm in service to the Crown. He remains Britain's greatest naval hero.
Watching this movie at the theaters was absolutly magical. One of my top best film exoeriences of my life. The director, Peter Weir, has made a lot of greatvmovies in his career. Sadly he stopped making movies in the 2000s and never made a movie again.
Keep in mind, Valparaiso is in Chile. They will reclaim the Acheron because Captain Pullings isn't a pushover and they are missing a main mast. "Fish in a barrel."
Chile is still on the Pacific side of Cape Horn. They will have time to explore the Galapagos.
Winston Churchill was an Admiralty lord. His favorite movie was That Hamilton Woman, with Laurence Olivier as Horatio Nelson and Vivien Leigh as Emma Hamilton.
The few POV shots from the enemy ship were ingenious. There are so many horror films that do that and the effect is very similar. It’s the killer in the shadows, horrors in the fog, hungry creatures under the surface.
One of my Top 5 films if not the top one, In the book the Acheron is an American Ship. Hollywood changed it to French so as not to alienate American audiences.
One of the best series of books ever written, Patrick O'Brians works are regarded by many as Literature as opposed to Fiction.
4:13 that’s where “cabin boy” comes from. Sailing is dangerous and it’s important that enlisted men and officers receive training from an early age so that they are skilled and competent when they come of age to be regular crew.
My ONLY criticism of this film is the text "oceans are now battlefields."
They've been battlefields since before battlefields.
Great movie, and loved seeing Russel Crowe and Paul Bettany acting together again since A Beautiful Mind a few years earlier.
Definitely a movie Addie should add to her list
What are you talking about? Paul Bettany wasn't in that movie. ;)
Or in MCU terms, Vision and Zeus.
It's a bit Oscar bait-y, but I wouldn't turn down Addie reacting to it.
@@ComeOnIsSuchAJoy - It's a pretty darn good movie, I'd wager. As far as the Ron Howard/Russel Crowe films, I like Cinderella Man a bit more, though strictly speaking it's not fair to compare.
I read somewhere that 12 was the low age limit for boys to enlist. Horatio Nelson did not recommend it. The frigates were perfect vessels for their purpose, intelligence, logistics, and piracy, light enough to be fast, and heavy enough for carrying artillery. They often siled alone and a lot of responsibility was put on their captains. Only the very best officers and crews served on them. It was dangerous work, but quite profitable. All loot stayed onboard and was distributed around the crew. Many were the captains who refused promotion, they preferred to stay on their frigate and become millionaires. With old age, they went ashore and invested their wealth, becoming captains of industry instead.
The lesser of two weevils scene is hugely significent: the doctor who isn't all that big on naval discipline is arguing that power always corrupts, causing a bit of tension among the officers. The captain then, through the weevil joke, points out that leaders having absolute power may not be perfect, but it is better than the alternative: anarchy, and at the same time releaving the tension through a play on words. On the surface its a silly word joke but underneath there is the whole central theme of the movie.
The Children as you see are Midshipmen, Officers in training, Sons of wealthy Englishmen. This smallest, The one that lost his arm was Lord Blakeney. He would have been an earl but his father had died so he being the oldest son is now a Lord. Even though he is maybe 11 years old. All the guys in the tall hats are midshipmen. Considered officers and the common sailors are subordinate to them. The one that was whipped. Nagel was his name. He was a Carpenter's Mate. The one that was in the Lord of the Rings was Bondin. He was Boatswain's (Bozen's) mate, Helm'sman. The stout blond middleaged man was Mr. Allen The Sailing Master or Pilot. This took place just before the war of 1812. There was a ship built like the Acharon. that the cannon at the time could not penetrate It was Yankee Built in Boston just like Wally had said. It was made from what was called Swamp Oak. Oak trees that grow in wetlands grow a denser wood, Heavier. and harder. The U.S.S. Constitution that came to be called Old Ironsides was the ship the Acheron was based on the wood that the constitution was built from came from Louisiana Bayou country. It was built like a rock in so much that The U.S.S. Constitution is Still a float and is classified an active ship of the line. This was what naval warfare looked like at the beginning of the 19th century. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. ... ... Author Edward F Imhoff. Look for me on Amazon. . .
