Dame the defiant, ( alex Guinness) captain horatio hornblower ( Gregory peck , Christopher Lee) or sink the Bismarck, battle of the river plate, but there are more great ones
Not sure about movies but within the same naval setting I highly recommend the show 'Black Sails'. It's an incredible period epic that I would describe as visualised literature. For me the most underrated and one of the greatest shows ever made with easily the best storytelling.
The characters in this film are so incredible. A hidden masterpiece that deserved so much more praise than it got; one of Russell Crowes best performances.
So 10 academy awards (2 wins) and boatloads of awards and nominations elsewhere isn't enough? It didn't help it came out around the time of Lord of the Rings - Return of the King, but still got plenty of deserved recognition and praises. It's probably my favourite film and I watch it every year or so and still get something new from it every time. I bought the books not long after seeing it.
I suppose the fact that it flopped in the North American market has something to do with it, although it did manage to make a modest profit with the worldwide gross factored in. To me, this movie was much more entertaining than any of TLOTR movies.
@@Ray.Norrish Timing killed it. Return of the King was an undeniable force. Chicago got lucky winning best picture against The Two Towers. Academy wasn't going to reward a Part 2 movie. (all of the Return of the King awards were also recognizing the entire trilogy) Two Towers was easily the best movie that year in my opinion. If Master and Commander was released for that prior year, I bet it would have raked in most of the awards it was nominated for. I wished it could have gotten the love it deserved.
17:37 In the novel, chapter 7, it's a Pudding. Supposedly, a pudding called "Floating Island" made from bread, jam and jelly with a side of cream. A popular English pudding from the 18th century.
about KNOTS from wikipedia: Until the mid-19th century, vessel speed at sea was measured using a chip log. This consisted of a wooden panel, attached by line to a reel, and weighted on one edge to float perpendicularly to the water surface and thus present substantial resistance to the water moving around it. The chip log was cast over the stern of the moving vessel and the line allowed to pay out.[6] Knots tied at a distance of 47 feet 3 inches (14.4018 m) from each other, passed through a sailor's fingers, while another sailor used a 30-second sand-glass (28-second sand-glass is the currently accepted timing) to time the operation.[7] The knot count would be reported and used in the sailing master's dead reckoning and navigation. This method gives a value for the knot of 20.25 in/s, or 1.85166 km/h. The difference from the modern definition is less than 0.02%.
1 nautical mile (knot per hr) is approximately 2000 yards. Which is different from a statue mile (land mile), which is shorter. Used in 'dead reckoning'.
they were also using a lead line to measure the depth. A lead weight at the end of measured rope is wirled and let go marking what mark is closest to the water when you feel it hit the bottom. The weight itself has a hollow opening on the bottom to try to get an idea what the seabed is like. "sand and broken shell". If it comes up with nothing you can presume its sand. The method is still taught in the Navy though it's not really used anymore.
It's kind of complicated but the reason the crew didn't like Hollum aside from the bad luck they associate with him is like Jack said, they don't want a friend, they want a leader. The scene where everyone stops singing when Hollum joins is due to his attempt at fraternization, it's not really a proper thing. The officers and crew remain separate. Jack and his officers/midshipmen eat and drink apart from the crew. Jack will be courteous and magnanimous to his men but they understand he is also their leader and he's not afraid to dole out punishment. The Doctor may have pointed out that Hollum had a nice voice but you can see by Jack's expression he did not approve.
The world of the 18th century was very classist and they did not mix. They would be polite, the upper classes may be magnanimous and the lower being politely subservient but everyone knew their place and didn't, for the most part, stray from that.
Alot of rank and file guys also would not like that he's timid and seemingly afraid of them, as well as the classism. A timid officer could get you killed with inaction or fail to stand up for you. There's a scene later where the one armed ensign leads men two or three times older than him into a boarding action, and the men don't question it, the sailors respect the bravery and leadership.
Just as big a problem is that a lot of the people didn't want to be there, not all were even British. Drafted into the navy, dumped onto a ship for years..."fair" and unwavering adherence to rules is the only way you could keep a situation like that from collapsing. I'll bet none of them wanted a "leader," as Jack said...you just have to find a balance between forcing them to do what you want them to do (getting someone to perform the loading maneuvers with a cannon while under fire!) without pushing it so far that they snap. Saying that they "wanted" anything was just to make them feel justified. Of course, that was Britain as an imperial power all over...
Everyone today has a sentimentalist/idealist view of social relations between people and take the "anti bully" stance. Yet the world especially of that period in history was harsh and feudal socially and was feudal between nations. People who can't muster a voice for themselves don't last long in a world of that reality and the people of that time were majority not like him. Sentimental people of today in relative life security feel for him and disgust those around him, but in a time and era of survival like that it was people like the rest of them that were the standard of human personality.
Funfact: this movie features 2 Jarvises: James D'Arcy played the person Jarvis, Chauffeur and Butler to Howard Stark in the MCU Series AGENT CARTER. and obviously Paul Bettany played the VOICE of Tony Starks JARVIS AI before becoming Vision
This film was directed by Peter Weir. He’s an exceptional talent. You should put a lot of his films on your list like Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously, Dead Poets Society, Witness, The Mosquito Coast, Fearless, and The Truman Show.
9:32 The significance of the book that Russell Crowe’s Capt. Jack gives to Mr Blakeney (Max Pirkis) is that it’s Lord Nelson’s Commentaries. Lord Horatio Nelson was a English Vice-Admiral, Duke, Viscount and National hero, who also lost his arm in battle. Many miss the hidden message of giving this book in particular to a Midshipman who also just lost his arm.
The bloke with the hold fast tattoo is actually pretty accurate. Sailors were superstitious, and some believed that if they had messages like that written on their hands, they'd be able to hold on to rigging or whatever they didn't want to let go of.
I went to see this with my group of friends and 2 of them ended up joining the Royal Navy. An inspiring film that made me glad I wasn't born during that time as it must have been hell
I remember on my first watching that when the doctor was shot, my heart just sank. It's not just that he's a likable character, but the lack of a doctor onboard would be a nightmarish scenario in these times, let alone today.
Having read the entire series of books , I love the inclusion of all the detail in this film . The books being so detailed only true fanatics can read them. Wish they would make another of these films.
The rarest of beasts: a truly intelligent mega-budget spectacular. Artistry without pretension. Scale without bloat. Smart period dialogue instead of florid, writerly speechifying (I’m looking at you, Gladiator). I love this movie.
Love this movie, and I especially appreciate how Russel Crow learned how to pretend to play the violin enough to make it passable instead of how most movies with pretend playing makes me cringe.
This is the best book series ever written. I'll die on that hill everyday. If you like to read at all you should give it a shot. The first one is called Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian.
All of the nautical terminology is perfect. You can look up the diagram of ship and see exactly what Hollum meant by "2 Points off the Starboard Bow." Also, this accurately reflects the time in that the word "Port" or "Portside" had not yet become associated with the Left Side of the ship. At that time, it was still Larboard. And yes, the Midshipmen were usually very young boys. Around 12 or 13 when they'd first put to sea.
great reaction. The movie is a masterpiece and very accurate, and the O'Brian books are EXTREMELY accurate (and super researched - compiled with the help of numerous naval historians and from hundreds of actual historical log books and battle logs from past naval skirmishes). The O'Brian books are great, but before reading, familiarize yourself with age of sail/british naval terminology. The author makes a VERY authentic setting/story/dialogue, so there is no coddling; you have to figure the terminology out on your own, and he does not hold back from speaking with all the complexities that experts of the time would. but the authenticity really makes the stories feel super real, if you can adapt to the language of the time/setting. the culture of the european age is well described, not just naval culture but also social and military cultures, on land and water, for those times (as well as social tensions and politics). but seriously, it's not a read for casual readers; educate yourself before starting or you'll regret it and not enjoy what is a truly masterful series of novels.
