MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD

'''Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World''' is a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey, with Paul Bettany as Stephen Maturin. It is adapted from three novels in the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian.

Contents

Summary

Plot

Adaptation

Cast

Awards

76th Academy Awards

2003 National Board of Review

Soundtrack

Historical authenticity

Books about the movie

External links

Summary

Captain Jack Aubrey follows a French frigate into the Pacific Ocean in a chase that leads to a bloody climax. A subplot involves his friend Stephen Maturin's desire to explore the Galapagos to examine its fauna and flora; the hunt of ''Acheron'' repeatedly frustrates this desire in spite of Aubrey's intentions. This leads to tension between the two friends as Maturin accuses Jack (who has, it appears, far exceeded his original commission) of needlessly pursuing the ''Acheron'' in order to satisfy his own pride.

Plot

It is the year 1805, in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars between Great Britain and the French Empire. The Royal Navy frigate, HMS ''Surprise'', commanded by Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey, is off the North coast of Brazil, on patrol for enemy ships, acting on orders to intercept and capture or destroy the French Privateer ''Acheron'', bound for the South Seas and the Pacific “intent on carrying the war into those waters”.
In the opening scene, the ''Surprise'' is bound by fog, with low visibility. At just after five bells of the morning watch, a sailor on the forecastle calls aft to the officer of the watch on the Quarterdeck, Midshipman Hollom, claiming to have heard a bell striking. After a moments hesitation, Hollom sees a ghostly shape, resembling a three-masted ship, in the distance, but when he looks again, it has vanished into the fog. Displaying signs of an unconfident officer, Hollom hesitates to clear the ship for action, unwilling to disturb the officers unnecessarily, causing the deputy watch officer, Midshipman Callamy to call the men to Quarters himself.
The senior officers 1st Lieutenant Pullings, Dr Stephen Maturin, and Captain Aubrey rouse. Upon arriving on the forecastle, Aubrey is unconvinced by Hollom’s poor description of the ghostly ship, and sends the men back to their posts, but does not stand them down. The ‘Bosun then calls six bells, the ringing echoing out over the water. Seconds later, the Surprise is raked by grapeshot from an unseen cannon. Luckily, Aubrey noticed the telltale flashes in the fog moments before, and shouted to the crew to lie on the deck to avoid harm. Their enemy appears out of the fog, a large three-master flying the French tricolore flag. It is immediately obvious that the ''Surprise'' is outmatched by this larger ship, which carries twice her complement of cannons. The ''Surprise'' raises her own colors, the Naval Red Ensign, and Captain Aubrey orders his ship into battle.
The battle goes ill for the ''Surprise''. In the first few minutes, she is hit three times by enemy fire before her own guns are in range, injuring Hollom and Pullings. Callamy sends a younger Midshipman, Blakeney, to fetch the Captain to command the gun crews. When ''Surprise'' is finally in firing range, the result is daunting; the French ship’s hull appears to be impervious to gunfire. Meanwhile the British ship is hit again and again, inundating Maturin with casualties, the spilt blood making the decks slippery.
The ''Surprise'' is finally overwhelmed by the French ship, now revealed to be the ''Surprise’s'' target, the ''Acheron''. But with her hull breached, flooding the cargo holds with seawater, and the rudder damaged beyond immediate repair, Captain Aubrey has no choice but to flee, ordering his officers to use the ship's boats to tow it into the fog. The ploy is successful, and the ''Acheron'' loses sight of the ''Surprise''.
Hours later, night has fallen. Jack is inspecting the damage to his vessel. The flooding is under control, but the ship is crippled. There are nine dead, and 27 wounded, including young Blakeney, who has a broken arm and appears to be developing a fever, and the captain himself, revealed after Stephen pulls a nail out of his neck. Later in the Captain’s Cabin, the officers and the Doctor discuss the battle, claiming that it was an unfair match and not in the least bit dishonorable, when Sailing Master Allen informs Jack that the ''Surprise'' can likely make it back to Portsmouth with little more than basic repairs. It is then that Jack drops the bombshell that he intends to carry out his orders, refit the ship as best they can at sea, and pursue the ''Acheron'' themselves.