Many midshipman were Sons of Wealthy Lords, but so too were many of them Sons and orphans of commoners.
The Royal Navy was the one British Military Service (and frankly the only one in the world at the time) where one could not simply Buy their Officer Commissions. Wealthy Nobel or Common Fisherman’s son, you had to Earn your way. Some of the most skilled and notable Captains and Admirals came from Humble beginnings.
If Blakeney was the eldest son of an Earl, and his father died, then he would inherit the title regardless of age. The term "Lord" can be used to refer to any Peer regardless of rank, it was also used as a courtesy title for the eldest son of Peer while his father still lived. So if he was being introduced to someone, after his father had died, he might be introduced as, Lord Blakeney, the Earl of Somesuch, (whatever the name of the earldom was).
Lord Thomas Cochrane (on whom the character of Jack Aubrey was based) was the eldest son of the 10th Earl Dundonald, in the Scottish Peerage. He eventually inherited the title becoming the 11th Earl Dundonald.
Anyone wanting to know a little more history and of the real life sailor who was the inspiration for Jack Aubry should read up on Thomas Cochrane - a British nobleman and Admiral in the Royal Navy. And the Chilean Navy. And the Imperial Brazilian Navy. And the Hellenic (Greek) Navy. He was the colorful "think outside the box" sort, too. On being convicted (proably wrongly) of some sort of financial impropriety, he escaped Britain and went to South America to involve himself in some wars of independence there, and was later reinstated into the Royal Navy.
Little MCU trivia. You have both versions of Jarvis here. Paul Bethany was the AI version, and the actor who gets promoted at the end is the actual butler for Howard Stark.
I was so happy to see you notice that Lord Horatio Nelson was missing an arm. Lord Nelson is the closest thing to a navy god as it gets for the Brits (rightly so) and he also suffered many other injuries in his service including going blind in one eye. The arm was actually fairly early in his career.
The man was completely bat-sh@t insane, but by GOD did he know how to command men in battle
The finest film of war at sea ever made, and one of my Top Ten movies of any kind. 100% believable, 100% fascinating. Yes- Crowe and Bettany were in "Beautiful Mind." A great, natural pairing of two brilliant actors.
Fun fact, this story is actually supposed to be about a British captain fighting an American frigate during the War of 1812, but they didn't think American audiences would like it (though I think they're wrong).
Yeah, I feel like US film and TV producers generally underestimate the intelligence of the American audience moreso than other nations. Maybe because the US population is so large they feel they need to dumb down their content more to have wider appeal, but I think they're wrong too.
Brilliant film. Great interaction between the cast, some fabby performances and the action sequences were seriously, brutally realistic. This is where the expression 'shiver my timbers' originated. When a cannonball struck a wooden ship, the lethally sharp pieces of splintered timber were referred to as'shivers' of wood.
On a lighter note, I always enjoy the 'Weevil' gag! I've seen this film a few times and I'm giggling like a loon before Russell Crowe even says the punchline😂.
Thanks for another great reaction,Addie😀👍
One of my favourites of all time. Such well made movie. Great historic adventure feels, but also created are real feeling of the details and everyday living in a ship like that. Great performances all around.
This is one of my favorite movies. The context is historical but the story is completely fictional. Nevertheless, the shots, the acting, the photography and the recreation of that era is so good.
Not to mention that the ship was real so everything is practical, the Surprise is treated as more than just a boat it's a character
It was filmed on the actual ship HMS Rose
@@elliotadams3402 Cochrane was a goddam action figure come to life. Absolute madman.
When Jack received the French captain's sword, that's an acknowledgement of defeat, surrendering your sword meant you accepted defeat, and placed yourself in the hands of the victorious captain..... In fact, when making Pullings the captain of the French ship, Jack actually says that they will "parole the prisoners" in Valparaiso, meaning they will probably hand them over to the French, or at least release them on parole......that handing over of the sword also meant that at that moment, there were not going to be any more "tricks"...