The most historically accurate film ever made about this period and themes. Every single bit, from the dynamics of the officers and the crew to the toast of "to wives and sweethearts...may they never meet" is accurate... An unappreciated masterpiece.
On beating to quarters the ship's boats would be lowered overboard and towed behind the ship. This was for three reasons. Firstly the boats were stored on deck and would foul the guns, secondly the boars were made of thin timber which would be blasted into lethal splinters if hit and lastly, if the ship had to be abandoned, they were already launched
To be fair, ship always is a "she", but I get what you mean and completely agree. He really managed to convey to the audience that she should be regarded as a charater.
Hi TBR & Samantha, basically this film was a modern version of the 1951 film (Captain Horatio Hornblower ) with subtle changes to the story. Hopefully, you might be able to checkout the 1951 film later on.
Pullings wasn't promoted to Captain, that promotion would have had to come from the Admiralty. Any officer, regardless of rank, was called "Captain" when he was in charge of a ship.
I still remember the day, sitting in a theater, when the trailer for this came on. It was the storm, and a glimpse of the ship. And I said to myself, "That has to be HMS Surprise!" I couldn't wait for the movie to come out. (I'd only finished reading the novels a few years earlier and really wanted someone to make a movie.) The behind the scenes of the production are amazing, too. They were able to buy a real sailing ship, but to duplicate the deck and lower masts for filming ashore, they had to hand make thousands of rigging components: blocks, deadeyes, chains, and, of course, belaying pins :-)
It's a shame this came out at the same time as 'Pirates of the Caribbean', which it had to compete with for audience. It did fairly well at the box office, but it was so expensive to make that it didn't do quite well enough for the planned next films in the series to be made. Real shame.
right away you recognized Billy Boyd, who indeed played Pippen in LOTR! it took me a few times to recognize him, and i geeked out when i did! and this movie was absolutely amazing, and so underrated. I think this movie came as close to what conditions were really like of life on a ship back in those times. child labor laws didn't exist then, not until the Great Depression more than 100 years later. so, boys learned at an early age a trade until adulthood.
These boys were midshipmen. It's not exactly about child labor laws, these children were essentially going to school at sea to learn all sorts of things about navigation, astronomy, legal codes, strategy, and discipline. It's where the expression "learning the ropes" comes from. Unlike in the British Army, you could not simply purchase a commission to be an officer, you first had to pass an exam to move from Midshipman to Lieutenant, and that took years of training to get to that point. The average age of midshipmen was between 16 and 17 years old, however, there were documented cases of boys as young as 9 entering as midshipmen.
The ship they're fighting is physically modeled after the USS Constitution. A ship that was so indestructible, it's the oldest serving naval vessel in the world TODAY.
If you think that cutting the man adrift was an unpleasant look into the horrors of war then you should perhaps check out the film _The Cruel Sea_ which has a similar infamous scene. Set during the Battle of the Atlantic it gives the reciprocal view of the film _Das Boot_ from the perspective of the British sailors.
12:18 back in the day enlisted men were not allowed to sing if an officer (even if only a midshipman) starts to sing. Thus, the officer, unintentionally, interrupted the sailors' fun.
So, here's a little bit of fun fact: Remember when they say the Acheron was Yankee built? The creators of this movie actually based the Acheron on a real-life American frigate. It was called the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship afloat. And second oldest only to the HMS Victory. The USS constitution would wreak havoc on British vessels, they would fire back on the Constitution, but their cannon balls seemed to just bounce off of her hull. That's because it's made of a mixture of white oak, and live oak, a much stronger wood than white oak which all British vessels were made of. A crewmate was quoted in shouting "huzzah huzzah, her sides are made of iron" hence gave her the nick name "Old Ironsides" USS Constitution was never caught, and only one other ship of her class was captured. But yeah, the American ships were CRAZY and though not as numerous as the Royal Navy, they still gave them a run for their money. It got so bad to a point the Royal Navy barred their ships from going after American ships without at least two other ships with them. Edit: My mistake, it was 2 others not one.
@@wolf310ii Not exactly. Chesapeake was captured by one of similar size to her, and President was captured by a squadron of Royal Navy vessels. Small detail but yeah.
@@luckyday465768 The Chesapeape was a 4th rate 44 gun frigatte, the HMS Shannon was a 5th rate 38 gun frigatte, 500 tons ligther and 20 feet shorter. The HMS Endymion was also a 5th rate at the time the President did surrender to her, and alone, the squadron was out of sight. The President tried to escape, only to almost immediatly surrender again when the sqadron catch up with her.
@@wolf310ii That's interesting, 'cause I did a quick research on Wikipedia and what you say is not supported but oh well. Chesapeake was a 38 gun frigate because of delays in her construction. I was originally supposed to be a 44 gun ship but it was changed to 38. President was damaged by 4 frigates and the Endymion wad able to lay the last shots on her. After that she struck her colors. It was a 1v4 fight not a 1 on 1 fight like you make it out to be.
To explain the part at 12:15, officers in those days were not supposed to take part in songs with enlisted crewmen. In these days, enlisted crewmen were basically homeless children/YAs seized off the street against their will to serve aboard ships. Service in the navy was not really voluntary for them. Meanwhile, a navy officer was at least from an upper middle class family, if not a wealthy or even noble family. So it was a HUGE no-no for officers to take part in the games and songs of the enlisted crewmen. This general feeling even carried over into the US military for well over a century and a half. The US military just recently combined officers' and enlisteds' clubs in the last couple of decades.
Paul Bethany, and Russell Crowe! what a duo! (At the time, a movie critic said that R. Crow was the most incompetent actor on the planet. Can you believe it?).
Some rules in a pirate ship of long ago are brought forward to today's Navy for the structure of organization and moral within a ship being that the seas can be so extremely brutal.
Most sailors wasent killed by the actual canon ball, they were killed by their own ship. As in the wooden shrapnel, much like how a hand grenade kills.
4:16 Midshipboys were often very young and were the officers in charge when you are from royal heritage and want to become admiral you had to start early to reach admiral rang at around 35. 12:18 Hollom is fraternizing with ordinary crew member that was a big no no in royal navy. It was believed make officers weak and unable to make necessary sacrifices for the crew. Jack Aubrey and his adventure is heavy influence by the real life from thomas cochrane. This david vs goliath story is inspired by his serving time on the HMS Speedy where he captures sucessfully the El Gamo a ship 3 times the size and 6 times the personel.