The next few days, the crew works flat out to shore up the ship to ready her for voyaging again. Blakeney’s arm turns gangrenous, forcing Dr. Maturin to amputate. The Doctor also provides ‘entertainment’ for the deck hands, the on-deck trepanning of Able Seaman Plaise’s skull, which was fractured in the attack.
Jack later visits Blakeney, who has recovered from his ordeal, and gives him a biography of Admiral Lord Nelson, describing the Battle of the Nile, at which Jack had the honor of serving. The gift raises Blakeney’s spirits visibly, possibly because it reminds him that he can still be a hero with only one arm, just as Nelson was.
Once the ship is repaired and underway, Jack is visited by two of the sailors, Warley and Nagle, who present him with a model the ''Acheron'', which Warley apparently witnessed being built in Boston. Aubrey thanks the pair, rewarding them with an extra ration of rum, to the chagrin of the Captain’s steward, Killick.
Jack later shows the splendidly accurate model to his officers. They now know what they are up against; they could not defeat the ''Acheron'' through regular tactics, as her revolutionary design allows her hull planking to be much thicker than usual, though Jack notes that she is still vulnerable at the stern, like all ships at that time, though the officers are less convinced.
A few days later, the ''Surprise'' receives her first news of the ''Acheron'' while taking on supplies from a Brazilian sea settlement. The news is not good, as it would seem to predict that the French ship is more than three weeks ahead of them, damping Jack’s spirits.
A day or two later, the crew is having a night-time 'shindig' on the main deck, watched over by the officers, standing separate on the Quarterdeck. Joe Plaice finally regains consciousness at this point, causing great merriment among the men. They fall silent suddenly, as Midshipman Hollom unexpectedly attempts to join their songs, which makes them uncomfortable, as this is unusual behavior for an officer, of any rank.
As the men take up their songs again, unbeknownst to them, the ''Surprise'' is being watched through a telescope from a distance.
The next morning, the Captain is awoken by shouts from above that a ship has been sighted astern, following the ''Surprise''. It is quickly recognized as the ''Acheron'', who once again has an advantageous angle of attack. As Jack orders every one of the sails set, in a hope to outrun the enemy until at least nightfall, he ponders on the motives of the French captain, wondering if the man bears a grudge against him for some unknown reason. Stephen comments, “He fights like you, Jack.”
As night falls, ''Acheron'' has advanced on ''Surprise'' enough to begin firing ranging shots at her. Jack, however, has a plan to both escape their guns, and gain a tactical advantage, by placing lights on a decoy ‘float’, resembling the lights of the ''Surprise'', to fool the ''Acheron'' while they turn and come up behind her, a long shot at sea, especially at night.
However, in the morning, Jack’s luck is proven again; as the sun rises, the ''Acheron’s'' sails can be seen in the distance ahead of them. The ''Surprise'' finally has the advantage.
By the time they reach Cape Horn, the ''Surprise'' is gaining on the ''Acheron'' steadily, though at severe risk to the damaged old frigate, as the chase proceeds through a fierce storm. As the Horn is sighted, the Surprise loses sight of the "Acheron" as she is forced to bring in sail to avoid capsizing. Too late it turns out, as the mizzen topmast is torn off the ship by the wind , even as Mr Hollom is sent to assist in the lowering of the sails, taking Warley with into the churning seas of the "roaring '40s" with it. With the wreckage pulling the ''Surprise'' broadside-on to the fierce wind and waves, which threaten to sink her, Jack is forced to cut the ropes attaching the wreckage to the ship, Warley’s only way of rescue, and orders Warley’s best friend, Joseph Nagle, to assist him. The ''Surprise'' is saved, but Warley is lost at sea to certain death, to the dismay of the crew, causing Jack considerable guilt. While trying to comfort him, Stephen gently suggests that the chase has gone on too long, and that Jack may have become blinded by his own pride, wounded by the constant success of the French ship, which has now vanished completely.