Dr. Maturin is an excellent surgeon. All three of his operations are successful, including the one he helps to perform on himself.
The "maybe teenagers" are midshipmen -- apprentice officers. Yep, that's how young they started. It took a lot of time to learn to navigate and command ships, and there weren't academies like West Point and Annapolis and Sandhurst back then.
This movie is amazing.
There is only one thing that breaks the spell for me:
There is no way, absolutely no way, that they could disguise a war ship as a whaler by painting it and making smoke.
Sailors can recognice the silhouette, not only of different types of ships, but of individual ships too.
It is something that comes natural if you spend time at sea, but the navies also had catalogs of friendly and enemy ships, to keep on board, so that they could identify them at long distance. If you see a ship, especially in a remote place, the first response would be to try to identify it. You would go get your reference catalogue, if needed, but in this case, it is so obviously a warship, and one that they have met before, and know is in these waters.
The French would have recognized them instantly.
In the Age of Sail, it was common for Lords to purchase commissions for their younger sons (generally not the heirs) in the Army and Navy, so that they could have a promising career, and if they ever DID inherit, they'd know how to lead men. Pre-teen boys and on would serve as junior officers, such as Lord Blakeney here.
During a naval battle in this time, the longboats would be let out on tethers with ship's supplies in them, to reduce the chance of losing those supplies to enemy fire, and also to reduce the chance of splinters from the boats being shot. Splintering was one of the most dangerous things on board a combat sailing ship, as you can clearly see.
What many now don't know is that the Ship's Carpenter was essentially the Chief Engineer, supervising repairs and maintaining the hull and rigging. Many had the expertise of master shipwrights, and some went to work as such at the dockyards after their tours were over. Carpenter's Mates were the engineering crew, like the men helping Mr. Lamb to plug the holes in the hull during their first battle in the film. Crafting new pulleys, capstans, and even new masts were all done aboard ship in order to avoid having to port whenever they took damage.
You could not purchase a commission in the Royal Navy, as you could in the Army. Even with the class system, a ship was too important and too expensive to be commanded by amateurs or by those who did not exhibit competence. The Navy even had to let commoners rise to key positions.
The ship in the book(s) was actually the USS Constitution(currently the oldest commissioned warship in the world). That model is of her.
HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar, is older and still in commission.
They cared so much about realism that even the caps of the common sailors were knitted by hand with techniques from that time period.
You are so sweet Addie! Thank you again for these movie reactions. Master and Commander is a brilliant period film that accurately portrays naval warfare during the Age of Sail. It’s such a shame we didn’t get more of these films because it’s based on the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O’Brian. I consider this film an underrated gem.
It was actually quite common for ensigns and midshipmen to be that young in the 1800s. They are “apprentices” undergoing naval training.
(28:49) Captain Aubrey wasn’t wounded. He caught the French sailor in time just as the dagger was pressed up against his side. The blood on Aubrey’s shirt wasn’t his. It was from the intense battle aboard the Acheron.
They mentioned Lord Horatio Nelson several times in this film. He was renowned for his leadership, and brilliant strategic mind. He is best remembered for leading the British Fleet to victory over the combined fleets of the French and Spanish navies during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Even today Lord Nelson is hailed as a national hero in Great Britain.
I’m not sure if you notice, but the ships doctor, Stephen Maturin, was played by Paul Bettany. He’s the same actor who played Vision in the Avenger films.
The long title of the movie is due to the combination of two of Patrick O'Brian's 21 Aubrey / Maturin novels.
Even more ridiculous is the fact they used the entire title as the web url to promote the movie.
You can tour the ship that was used in the film, HMS Surprise, it's in San Diego. The ship used is a replica of the actual ship that fought through all of that, the British Frigate HMS Rose.
I've toured the ship and it's pretty f*cking cool. It is the ship used to make the film. There are some really good documentaries on the making of the film, also very cool.