The archeron is basically the USS Constitution…..which is the oldest commisioned ship in the US navy…..and you can visit her in Boston…she was 36-0 in combat..built to be bigger than any british frigate and faster than a ship of the line…which would outgun it…..often carrying 56 guns..not the rated 44….britsh frigates more often carried 12 lbers…..the constitution would carry….long range 24 lbers and 32 lb short range guns…britsh used to fighting weaker french ships time and again would charge the original 6 frigates america built..only to be crushed… a great book to read is “ six frigates” and Nelson love and fame
The surprise in this movie carries 9 lbers……its very much the weaker ship probably throwing 11x9 lbs. and some smaller guns vs the archerons 15x24 and 10 x32. The fire power is probaly 5 times that of the surprise..or more….not to mention the live oak and armor
Also the movie starts in 1805….NELSON is mentioned …..he is a living hero in 1805….Nelson dies perhaps as the greatest british hero…ever…..in october 1805…at trafalger….destroying napoleons last chance to invade britain…now trafalgar square in london..has nelsons column …he rises above all….and in my opinion the bravest leader who ever comanded anything.
Also the boys in the film..are often second and third or more sons…who wont inherit..they r often middle to upper class..with a sponser to get them a spot on ship…and are officers over the lower Class often times pressed into service men…..admiral nelson himself was 12 when he joined the navy…..he took apeice of wood to the head almost lost his scalp….took a stone to the eye and was blinded in taht eye....lost an arm…and…lost his life….leading from the front..always
This is an awesome movie that almost no one talks about. Also sounds incredible on surround sound. I used to sell high end TV and sound systems and we used this movie to show off some of our high end speakers and receivers. I had the DVD and I bought the Blu-ray just for the sound when i finally build my surround sound. I stream everything now, but this was years ago, I still have that blu-ray in storage though with about 200 or so physical copies of movies i just couldn’t bring myself to get rid off.
It's important to consider class in this film. Class dominated this society and what's interesting is that the boy is actually Lord Blakeney and so he's the social superior of everyone on the ship, including the captain, even at the age of 12 or whatever he is. Of course they weren't stupid so they weren't going to allow him to give orders to superior officers or command the ship but his entire life would have been preparing him to lead and he'd be well aware of that by the age of 12. He was born into a life of leadership. Luckily for the ship he's almost unnaturally brave, intelligent, decent and kind. It's all fictional too.
I liked the momment when Jack visits Blakeney after he loses his arm and brings him that book about Lord Nelson. Lord Nelson did lose his right arm in his 20's during a landing operation which his arm was shattered by a cannonball. By showing Blakeney that drawing of Nelson without his arm Jack was telling him "Your naval career isn't over. See Lord Nelson lost his right arm and he's England's greatest admiral."
He's also a Midshipman and literally being trained to be an officer one day. Of course those always came from upper class families, so your point still stands.
@@HDreamer not true. The Army in those days was very like that, and although you could buy your commission in the Navy, merit talked far more - due to the time operating away from port. Many officers were promoted from the ranks, and that prompted the likes of Wellington to pursue a similar policy in the Army.
One of the few inaccuracies is that the enemy boat is American, because of the fact it was made in Boston harbor and the wood used having cannonballs bounce off which is what gave Old Ironsides its nickname. They said that they changed it to a “French” enemy because they feared audiences wouldn’t like Americans being the bad guy.
Hollom, the one who killed himself was an officer. So when the sailors were singing, it was not acceptable for him to join in because they were of different class.
Back then men went to sea for years. Richard Henry Dana (Dana Point California) who wrote Two Years Before the Mast, sailed up and down the California coast for two years collecting cow hides Before returning to Boston.
Thanks for the reaction. Peter Weir is underrated as a director. This film is a masterpiece, his best imo, but you two might like some of his other movies for the channel. Dead Poet's Society, Truman Show, Witness, Gallipoli spring to mind.
I would not say underrated so much as overlooked. In general movie discussions his name does not come up as often as say Quentin Tarantino's despite his stellar filmography.
Amazing movie and book series. Lord Blakeney is a badass kid lol Takes command of the ship during the boarding, runs the canon battery when he sees the Acheron is trying to hit their hull during the boarding, then fuck it, let's lead an assault party onto the enemy ship as well haha.
Guys, I heard you wondering if this was based on a true story, I won't spoil it for you, but I highly recommend the History Buffs TH-cam channel review of Master and Commander, which breaks down the authenticity of the movie for historical accuracy, context, and reveals the source material, which I consider as a sort of companion piece for this movie, it's a must see, I cannot recommend it enough.
They all froze up when Hollum started singing partly because they don't like him and partly because the crew were singing and officers aren't supposed to mix with sailors so he broke protocol.
If you've never had a dental infection that required self-surgery you cannot understand the relief felt by resolving the source of the pain. Nearly any action that stops the pain not only seems prudent, but necessary. And you don't regret having done it.
It's a fictional story, based on a series of novels, with invented people and events inspired by history. One of the key changes was in making the ship they were pursuing French. In the novel it was an American ship, (why after all would a revolutionary French war ship be made in the US?) The makers thought an American audience might not be able to cope with an American antagonist.
Why would the RN use a french ship to chase an american ship? The HMS Surprise was build in France. The USA had plenty of wood and dockyards, why shouldnt they build ships for everyone who can pay? The US did build ships for France
@@wolf310ii I take your point, bit that was a captured ship, renamed , that was very common. Here we have the US providing a revolutionary design to a foreign power. Its possible but unlikely. My main point was that the nationality of the ship was changed for the film. It was I believe based on the USS Constitution, and the action took place in the War of 1812.
You ask, if it's realistic. It's the best depiction of naval warfare and life aboard a navy ship during napoleonic times in a movie. To use that 'decoi'-boat and to pretend to be a merchant were tricks used by Thomas Cochrane, Earl of Dundonald in real life. In fact he is the prototype for Jack Aubrey, Horatio Hornblower and some other heroes in literature. If you want more of it, watch the documentary Thomas Cochrane: Craziest Sea Captain in History by the youtube-channel Kings and Generals. They have it as series of short episodes or as single video, over an hour long.
Do you guys understand the importance of the lesser of the two Evils joke? After that there were decisions that had to be made. Letting the man that fell into the water die was the lesser of the evils! Likewise, not saluting and breaking procedures after having whipped the sailor for doing that very thing was the lesser of the evils!
Also this movie was nominated for 10 academy awards, but only won two. There are many who felt that this movie would have won Best Picture award but was up against LORD OF THE RINGS, Which won everything
It is a movie on a boat???? It is a historic correct movie about the British navy of Lord Nelson operating in an overseas campaign in the time of the Napoleonic Wars. It is very close to a documentation.Most authentic historical movie (after Rob Roy) i have ever seen.
I would highly recommend the book series this movie is adapted from. The Author Patrick O'Brien makes C.S. Forester look like a childrens book author. They are simply the finest novels I have ever read.
You guys definitely need to check out "A Beautiful Mind" with Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly and many others. Aside from Gladiator, it's Crowe's best movie in my opinion.
I saw this at the cinema when it opened. I’d never witnessed such visceral, “you’re in the middle of it all” battle scenes before, with just the right amount of humor laced throughout to lighten the mood. And the game of cat & mouse between the ships’ captains kept you guessing right until the very end. Outstanding film, I wish they had continued the story though..
I will always be a little regretful that this wasn’t a bigger hit, as we could have one or two more of these films, but maybe it’s fitting that we only got this singular gem.