As ''Surprise'' turns north, entering the South Pacific, Aubrey gives his officers the ship’s new destination, the uninhabited Galapagos Islands, where he is certain the ''Acheron'' will be headed, given that it is the position of Britain’s rich whaling fleet. The men appear to be more taken with the idea of seeing new shores again after weeks at sea. The Doctor later reveals his own desires to Jack, as the Galapagos are legendary to Naturalists such as himself, calling them ‘Las Encantadas’, the Enchanted Isles, full of never before seen birds and beasts, providing a possibility of fame and fortune for Stephen as their discoverer. Jack promises his friend that he will be granted several days of wandering on the islands.
When the ''Surprise'' reaches the islands, the crew is elated by the sight of land again, and the Doctor engages young Blakeney in a viewing of the amazing new species, visible even from the ship’s deck. Jack, however, seems uninterested, until he spots wreckage, and then a raft approaching, flying a white flag. The men on the raft turn out to be the surviving crew of the ''Albatross'', a whaling ship, burned by a “big, black three-master”, which also captured many of their crew, and stole their valuable cargo of oil. Energised, Jack orders all hands to make sail, to the annoyance of the Doctor, who angrily claims that Jack has become blinded by his desire to conquer the ''Acheron'', to which Jack retorts that his ship is not a private yacht, and that “We do not have time for your damned hobbies, sir!”, insulting the Doctor, who leaves the cabin in silence, causing Jack more guilt. Stephen's spirits are later raised slightly by the efforts of young Blakeney, who presents him with a curious beetle he found on the deck, calling it a ‘Galapagos beetle’.
Some days into their continued voyage from the Galapagos, ''Surprise'' is met by a dead calm in blistering Pacific heat. Jack is infuriated by this setback, which in turn affects the mood of the crew. Murmurs have begun in the lower decks concerning Midshipman Hollom, whom many believe to be the cause of ''Surprise’s'' bad luck, given that it was on his watch that the ''Acheron'' appeared both times, he who went up the mast before Warley fell, and that he hesitated to alert the captain when the ''Acheron'' was first sighted, calling him ‘Jonah’, one of the worst stigmas aboard a Nineteenth Century ship. Still bitter at the loss of his friend, Nagle is disrespectful, eventually openly insubordinate towards Hollom, which Jack witnesses, and orders that Nagle be flogged for disobedience, and later chastises Hollom for failing to order this himself. Stephen and Jack have a disagreement over the need for corporal punishment to maintain order and discipline onboard, with Jack angered by Stephen's criticism. However, Nagle’s punishment only spreads the distrust of Hollom among the rest of the crew, until Jack himself calls him ‘Jonah’.
Finally, unable to cope, and believing himself to be cursed, Hollom commits suicide by jumping into the ocean. At his memorial service on the deck the next morning, Jack is subdued, and asks God to forgive his and the crew’s failure to respect Hollom, causing his death. A silence ensues, all the crew bowing their heads, during which a faint wind begins to ruffle the sails.
The chase begins again, the first rain since before the calm elating the crew, though Jack is still morose, frustrated that there is still no sign of their foe.
A few days later, disaster strikes when, in an attempt to shoot down a gull, Marine Captain Howard accidentally shoots Stephen through the abdomen. The assistant surgeon informs Jack that unless the bullet can be removed it will cause horrific infection, but, while he assures the captain that he will do his best, it is clear that, unless he is on dry land, it is unlikely that the inexperienced man will succeed in removing the bullet. Just hours after this incident, a sail is spotted on the horizon ahead. Most believe it to be the ''Acheron'' again. Jack is now faced with a difficult choice; follow the ship he has chased almost a quarter the way around the globe, or save his closest friend.
Stephen regains consciousness as he is being carried on a stretcher from the ''Surprise’s'' boat to a flat spot on the side of a hill, where a tent has been erected. He realizes with shock that they have returned to the Galapagos.