"He fights like you, Jack". Pretty clever disguising yourself as the ships doctor. That way you could rally the original crew to overthrow those from the Surprize.
Didn't read the book, but have read many military books of the era. Wish there were a sizeable audience for more well-crafted historical dramas like Master and Commander.
The book has very little to do with this movie.. this movie is actually mostly taken from the first book.. in far side of the world surprise never catches the AMERICAN ship its chasing and it turns out that the american ended up destroying itself on a reef so there was never a climactic finish to the book like in the movie.. the most climactic event in the book was probably when the doctor falls out of the windows of the great cabin and is picked up by a tribe of all female native polynesians and his future looks quite uncertain till surprise finally finds him after several days (or weeks dont remember) :D
@@kmortensen9312 yeah, Jack dives out the window after him and they are both picked up by the all female crew. Both are in some danger of castration and/or death then, after a day or two, are rescued by Surprise. For the OP @eschiedler I recommend picking up the 3rd book, HMS Surprise, for an exciting novel to see if you like the writing style.
@@HiJackShepherd oh yeah forgot jack jumped in with him :D been a while since i read far side of the world
Crowe actually learned the violin for the movie 😊
No he did not. He learned to mimic to play the violin.
@@wolf310ii I saw him in an interview say he did indeed learn the basics…what you might call mimicking
They need to make more movies like this.
Lord Nelson is one of the greatest admirals Britain has ever produced.
up for 10 Academy Awards is usually a good sign of a movie's quality
That part of the oceans between Tierra Del Fuego and Antarctica is one of the most dangerous places to navigate on Earth. That is why the straits of Magellan are so opportune to come across. That is also why it was profitable to dig the Panama canal.
Naval historians love this movie; it comes as close to how historians agree life on board of early 19th century navy vessels was. Yes, the youngest crew members were indeed that young (12-14 y/o).
You were afraid they would eat the weevils - their larvae anyway. I do not know about the officers that had some finer food than the crew, but the crew were mandated to eat them when found in their ship's biscuits; after some time it was often the only source of animal protein available for the men and important to remain healthy. Plucking them out and throwing them away in stead of eating them was a flogging offense.
For a ship's master, it is always the ship first, then the crew.
i actually have had 3 stick insects hang out by my front door, don't know why they like it there, but they are so cool and move their long legs wildly when moving.
I'm definitely watching this movie soon. I own it on DVD in both Widescreen (2.39:1) & Full Screen (1.33:1) formats and that's how I'm watching it.
You’re gonna watch it in both aspect ratios? Why? I’d watch the widescreen version.
Why would you want to watch the movie with the sides cut off?
I have the Blu-ray, only because there's no 4k yet.
@@BubbaCoop He said he was watching it both aspect ratios which is even weirder.
Yet it still would look worse on a widescreen TV.
I'll stick with Peter Weir's version
There are certain movies that were shot in the Super 35 film format and sometimes, the full screen version may open up to reveal more picture at the top and bottom of the frame. The results may vary based on how much of the original Super 35 image was protected. That's why I often watch both versions, but in general, I still prefer the widescreen version.
I was impressed with your observational skills and picking up that Lord Nelson also had lost an arm.
Greatest age of sail movie ever made! Thanks for watching!
"This movie is so well made." Best warfare movie of that era hands down, there were three planned but this one didn't do great at the box office so the others were cancelled. I think they are working on a sequel or prequel right now though.
Although not historically accurate, you would LOVE “A Knights Tale” with legend Heath Ledger. RIP King 🤴
Knights tale has a killer soundtrack (70s rock in 14th century medieval jousting? Yes,please 😁) and great cast (Heath ledger, mark addy, ALAN TUDYK), and wholesome rags to riches story making your own destiny just a great film you’d love it. Even if you don’t watch it for the channel and just watch it your own it’s a great movie right up there with princess bride
And Paul Bettany. Pretty stacked cast
Paul bettany was an AWESOME hype-man (zhit gambler though 😅)