Trivia: Captain Jack Aubrey wasn't a real person, but he is based on a real ship's captain from that era, Lord Thomas Cochrane, who was an insanely gifted naval officer, who almost never lost an engagement, even with the odds drastically against him. The French nicknamed him The Sea Wolf. The Admiralty in England hated him, and gave him just a small schooner to command in the Mediterranean against the entire French navy, but that didn't stop him from bagging 53 enemy ships, many much larger than his. (After the war, he left for Chile and helped them build their navy-one time taking like six forts in one night with one ship!-then went to Brazil and did the same there, carrying on his amazing naval skills. He literally once sailed into an enemy port with one ship under a false flag to reconnoiter, and when they figured out it was him they just surrendered the whole port to him rather than fight him, based solely on his reputation!)
The young actor playing the young gentleman who lost his arm also played Octavian in the fantastic tv-series Rome, which would make for a great reaction. There are only two seasons, and 10-ish episodes each. Mostly told through the perspective of two Roman soldiers, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, with season one's backstory focusing on Julius Caesar, and the second on Octavian and the power struggle between him and Marc Anthony. Great cast and performances all around. Quite a violent story obviously, but well worth a watch.. :)
Yep, one of the best series HBO ever produced. Cheers! to HBO for that. HOWEVER, it was intended to last five seasons but HBO cancelled it prior to the completion of season 2. This forced the writers to cram the content of seasons 3-5 into the last episodes of season 2. BOOOOOO!!! to HBO for depriving us of those last three seasons that the Rome creators intended to give us.
For what would have happened in later seasons there is always the award winning BBC drama _I Claudius_ from the 1970s. The budgets are much lower but it is every bit as gripping.
One of my favorite films ever. The performances, the costumes, the set, the cinematography, the CGI and sound design. The Writing!! The Writing By God!!
One of my favorite films ever as well. I watched the making of this and was very impressed about how very much they strove to make it realistic, including filming on an actual ship in actual fog. And the reason there were so many kids was that in real life, that was the case, one reason being because they ate less food than a whole crew of adults, so the ship's food rations could last long enough.
They managed to really capture the spirit of the books without really using much directly from them. The only real departure is casting a classically handsome dude as the doctor but hey I guess they need to make a movie, and Paul B does a great job.
The reason why the Doctor doesn’t act like he’s part of the crew and has a more civilian appeal is because he is a civilian. It was very common at the time for navies around the world to hire professional surgeons/doctors for their ships. The fact alone that he is widely respected by the crew despite not even being in the Navy gives credit to his medical skill and service. As for the reason why the Royal Navy had many young boys on their ships was for two purposes. To act as ammo-carriers and ship-assistants for tasks that require nimble and small figure and officers-in-training. During the time, it was essential for Naval Officers to start their military careers at a young age, since hands-on experience is far superior than being in a classroom. They would “learn” through service under the guidance of the ship they’re assigned to until they graduate and receive their commission. Most of the non-officer boys were mostly orphans or runaways taken in by the navy, and most of them would spend the rest of their lives serving. Back in the day, Naval service wasn’t just a job, it was a life.
Well most upper class kids joined the navy or army as officers were 2nd or 3rd born sons, so they wouldn't have inherited their parents money or social position, so they had to make their own fortunes and careers, until the Napoleonic war happened military careers were looked down upon by polite society
Another big reason is the author of the stories uses the doctor as a audience stand in so the characters have a reason to explain what would be common knowledge for them.
We still give direct commission to doctors, nurses, lawyers, clergymen and I am 80% certain to engineers in all the US military branches except the Marine Corps.
Actually, these child "midshipmen" are for the most part sons of fellow captains and commanders who aspire to follow in their father's footsteps. They can't serve under their own fathers so they are petitioned to serve on other ships, usually under officers who are well respected among their peers. Captain Aubrey had a reputation as a very thorough instructor in mathematics and navigation, which go hand in hand. It was also risky because Jack was extremely bold and these children ran the risk of death or being maimed in battle. However, they achieved opportunities for rapid advancement because of the certitude of battle under his command.
Fun fact. The particular book this film is based on is actually about the Surprise chasing the United States Ship Norfolk during the war of 1812, but was changed to have them fight the French to appeal to the US audience. I love this film, one of the most accurate depictions of Napoleonic Military life available.
And the reason she was still American built was the Americans used their native Red Oak for their frigates, which was a lot tougher than the Old World variety.
I knew about that. I know the US box office is important to a movie, but it's kind of sad that the American audience is so sensitive as to be unable to enjoy a movie because the "enemy" is an American ship. I guess no one cares if the French are offended. lol
@@cassu6 That's kind of my point, which perhaps I didn't explain so well. The producers knew the French could not care less if the enemy ship was French. The French know it's just entertainment. So, why are Americans (and I'm one) so easily offended to the point that they wouldn't go to a film because the enemy and losers are American? We seriously need to get over ourselves.
This movie is filled with amazing moments! What are some other great naval battle movies!?
Thank you all for the support!
Dame the defiant, ( alex Guinness) captain horatio hornblower ( Gregory peck , Christopher Lee) or sink the Bismarck, battle of the river plate, but there are more great ones
One of the best war movies of all time, The Cruel Sea. Made by people who were actually there.
Oh the sequel to 300 . 300 rise of an empire had lots of naval battles. Ben hur had one and Cleopatra.
Not sure about movies but within the same naval setting I highly recommend the show 'Black Sails'. It's an incredible period epic that I would describe as visualised literature. For me the most underrated and one of the greatest shows ever made with easily the best storytelling.
Different eras but Crimson Tide is an underrated gem.
The characters in this film are so incredible. A hidden masterpiece that deserved so much more praise than it got; one of Russell Crowes best performances.
So 10 academy awards (2 wins) and boatloads of awards and nominations elsewhere isn't enough? It didn't help it came out around the time of Lord of the Rings - Return of the King, but still got plenty of deserved recognition and praises. It's probably my favourite film and I watch it every year or so and still get something new from it every time. I bought the books not long after seeing it.
The BEST Russell Crowe movie!
I suppose the fact that it flopped in the North American market has something to do with it, although it did manage to make a modest profit with the worldwide gross factored in. To me, this movie was much more entertaining than any of TLOTR movies.
@@Ray.Norrish Timing killed it. Return of the King was an undeniable force. Chicago got lucky winning best picture against The Two Towers. Academy wasn't going to reward a Part 2 movie. (all of the Return of the King awards were also recognizing the entire trilogy) Two Towers was easily the best movie that year in my opinion. If Master and Commander was released for that prior year, I bet it would have raked in most of the awards it was nominated for. I wished it could have gotten the love it deserved.
17:37 In the novel, chapter 7, it's a Pudding. Supposedly, a pudding called "Floating Island" made from bread, jam and jelly with a side of cream. A popular English pudding from the 18th century.
'Jelly' is British English for Jello 'Jam' is British English for Jelly..
about KNOTS from wikipedia: Until the mid-19th century, vessel speed at sea was measured using a chip log. This consisted of a wooden panel, attached by line to a reel, and weighted on one edge to float perpendicularly to the water surface and thus present substantial resistance to the water moving around it. The chip log was cast over the stern of the moving vessel and the line allowed to pay out.[6] Knots tied at a distance of 47 feet 3 inches (14.4018 m) from each other, passed through a sailor's fingers, while another sailor used a 30-second sand-glass (28-second sand-glass is the currently accepted timing) to time the operation.[7] The knot count would be reported and used in the sailing master's dead reckoning and navigation. This method gives a value for the knot of 20.25 in/s, or 1.85166 km/h. The difference from the modern definition is less than 0.02%.
Just gonna throw in that it’s the equivalent of 1.15 mph, for all us ignorant Americans😉
1 nautical mile (knot per hr) is approximately 2000 yards.