As he is now conscious, the Doctor refuses to allow his assistant to perform the surgery, claiming that he will do it himself, with the aid of a mirror. Though it causes him great pain, Stephen succeeds and is well enough to stand by the time he wakes next morning. He speaks to Jack on a promontory, looking out over the bay in which the ''Surprise'' is anchored, and is astonished to hear a change in his friend, who seems to have given up his chase with little trouble, intending to remain at the islands for at least a week. Grateful, claiming that Jack has “burdened me with a debt I can never fully repay”, Stephen realizes that he now has the opportunity to explore the famous Galapagos. Traveling the island with Blakeney and Padeen, he is able to make many discoveries, including a type of flightless cormorant and an amphibious iguana, which he is keenly interested in capturing to present to the Royal Society. From the top of a hill, as he examines a beetle, Stephen notices a large three-masted ship sailing into one of the island bays, a ship flying the French flag. The ''Acheron'' has returned. During the hurried return to camp, Stephen's bullet wound slows him down, forcing Padeen to release the captive specimens and carry the Doctor back to camp.
On the trio’s return, the ''Surprise'' immediately prepares for battle, though it is unclear how they will gain any advantage this time.
Looking in on the Doctor and Blakeney as they unload what specimens they were able to bring along, Jack is shown a stick-insect on a twig, and Blakeney explains that it is disguised as a stick as a defense, to confuse its predators. Jack is intrigued…
That night, ''Surprise'' is transformed to ''‘Syren’'', a whaling ship, a disguise that Jack knows will attract the ''Acheron'' when she sees them. The ''Acheron'' is sighted shortly afterwards, and quickly takes the bait, turning to chase the ''Surprise'', which quickly makes a panicky display of fleeing, seeming an easy target to a ship as powerful as ''Acheron''. As the battle approaches, Jack gathers the crew on the gun deck, outlining their plan, and reminding the men of their obligation and duty to their country, and that "''Surprise'' is on our side!”
It is only a matter of hours before ''Acheron'' catches up with the disguised frigate, demanding that they stop, or be destroyed. As the unsuspecting French ship comes alongside, Jack orders the ambush unveiled; cannon and musket fire strike the Acheron. The guns succeed in toppling the ''Acheron’s'' mainmast, and as the enemy ship draws ahead, they fire into her stern, cannon shot racing down her length and dislodging many of her guns.
Victory in sight, and leaving the "Surprise" under the command of young Blakeney, Jack and Lieutenant Pullings board the ''Acheron'' in separate parties but are quickly ambushed themselves as the French sailors fight to defend their ship, and a battle ensues, in which Master Allen, Nagle and many others of the ''Surprise’s'' crew are killed. The tide is turned when Callamy, promoted to acting Lieutenant, succeeds in freeing the captive crew of the ''Albatross'', who swell the ''Surprise’s'' numbers.
The battle over, and the ''Surprise'' victorious, Jack searches the defeated ''Acheron'' for her captain, directed to the infirmary by a French sailor. When he arrives, a man introduces himself as “Docteur de Vigny”, telling Jack that the French captain was killed, which saddens Jack, as he had wished to meet him. More sad news awaits Jack, as he finds Stephen standing over the body of young Callamy. A funeral service is later held on the deck of the ''Surprise'', and Jack pays his respect to Callamy by posthumously naming him a lieutenant.
The ''Acheron'' and ''Surprise'' repaired, the British ship now returned to her former appearance, Jack gives command of the ''Acheron'' to Lieutenant Pullings, naming him ‘Captain’ Pullings after ordering him to take the French ship to Valparaiso, while the ''Surprise'' returns to the Galapagos.
As the ''Acheron'' sails away, Stephen remarks when alone with Jack that he hopes they reach shore safely with only his “poor unfortunate” assistant surgeon to provide medical care for them, surprising Jack. Jack tells of his meeting with de Vigny, becoming angry with himself when Stephen reveals that Doctor de Vigny had actually died months ago, meaning that Jack had likely fallen for a rouse concealing the still alive French captain. As Jack gives orders to once more give chase to the ''Acheron'', Stephen is again frustrated to be denied the chance to further explore the Galapagos. Jack notes that since the bird he seeks is flightless, it "isn't going anywhere."
With that, the HMS ''Surprise'' sails off into the distance, her adventures apparently far from over.

