During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.
- Won 2 Oscars
- 23 wins & 90 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRussell Crowe learned to play violin for the film and referred to it as the hardest thing he'd ever done for a film.
- GoofsDuring the Storm when the Surprise is chasing the Acheron around Cape Horn, Barrett Bonden is shown alone at the wheel. It was customary on a Royal Navy vessel of the time to always have at least two men at the wheel both as a security measure in case one man was injured in battle, and because the rudder itself was extremely heavy and difficult to turn. During any sort of heavy weather there would certainly have been four or more men at the wheel as one man would not be able to control the rudder (which is why the ship has two connected wheels).
- Quotes
[Toasting]
Capt. Jack Aubrey: To wives and sweethearts.
Officers: To wives and sweethearts.
Capt. Jack Aubrey: May they never meet.
- Crazy creditsThere are no opening credits.
- ConnectionsEdited into Catalogue of Ships (2008)
- SoundtracksGhost of Time
Composed by Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon and Richard Tognetti
Performed by Iva Davies and Icehouse
Featured Violin Performance by Richard Tognetti
Orchestrated by Christopher Gordon
Featured review
While the film lacks traditional thrills and pacing, it gets huge marks for replicating what life was like at sea.
"Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" is a very unusual film because the filmmakers obviously were not attempting to make yet another Hollywood style blockbuster. Instead, they seemed to be doing the impossible--make a film that tries very hard to replicate what life was like at sea back during the Napoleonic Wars. As a retired history teacher, this is the sort of stuff I love--even if in the original, the 'bad guys' were actually the Americans and it was set during the War of 1812! I assume they changed the enemy to the French to make the film more marketable. After all, it would be a hard sell in the large American market to get the audiences to root for the British Navy in this altercation! The story occurs around the beginning of the 19th century. The Brits and French have been fighting off and on for almost a decade (and would continue to do so until 1815). The action is set aboard a British Naval ship commanded by Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe). His ship has encountered a larger and faster French vessel and managed to escape. However, instead of running, Crowe plays a very determined man--and spends much of the film hunting down this ship. Along the way, there are lots of adventures--mostly of the variety you might actually have seen during the era. I could talk about them, but frankly this would spoil the suspense.
Overall, while this film is very slowly and deliberately paced (which will obviously turn off some viewers), the film is so expertly crafted that for a reasonably patient viewer, it should be a very engaging film. The film looks great--with a lot of attention to details and accuracy. It also has the best looking sea footage you can find in a period film--especially when the ship is rounding the Cape (it must have been amazing on the big screen). The acting is lovely as well--understated but quite realistic. Well done in every way and the director really deserves kudos for this one. While I love films from the same period as "Damn the Defiant", "Captain Horatio Hornblower", "Mutiny on the Bounty" and the like, clearly "Master and Commander" is superior when it comes to accurately portraying the life of a seaman.
Overall, while this film is very slowly and deliberately paced (which will obviously turn off some viewers), the film is so expertly crafted that for a reasonably patient viewer, it should be a very engaging film. The film looks great--with a lot of attention to details and accuracy. It also has the best looking sea footage you can find in a period film--especially when the ship is rounding the Cape (it must have been amazing on the big screen). The acting is lovely as well--understated but quite realistic. Well done in every way and the director really deserves kudos for this one. While I love films from the same period as "Damn the Defiant", "Captain Horatio Hornblower", "Mutiny on the Bounty" and the like, clearly "Master and Commander" is superior when it comes to accurately portraying the life of a seaman.
helpful•1217
- planktonrules
- Jun 6, 2012
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Far Side of the World
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $150,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $93,927,920
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $25,105,990
- Nov 16, 2003
- Gross worldwide
- $211,622,535
- Runtime2 hours 18 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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What was the official certification given to Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) in India?
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