Which is different from a statue mile (land mile), which is shorter.
Used in 'dead reckoning'.
He should have talk to you before wasting time typing, nice dude.
@@wildith9168 copy and paste bro. zero effort.
they were also using a lead line to measure the depth. A lead weight at the end of measured rope is wirled and let go marking what mark is closest to the water when you feel it hit the bottom. The weight itself has a hollow opening on the bottom to try to get an idea what the seabed is like. "sand and broken shell". If it comes up with nothing you can presume its sand. The method is still taught in the Navy though it's not really used anymore.
It's kind of complicated but the reason the crew didn't like Hollum aside from the bad luck they associate with him is like Jack said, they don't want a friend, they want a leader. The scene where everyone stops singing when Hollum joins is due to his attempt at fraternization, it's not really a proper thing. The officers and crew remain separate. Jack and his officers/midshipmen eat and drink apart from the crew. Jack will be courteous and magnanimous to his men but they understand he is also their leader and he's not afraid to dole out punishment. The Doctor may have pointed out that Hollum had a nice voice but you can see by Jack's expression he did not approve.
The world of the 18th century was very classist and they did not mix. They would be polite, the upper classes may be magnanimous and the lower being politely subservient but everyone knew their place and didn't, for the most part, stray from that.
Alot of rank and file guys also would not like that he's timid and seemingly afraid of them, as well as the classism. A timid officer could get you killed with inaction or fail to stand up for you. There's a scene later where the one armed ensign leads men two or three times older than him into a boarding action, and the men don't question it, the sailors respect the bravery and leadership.
Poor Holly wasn't cut out for it.
Just as big a problem is that a lot of the people didn't want to be there, not all were even British. Drafted into the navy, dumped onto a ship for years..."fair" and unwavering adherence to rules is the only way you could keep a situation like that from collapsing. I'll bet none of them wanted a "leader," as Jack said...you just have to find a balance between forcing them to do what you want them to do (getting someone to perform the loading maneuvers with a cannon while under fire!) without pushing it so far that they snap. Saying that they "wanted" anything was just to make them feel justified. Of course, that was Britain as an imperial power all over...
Everyone today has a sentimentalist/idealist view of social relations between people and take the "anti bully" stance. Yet the world especially of that period in history was harsh and feudal socially and was feudal between nations. People who can't muster a voice for themselves don't last long in a world of that reality and the people of that time were majority not like him. Sentimental people of today in relative life security feel for him and disgust those around him, but in a time and era of survival like that it was people like the rest of them that were the standard of human personality.
Funfact: this movie features 2 Jarvises: James D'Arcy played the person Jarvis, Chauffeur and Butler to Howard Stark in the MCU Series AGENT CARTER. and obviously Paul Bettany played the VOICE of Tony Starks JARVIS AI before becoming Vision
This film was directed by Peter Weir. He’s an exceptional talent. You should put a lot of his films on your list like Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously, Dead Poets Society, Witness, The Mosquito Coast, Fearless, and The Truman Show.
Witness is a must see in my book. All reactors eventually get round to watching The Truman Show, but Witness is so unfairly neglected.
9:32 The significance of the book that Russell Crowe’s Capt. Jack gives to Mr Blakeney (Max Pirkis) is that it’s Lord Nelson’s Commentaries. Lord Horatio Nelson was a English Vice-Admiral, Duke, Viscount and National hero, who also lost his arm in battle. Many miss the hidden message of giving this book in particular to a Midshipman who also just lost his arm.
this is the perfect movie! not one bad moment. score was great , acting was great , story was fantastic.
The bloke with the hold fast tattoo is actually pretty accurate. Sailors were superstitious, and some believed that if they had messages like that written on their hands, they'd be able to hold on to rigging or whatever they didn't want to let go of.
One had for yourself, one hand for the ship
Highly recommend A Beautiful Mind, also starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany (the doctor).
I went to see this with my group of friends and 2 of them ended up joining the Royal Navy. An inspiring film that made me glad I wasn't born during that time as it must have been hell
Thank you to your two friends for their service.
This is one of two excellent movies from Peter Weir that surprisingly received such little recognition. The other is “Fearless” with Jeff Bridges.
I remember on my first watching that when the doctor was shot, my heart just sank. It's not just that he's a likable character, but the lack of a doctor onboard would be a nightmarish scenario in these times, let alone today.
Having read the entire series of books , I love the inclusion of all the detail in this film . The books being so detailed only true fanatics can read them. Wish they would make another of these films.
"That Hold Fast guy is just crushing all of their spirits"
He's crushing all of his lines too
One of the all time greats by a phenomenal Australian director.
I highly recommend his best film Gallipoli.
The rarest of beasts: a truly intelligent mega-budget spectacular. Artistry without pretension. Scale without bloat. Smart period dialogue instead of florid, writerly speechifying (I’m looking at you, Gladiator). I love this movie.
Love this movie, and I especially appreciate how Russel Crow learned how to pretend to play the violin enough to make it passable instead of how most movies with pretend playing makes me cringe.
Absolutely one of my favourite movies, and weirdly rewatchable. It's one of those I can put on pretty much any time.
This is the best book series ever written. I'll die on that hill everyday. If you like to read at all you should give it a shot. The first one is called Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian.
All of the nautical terminology is perfect. You can look up the diagram of ship and see exactly what Hollum meant by "2 Points off the Starboard Bow." Also, this accurately reflects the time in that the word "Port" or "Portside" had not yet become associated with the Left Side of the ship. At that time, it was still Larboard. And yes, the Midshipmen were usually very young boys. Around 12 or 13 when they'd first put to sea.
Really ignites the imagination and had me thinking how it must have been on a ship back then , great film and great reaction.
great reaction.
The movie is a masterpiece and very accurate, and the O'Brian books are EXTREMELY accurate (and super researched - compiled with the help of numerous naval historians and from hundreds of actual historical log books and battle logs from past naval skirmishes). The O'Brian books are great, but before reading, familiarize yourself with age of sail/british naval terminology. The author makes a VERY authentic setting/story/dialogue, so there is no coddling; you have to figure the terminology out on your own, and he does not hold back from speaking with all the complexities that experts of the time would. but the authenticity really makes the stories feel super real, if you can adapt to the language of the time/setting. the culture of the european age is well described, not just naval culture but also social and military cultures, on land and water, for those times (as well as social tensions and politics). but seriously, it's not a read for casual readers; educate yourself before starting or you'll regret it and not enjoy what is a truly masterful series of novels.
The most historically accurate film ever made about this period and themes. Every single bit, from the dynamics of the officers and the crew to the toast of "to wives and sweethearts...may they never meet" is accurate... An unappreciated masterpiece.
On beating to quarters the ship's boats would be lowered overboard and towed behind the ship. This was for three reasons. Firstly the boats were stored on deck and would foul the guns, secondly the boars were made of thin timber which would be blasted into lethal splinters if hit and lastly, if the ship had to be abandoned, they were already launched
The accuracy and details of that time are probably the best of any movie ever made.
"Which war?"
"I don't know."
...
"Oh, France vs England."
That narrows it down A LITTLE.
Pretty common in many countries navies of that era to have young boys serving as midshipmen and powder monkeys.
9:59 "she looks great" was the moment the ship became the protagonist not wood and iron. Peter Weir does that to you
To be fair, ship always is a "she", but I get what you mean and completely agree. He really managed to convey to the audience that she should be regarded as a charater.