Adaptation

The film is constructed from episodes from several novels in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series. The main plot, in which Aubrey in HMS ''Surprise'' chases an enemy frigate round Cape Horn into the Pacific, is based loosely on ''The Far Side of the World'', but the American frigate USS ''Norfolk'' in the book becomes the American-built French privateer ''Acheron'' in the film (the ''Acheron'' is based on 44-gun American frigates like the USS ''Constitution''). The stern chase around Cape Horn is taken from the novel ''Desolation Island'', although the ''Acheron'' replaced the Dutch ship of the line ''Waakzaamheid'', the ''Surprise'' replaced the ''Leopard'' and in the book it is Aubrey who is being pursued around the Cape of Good Hope. The episode in which Aubrey deceives the enemy by means of a raft bearing lanterns is taken from ''Master and Commander'', and the episode in which Maturin operates on himself to remove a bullet is taken from ''HMS Surprise''.
The film is largely faithful in plot to the novels, although there are a few major departures from the series. In the movie, Stephen Maturin inadvertently gives Jack Aubrey the inspiration to disguise ''Surprise'' as a whaling ship to fool an enemy, implying that this is a new idea for Aubrey. However, in the first Aubrey/Maturin book ''Master and Commander'', Aubrey regularly uses the tactic of disguising his ship during his very first command, and it is described as a common tactic used by warships to approach unsuspecting targets and avoid attention from larger enemy ships. The exploit of setting up a decoy of a large ship at night by attaching lights to a small boat was executed by the French privateer ''Robert Surcouf'' to successfully escape the British frigate HMS ''Sybille''. It was also used by Lord Cochrane and described in his ''Autobiography of a Seaman'', which was used by Patrick O'Brian as source material for his novel ''Master and Commander''. In that novel, Jack Aubrey's first command, HMS ''Sophie'' escapes by using this tactic, while in the film it is '' Surprise'' which escapes ''Acheron'' using this trick.
The movie gives the impression that Jack Aubrey promotes his first lieutenant, Pullings, who receives his new captaincy with joy. In fact only the Admiralty could make such promotions, and the difficulty obtaining them is a recurring theme in the books. This was especially true for men such as Pullings, who as a member of a lower class without money or social connections might spend years hoping in vain for advancement. It was, however, possible for Captains (such as Aubrey) to make a lieutenant an Acting Captain for the duration of the commission — which was usually until the ship (in this case, the captured ''Acheron'') arrived with all-important dispatches back in London (something which usually merited a promotion), and which is where Pullings is bound for — eventually — at the end of the film.
In the novel, Pullings has already been promoted to Commander, but has not yet been given a command of his own. He accompanied Captain Aubrey on this mission in order to avoid being left on shore with nothing to do, as well as improve his prospects for being given command of a ship by demonstrating his zeal for king and country.
Probably the largest difference between the film and the books is the profession of Stephen Maturin. In the books he is a spy for England (as well as being a physician and naturalist), but although several references to both his beliefs and to espionage in general are made, he is never shown to be a spy. The film also plays out the role of Hollom as a Jonah to a much greater extent.