Hi TBR & Samantha, basically this film was a modern version of the 1951 film (Captain Horatio Hornblower ) with subtle changes to the story. Hopefully, you might be able to checkout the 1951 film later on.
Pullings wasn't promoted to Captain, that promotion would have had to come from the Admiralty. Any officer, regardless of rank, was called "Captain" when he was in charge of a ship.
Ships Carpenter was the most important enlisted man on a ship in those days. give him wood, and ships got fixed, boats built, etc.
I still remember the day, sitting in a theater, when the trailer for this came on. It was the storm, and a glimpse of the ship. And I said to myself, "That has to be HMS Surprise!" I couldn't wait for the movie to come out. (I'd only finished reading the novels a few years earlier and really wanted someone to make a movie.)
The behind the scenes of the production are amazing, too. They were able to buy a real sailing ship, but to duplicate the deck and lower masts for filming ashore, they had to hand make thousands of rigging components: blocks, deadeyes, chains, and, of course, belaying pins :-)
The wiphing was not to make the crew to like Hollum more, it was to keep the discipline up.
It's a shame this came out at the same time as 'Pirates of the Caribbean', which it had to compete with for audience. It did fairly well at the box office, but it was so expensive to make that it didn't do quite well enough for the planned next films in the series to be made. Real shame.
right away you recognized Billy Boyd, who indeed played Pippen in LOTR! it took me a few times to recognize him, and i geeked out when i did!
and this movie was absolutely amazing, and so underrated. I think this movie came as close to what conditions were really like of life on a ship back in those times.
child labor laws didn't exist then, not until the Great Depression more than 100 years later. so, boys learned at an early age a trade until adulthood.
And Merry was just off-camera.
(Dominic Monaghan travelled to Mexico to join his LOR friend on the film set)
These boys were midshipmen. It's not exactly about child labor laws, these children were essentially going to school at sea to learn all sorts of things about navigation, astronomy, legal codes, strategy, and discipline. It's where the expression "learning the ropes" comes from. Unlike in the British Army, you could not simply purchase a commission to be an officer, you first had to pass an exam to move from Midshipman to Lieutenant, and that took years of training to get to that point. The average age of midshipmen was between 16 and 17 years old, however, there were documented cases of boys as young as 9 entering as midshipmen.
As a sailor myself, i love this movie. We really act like this.
The ship they're fighting is physically modeled after the USS Constitution. A ship that was so indestructible, it's the oldest serving naval vessel in the world TODAY.
It is based on a book series (20 books total, 1969-2000) by Patrick O'Brian.
If you think that cutting the man adrift was an unpleasant look into the horrors of war then you should perhaps check out the film _The Cruel Sea_ which has a similar infamous scene. Set during the Battle of the Atlantic it gives the reciprocal view of the film _Das Boot_ from the perspective of the British sailors.
“There are some men in the water just there…”
“Well, there’s a U-boat right underneath them!”
12:18 back in the day enlisted men were not allowed to sing if an officer (even if only a midshipman) starts to sing. Thus, the officer, unintentionally, interrupted the sailors' fun.
In line with the naval theme, I recommend you guys watch the series Black Sails. Best written story I've ever watched.
Peter Weir as director = solid flick. Great reaction! A hidden gem for sure.
Yes they measured speed by seeing how many evenly spaced rope knots pass by in a specific time.
So, here's a little bit of fun fact: Remember when they say the Acheron was Yankee built? The creators of this movie actually based the Acheron on a real-life American frigate. It was called the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship afloat. And second oldest only to the HMS Victory.
The USS constitution would wreak havoc on British vessels, they would fire back on the Constitution, but their cannon balls seemed to just bounce off of her hull. That's because it's made of a mixture of white oak, and live oak, a much stronger wood than white oak which all British vessels were made of. A crewmate was quoted in shouting "huzzah huzzah, her sides are made of iron" hence gave her the nick name "Old Ironsides"
USS Constitution was never caught, and only one other ship of her class was captured. But yeah, the American ships were CRAZY and though not as numerous as the Royal Navy, they still gave them a run for their money. It got so bad to a point the Royal Navy barred their ships from going after American ships without at least two other ships with them.
Edit: My mistake, it was 2 others not one.
Two were captured, the Chesapeake and the President and both by smaller 5th rate frigattes
@@wolf310ii
Not exactly.
Chesapeake was captured by one of similar size to her, and President was captured by a squadron of Royal Navy vessels. Small detail but yeah.
@@luckyday465768 The Chesapeape was a 4th rate 44 gun frigatte, the HMS Shannon was a 5th rate 38 gun frigatte, 500 tons ligther and 20 feet shorter.
The HMS Endymion was also a 5th rate at the time the President did surrender to her, and alone, the squadron was out of sight.
The President tried to escape, only to almost immediatly surrender again when the sqadron catch up with her.
@@wolf310ii
That's interesting, 'cause I did a quick research on Wikipedia and what you say is not supported but oh well.
Chesapeake was a 38 gun frigate because of delays in her construction. I was originally supposed to be a 44 gun ship but it was changed to 38.
President was damaged by 4 frigates and the Endymion wad able to lay the last shots on her. After that she struck her colors.
It was a 1v4 fight not a 1 on 1 fight like you make it out to be.
To explain the part at 12:15, officers in those days were not supposed to take part in songs with enlisted crewmen. In these days, enlisted crewmen were basically homeless children/YAs seized off the street against their will to serve aboard ships. Service in the navy was not really voluntary for them. Meanwhile, a navy officer was at least from an upper middle class family, if not a wealthy or even noble family. So it was a HUGE no-no for officers to take part in the games and songs of the enlisted crewmen.
This general feeling even carried over into the US military for well over a century and a half. The US military just recently combined officers' and enlisteds' clubs in the last couple of decades.
one of my favorite movies ever! wish they could have followed up with a part two
Paul Bethany, and Russell Crowe! what a duo! (At the time, a movie critic said that R. Crow was the most incompetent actor on the planet. Can you believe it?).
Some rules in a pirate ship of long ago are brought forward to today's Navy for the structure of organization and moral within a ship being that the seas can be so extremely brutal.
Most sailors wasent killed by the actual canon ball, they were killed by their own ship. As in the wooden shrapnel, much like how a hand grenade kills.
4:16 Midshipboys were often very young and were the officers in charge when you are from royal heritage and want to become admiral you had to start early to reach admiral rang at around 35.
12:18 Hollom is fraternizing with ordinary crew member that was a big no no in royal navy. It was believed make officers weak and unable to make necessary sacrifices for the crew.
Jack Aubrey and his adventure is heavy influence by the real life from thomas cochrane. This david vs goliath story is inspired by his serving time on the HMS Speedy where he captures sucessfully the El Gamo a ship 3 times the size and 6 times the personel.
The archeron is basically the USS Constitution…..which is the oldest commisioned ship in the US navy…..and you can visit her in Boston…she was 36-0 in combat..built to be bigger than any british frigate and faster than a ship of the line…which would outgun it…..often carrying 56 guns..not the rated 44….britsh frigates more often carried 12 lbers…..the constitution would carry….long range 24 lbers and 32 lb short range guns…britsh used to fighting weaker french ships time and again would charge the original 6 frigates america built..only to be crushed… a great book to read is “ six frigates” and Nelson love and fame
The surprise in this movie carries 9 lbers……its very much the weaker ship probably throwing 11x9 lbs. and some smaller guns vs the archerons 15x24 and 10 x32. The fire power is probaly 5 times that of the surprise..or more….not to mention the live oak and armor
Also the movie starts in 1805….NELSON is mentioned …..he is a living hero in 1805….Nelson dies perhaps as the greatest british hero…ever…..in october 1805…at trafalger….destroying napoleons last chance to invade britain…now trafalgar square in london..has nelsons column …he rises above all….and in my opinion the bravest leader who ever comanded anything.
Also the boys in the film..are often second and third or more sons…who wont inherit..they r often middle to upper class..with a sponser to get them a spot on ship…and are officers over the lower Class often times pressed into service men…..admiral nelson himself was 12 when he joined the navy…..he took apeice of wood to the head almost lost his scalp….took a stone to the eye and was blinded in taht eye....lost an arm…and…lost his life….leading from the front..always
This is an awesome movie that almost no one talks about. Also sounds incredible on surround sound. I used to sell high end TV and sound systems and we used this movie to show off some of our high end speakers and receivers. I had the DVD and I bought the Blu-ray just for the sound when i finally build my surround sound. I stream everything now, but this was years ago, I still have that blu-ray in storage though with about 200 or so physical copies of movies i just couldn’t bring myself to get rid off.
It's important to consider class in this film. Class dominated this society and what's interesting is that the boy is actually Lord Blakeney and so he's the social superior of everyone on the ship, including the captain, even at the age of 12 or whatever he is. Of course they weren't stupid so they weren't going to allow him to give orders to superior officers or command the ship but his entire life would have been preparing him to lead and he'd be well aware of that by the age of 12. He was born into a life of leadership. Luckily for the ship he's almost unnaturally brave, intelligent, decent and kind. It's all fictional too.
I liked the momment when Jack visits Blakeney after he loses his arm and brings him that book about Lord Nelson. Lord Nelson did lose his right arm in his 20's during a landing operation which his arm was shattered by a cannonball. By showing Blakeney that drawing of Nelson without his arm Jack was telling him "Your naval career isn't over. See Lord Nelson lost his right arm and he's England's greatest admiral."
He's also a Midshipman and literally being trained to be an officer one day. Of course those always came from upper class families, so your point still stands.
@@HDreamer not true. The Army in those days was very like that, and although you could buy your commission in the Navy, merit talked far more - due to the time operating away from port. Many officers were promoted from the ranks, and that prompted the likes of Wellington to pursue a similar policy in the Army.
And also, the middle and lower class could buy their commission - which was possible due to the navy's distributuon of prize money.
One of the few inaccuracies is that the enemy boat is American, because of the fact it was made in Boston harbor and the wood used having cannonballs bounce off which is what gave Old Ironsides its nickname. They said that they changed it to a “French” enemy because they feared audiences wouldn’t like Americans being the bad guy.
Hollom, the one who killed himself was an officer. So when the sailors were singing, it was not acceptable for him to join in because they were of different class.
Back then men went to sea for years. Richard Henry Dana (Dana Point California) who wrote Two Years Before the Mast, sailed up and down the California coast for two years collecting cow hides Before returning to Boston.
A must see by Peter Weir's "Gallipoli" with a young Mel Gibson
Thanks for the reaction. Peter Weir is underrated as a director. This film is a masterpiece, his best imo, but you two might like some of his other movies for the channel. Dead Poet's Society, Truman Show, Witness, Gallipoli spring to mind.
I would not say underrated so much as overlooked. In general movie discussions his name does not come up as often as say Quentin Tarantino's despite his stellar filmography.
Amazing movie and book series. Lord Blakeney is a badass kid lol Takes command of the ship during the boarding, runs the canon battery when he sees the Acheron is trying to hit their hull during the boarding, then fuck it, let's lead an assault party onto the enemy ship as well haha.
Love this movie, a piece of History immortalized in film! Always felt like part of the crew and love the hunt!
Guys, I heard you wondering if this was based on a true story, I won't spoil it for you, but I highly recommend the History Buffs TH-cam channel review of Master and Commander, which breaks down the authenticity of the movie for historical accuracy, context, and reveals the source material, which I consider as a sort of companion piece for this movie, it's a must see, I cannot recommend it enough.
They all froze up when Hollum started singing partly because they don't like him and partly because the crew were singing and officers aren't supposed to mix with sailors so he broke protocol.
If you've never had a dental infection that required self-surgery you cannot understand the relief felt by resolving the source of the pain. Nearly any action that stops the pain not only seems prudent, but necessary. And you don't regret having done it.
Great Movie, Thx for Your Point of View
Yes, 12 knots is literal knots. That's where it comes from. :)
They cut away from the arm amputation right to the sailors chipping the arm off the figurehead.
Subtle. 8:37.
Best opening scene ever. Greatest sound design. Amazing filmmaking from an amazing filmmaker. Not a single bad thing about this movie. 👌🏻
Thanks tbr and samantha. Seriously one if my favourite movies
A beautiful mind is a great Russell Crowe film.👍
It's a fictional story, based on a series of novels, with invented people and events inspired by history. One of the key changes was in making the ship they were pursuing French. In the novel it was an American ship, (why after all would a revolutionary French war ship be made in the US?) The makers thought an American audience might not be able to cope with an American antagonist.
Why would the RN use a french ship to chase an american ship? The HMS Surprise was build in France.
The USA had plenty of wood and dockyards, why shouldnt they build ships for everyone who can pay? The US did build ships for France
@@wolf310ii I take your point, bit that was a captured ship, renamed , that was very common. Here we have the US providing a revolutionary design to a foreign power. Its possible but unlikely. My main point was that the nationality of the ship was changed for the film. It was I believe based on the USS Constitution, and the action took place in the War of 1812.
I kind of like the open ending. I know it was propably made to signal a sequel but it's still okay to leave it open what happens afterwards.
You ask, if it's realistic. It's the best depiction of naval warfare and life aboard a navy ship during napoleonic times in a movie. To use that 'decoi'-boat and to pretend to be a merchant were tricks used by Thomas Cochrane, Earl of Dundonald in real life. In fact he is the prototype for Jack Aubrey, Horatio Hornblower and some other heroes in literature. If you want more of it, watch the documentary Thomas Cochrane: Craziest Sea Captain in History by the youtube-channel Kings and Generals. They have it as series of short episodes or as single video, over an hour long.
If you can get the DVD extended version, you'll be able to react to the behind-the-scenes, director's commentary
Beautiful, Beautiful, film.
This film is 1 of a few I can watch twice a year and never get tired of it. Love it.
My favourite film of all time, glad to see someone else enjoying it especially the historical element.
glad you on the same page as me !!
One of my favorite Star Trek movies, right along with Forbidden Planet, Galaxy Quest, and Wrath of Khan.
FYI -- as a general rule ----- big = ship, small = boat.
Do you guys understand the importance of the lesser of the two Evils joke? After that there were decisions that had to be made. Letting the man that fell into the water die was the lesser of the evils! Likewise, not saluting and breaking procedures after having whipped the sailor for doing that very thing was the lesser of the evils!
Also this movie was nominated for 10 academy awards, but only won two. There are many who felt that this movie would have won Best Picture award but was up against LORD OF THE RINGS, Which won everything
Weevil joke is brilliant.
Just like the 1st joke Hawkins tells Billy in Predator.