Cast

★ Captain Jack Aubrey .... Russell Crowe

★ Dr. Stephen Maturin .... Paul Bettany

★ First Lt. Thomas Pullings .... James D'Arcy

★ Second Lt. William Mowett .... Edward Woodall

★ Captain Howard, Royal Marines .... Chris Larkin

★ Midshipman William Blakeney .... Max Pirkis

★ Midshipman Boyle .... Jack Randall

★ Midshipman Peter Myles Calamy .... Max Benitz

★ Midshipman Hollom .... Lee Ingleby

★ Midshipman Williamson .... Richard Pates

★ Mr. Allen, Sailing Master .... Robert Pugh

★ Mr. Higgins, Surgeon's Mate .... Richard McCabe

★ Mr. Hollar, Boatswain .... Ian Mercer

★ Mr. Lamb, Carpenter .... Tony Dolan

★ Preserved Killick, Captain's Steward .... David Threlfall

★ Barret Bonden, Captain's Coxswain.... Billy Boyd

★ Joseph Nagle, Carpenter's Mate .... Bryan Dick

★ William Warley, Captain of Mizzentop .... Joseph Morgan

★ Joe Plaice, Able Seaman .... George Innes

★ Michael Doudle, Able Seaman .... William Mannering

★ Awkward Davies, Able Seaman .... Patrick Gallagher

★ Nehemiah Slade, Able Seaman .... Alex Palmer

★ Mr. Hogg, Whaler .... Mark Lewis Jones

★ Padeen Colman, Loblolly Boy .... John De Santis

★ Black Bill, Steward's Mate .... Ousmane Thiam

★ Captain of the Acheron .... Thierry Segall

★ Private Trollope .... Aidan Black

Awards

76th Academy Awards

★ Won, Best Cinematography, Russell Boyd

★ Won, Best Sound Effects Editing, Richard King

★ Nominated, Best Picture

★ Nominated, Best Director, Peter Weir

★ Nominated, Best Art Direction

★ Nominated, Best Sound Mixing

★ Nominated, Best Costume Design

★ Nominated, Best Film Editing

★ Nominated, Best Visual Effects

★ Nominated, Best Makeup
''Master and Commander'' was released the same year as '', which won every award of the eleven that it was nominated for. The two awards that ''Master and Commander'' won were in categories that ''The Return of the King'' was not nominated for.

2003 National Board of Review

★ #10 Film of the Year

Soundtrack

The score includes an assortment of baroque and classical music, notably the first of Bach's Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007, played by Yo-Yo Ma; the third (Adagio) movement of Corelli's Christmas Concerto (Concerto grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8); and a recurring rendition of Ralph Vaughan Williams's Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis. The music played on cello before the end is Luigi Boccherini's String Quintet (Quintettino) for 2 violins, viola & 2 cellos in C major ("La musica notturna delle strade di Madrid"), G. 324 Op. 30.
The song sung in the wardroom is Don't Forget Your Old Shipmates.

Historical authenticity

The film's special edition DVD release contains behind-the-scenes material giving useful insights into the film-making process. Great efforts were made to reproduce the authentic look and feel of life aboard an early nineteenth century man of war. Some of the filming actually took place at sea on board ''Rose'' (a reproduction of the 18th century frigate HMS ''Rose''), while other scenes were shot on a full-scale replica mounted on gimbals in a large tank. The ''Rose'' is now renamed HMS ''Surprise'' in honor of her movie role and moored at the San Diego Maritime Museum as a dockside attraction. There was a third ship, HMS ''Surprise'' which was a scale model built by Weta Workshop. A storm sequence was enhanced using digitally-composited footage of waves actually shot on board a modern replica of Cook's ''Endeavour'' rounding Cape Horn. All of the actors were given a thorough grounding in the naval life of the period in order to make their performances as authentic as possible.

Books about the movie

★ 2003, UK, The Making of "Master and Commander": The "Far Side of the World", HarperCollins Entertainment (ISBN 0-00-715771-1), Pub date 6 October 2003, Paperback

★ 2003, USA, The Making of "Master and Commander": The "Far Side of the World", W W Norton & Co Ltd (ISBN 0-393-05865-4), Pub date 6 October 2003, Hardback

External links

★

★ Official 20th Century Fox web site