You know, this movie is so good it makes me want to read the book.
Yes Pippin was at the helm for this movie.
It is a movie on a boat???? It is a historic correct movie about the British navy of Lord Nelson operating in an overseas campaign in the time of the Napoleonic Wars. It is very close to a documentation.Most authentic historical movie (after Rob Roy) i have ever seen.
26:33 Fitting the tortoise for a necktie.
OMG people are reacting to this movie? Yes! I love this movie.
28:13 "Spyglass" is what you are looking for... 🤓
Still one of the best movies ever made, I love this one
I would highly recommend the book series this movie is adapted from. The Author Patrick O'Brien makes C.S. Forester look like a childrens book author. They are simply the finest novels I have ever read.
You guys definitely need to check out "A Beautiful Mind" with Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly and many others. Aside from Gladiator, it's Crowe's best movie in my opinion.
probably the most accurate depiction of life at sea in the 1800s. fantastic movie that doesn't get enough recognition.
I love this movie. How they show us the "microcosm" on a ship in the times of the napolenic wars is a masterpiece.
The Age of Wooden Ships & Iron Men.
@@frankgesuele6298 I love this ^^^^^
I saw this at the cinema when it opened. I’d never witnessed such visceral, “you’re in the middle of it all” battle scenes before, with just the right amount of humor laced throughout to lighten the mood. And the game of cat & mouse between the ships’ captains kept you guessing right until the very end. Outstanding film, I wish they had continued the story though..
Much like saving Private Ryan is the zenith of modern warfare films, this is the best “age of ships” film.
I will always be a little regretful that this wasn’t a bigger hit, as we could have one or two more of these films, but maybe it’s fitting that we only got this singular gem.
It was jaw dropping at the theater...and the soundtrack!!
I remember loving it at the cinema too. It felt like the canon balls were racing past underneath my feet!
@@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures EXACTLY!
Trivia: Captain Jack Aubrey wasn't a real person, but he is based on a real ship's captain from that era, Lord Thomas Cochrane, who was an insanely gifted naval officer, who almost never lost an engagement, even with the odds drastically against him. The French nicknamed him The Sea Wolf. The Admiralty in England hated him, and gave him just a small schooner to command in the Mediterranean against the entire French navy, but that didn't stop him from bagging 53 enemy ships, many much larger than his.
(After the war, he left for Chile and helped them build their navy-one time taking like six forts in one night with one ship!-then went to Brazil and did the same there, carrying on his amazing naval skills. He literally once sailed into an enemy port with one ship under a false flag to reconnoiter, and when they figured out it was him they just surrendered the whole port to him rather than fight him, based solely on his reputation!)
The young actor playing the young gentleman who lost his arm also played Octavian in the fantastic tv-series Rome, which would make for a great reaction. There are only two seasons, and 10-ish episodes each. Mostly told through the perspective of two Roman soldiers, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, with season one's backstory focusing on Julius Caesar, and the second on Octavian and the power struggle between him and Marc Anthony. Great cast and performances all around. Quite a violent story obviously, but well worth a watch.. :)
Yes
Such a fantastic show, and possibly my favorite of HBO’s catalogue. I think they’d love it.
Upvote this person! Such an amazing series.
Yep, one of the best series HBO ever produced. Cheers! to HBO for that. HOWEVER, it was intended to last five seasons but HBO cancelled it prior to the completion of season 2. This forced the writers to cram the content of seasons 3-5 into the last episodes of season 2. BOOOOOO!!! to HBO for depriving us of those last three seasons that the Rome creators intended to give us.
For what would have happened in later seasons there is always the award winning BBC drama _I Claudius_ from the 1970s. The budgets are much lower but it is every bit as gripping.
One of my favorite films ever. The performances, the costumes, the set, the cinematography, the CGI and sound design. The Writing!! The Writing By God!!
"Take away the men's grog? Mutiny I wager!"
It's so good you don't even think about CGI being used.
One of my favorite films ever as well. I watched the making of this and was very impressed about how very much they strove to make it realistic, including filming on an actual ship in actual fog. And the reason there were so many kids was that in real life, that was the case, one reason being because they ate less food than a whole crew of adults, so the ship's food rations could last long enough.
My God, that's penmanship!
They managed to really capture the spirit of the books without really using much directly from them. The only real departure is casting a classically handsome dude as the doctor but hey I guess they need to make a movie, and Paul B does a great job.
The reason why the Doctor doesn’t act like he’s part of the crew and has a more civilian appeal is because he is a civilian. It was very common at the time for navies around the world to hire professional surgeons/doctors for their ships. The fact alone that he is widely respected by the crew despite not even being in the Navy gives credit to his medical skill and service.
As for the reason why the Royal Navy had many young boys on their ships was for two purposes. To act as ammo-carriers and ship-assistants for tasks that require nimble and small figure and officers-in-training. During the time, it was essential for Naval Officers to start their military careers at a young age, since hands-on experience is far superior than being in a classroom. They would “learn” through service under the guidance of the ship they’re assigned to until they graduate and receive their commission. Most of the non-officer boys were mostly orphans or runaways taken in by the navy, and most of them would spend the rest of their lives serving. Back in the day, Naval service wasn’t just a job, it was a life.
Well most upper class kids joined the navy or army as officers were 2nd or 3rd born sons, so they wouldn't have inherited their parents money or social position, so they had to make their own fortunes and careers, until the Napoleonic war happened military careers were looked down upon by polite society
Another big reason is the author of the stories uses the doctor as a audience stand in so the characters have a reason to explain what would be common knowledge for them.
It isn’t “just a job” these days either. Trust me on that.
We still give direct commission to doctors, nurses, lawyers, clergymen and I am 80% certain to engineers in all the US military branches except the Marine Corps.
Actually, these child "midshipmen" are for the most part sons of fellow captains and commanders who aspire to follow in their father's footsteps. They can't serve under their own fathers so they are petitioned to serve on other ships, usually under officers who are well respected among their peers.
Captain Aubrey had a reputation as a very thorough instructor in mathematics and navigation, which go hand in hand. It was also risky because Jack was extremely bold and these children ran the risk of death or being maimed in battle. However, they achieved opportunities for rapid advancement because of the certitude of battle under his command.
Fun fact. The particular book this film is based on is actually about the Surprise chasing the United States Ship Norfolk during the war of 1812, but was changed to have them fight the French to appeal to the US audience. I love this film, one of the most accurate depictions of Napoleonic Military life available.
And the reason she was still American built was the Americans used their native Red Oak for their frigates, which was a lot tougher than the Old World variety.
I knew about that. I know the US box office is important to a movie, but it's kind of sad that the American audience is so sensitive as to be unable to enjoy a movie because the "enemy" is an American ship. I guess no one cares if the French are offended. lol
@@clash5j I doubt the French would be offended.
@@cassu6 That's kind of my point, which perhaps I didn't explain so well. The producers knew the French could not care less if the enemy ship was French. The French know it's just entertainment. So, why are Americans (and I'm one) so easily offended to the point that they wouldn't go to a film because the enemy and losers are American? We seriously need to get over ourselves.
@@reverance_pavane Live Oak.
Mr. Blakeney, the young man who loses his arm, is one of my all-time favorite supporting characters in film. Such a great movie!
Goes from a young naive kid to a brave competent officer and leader.
Often missed by viewers as it's only said once, but he's actually Lord Blakeney!