To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World. I’m not particularly keen on Russell Crow, an actor whose range often spans the entire gamut from A to B, and though I’ve read my fair share of sea stories, mostly Melville and Forester, I’ve never delved into the wildly popular Patrick O’Brien books upon which this film is based. It was with some surprise then that I found myself really enjoying this film on a number of levels.
 |
The plot of Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World is adapted from three different O’Brien titles in the Captain Jack Aubrey series. It’s 1805 and the British are fully involved in the Napoleonic wars with France. The HMS Surprise, commanded by “Lucky” Jack Aubrey, is patrolling the north cost of Brazil when the crew encounters a stealthy French frigate that seems to come out of nowhere and is practically impervious to attack. After an unsuccessful engagement with the mysterious ship, soon revealed to be the privateer Acheron, Aubrey assesses the damage to the Surprise, finds her in worse shape than expected and gives orders to retreat. Miraculously, the Surprise escapes the battle and limps to Portsmouth for repairs. From this point forward, the story plays out as a kind of Moby Dick story. Aubrey becomes obsessed with catching and defeating the Acheron, chasing the enemy ship for weeks along the coast and eventually around treacherous Cape Horn. Will Aubrey catch up to his prey, and if he does, will his ship be any more prepared for battle this time around? Is Aubrey’s obsession with the Acheron a legitimate expression of his duty to King and Country or has he crossed the line into pure unreasoning obsession?
 Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World stands firmly on the shoulders of its many sea bound predecessors. From Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Sea Hawk (1940) to The Caine Mutiny (1954), Moby Dick (1956) and Sink the Bismarck (1960), Hollywood has always had a fascination with the high seas. There’s something uniquely masculine about this kind of picture. Men in close quarters, on the open ocean, always close to danger from enemies and nature itself but sharing a microcosmic society with all the nuances of the big city. Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World is firmly rooted in this tradition. It’s a Man’s movie with a capital M.
138 minutes is a lot to fill up, and the film does drag at times, but the massive ensemble cast requires extended running time so we can get to know each of the dozen or more relevant characters. It plays like Dickens on a ship, or a very well made Masterpiece Theater with a gargantuan budget. Crow seems genetically disposed to play a buttoned  down British officer who’s a great leader and a man of deep integrity and purpose. The depth of his portrayal of Aubrey is an unexpected delight. Paul Bettany matches Crow’s accomplishment as Doctor Stephen Maturin, Aubrey’s closest friend and confidant. The interaction between these two is particularly satisfying. There’s a pull between heart and head, between duty and obsession, between analysis and the lust for revenge. The dramatic interplay between Aubrey, Maturin and the other characters in Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World is so forceful at times that it could easily have fallen over the edge into Bill Shatner territory. “All I ask is a tall ship, and a star to guide her by.” That may play in The Ultimate Computer but that kind of melodrama would have been out of place in Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World.
 Beyond the solid plot and performances, the most impressive element in Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World is the incredible attention to detail in the production design and the SFX. The film takes viewers on board HMS Surprise and immerses them in a world of rope and tallow, grog and grubs, grunge and dirt and wet and sooty sails that comprise a 19th century military ship. Very few anachronisms appear in the film, which is surprisingly successful at taking viewers back in time and keeping them fascinated without overly romanticizing the past. But don’t get the impression that everything’s dust and dirt. Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World is a beautifully shot film with rich colors, striking compositions and a visual approach that makes even the blood-and-guts saturated battle scenes extremely attractive.
 Video Presentation
Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World won the 2004 Academy Award for Best Cinematography, and it’s no mystery why. Everything about the film is visually exciting. The transfer on this edition looks great, if not fantastic. The picture has a somewhat grainy and soft look to it that I don’t recall from seeing it in the theater. This review is of the one-disc movie only edition. I’ve never seen the two-disc version so I can’t say if the transfer is the same on both releases.
Audio Presentation
Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World also won an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing, and the audio track is a real highlight on this disc. The film will really give your home theater a run for its money. Everything from the clashing of swards, the crashing of waves and the clunk of iron and leather on wood is crisp and clear. The primary sound stage contains most of the dialogue and music with the surrounds doing heavy lifting supplying enveloping effects, audio panning with the action on screen and the kind of detail that really draws a viewer into the film. The .1 channel is particularly aggressive during the battle scenes, offering a rich bottom end that has more subtlety to it than the usual flat thumps and bumps found on similar adventure pictures.
 Extras
The single disc edition of Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World is movie only. There are no extras included on the release. It’s a shame that not even the trailer makes an appearance on this disc, but the film is strong enough to make owning the single-disc version worthwhile. At the time of this review, you can find the single-disc edition for just over ten dollars. The two-disc special edition of Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World retails for $39.95, and you’d be lucky to find a new copy for under $35.00. If you’re a big fan of the film you can probably justify that price, but personally, I think it’s a little steep. Most good two-disc releases these days hover closer to $25.00. Therefore, my advice is to grab the single disc edition and just enjoy the movie. A better SE is likely to come out on Blu-Ray Disc at some point in the relatively near future. Hang on for that one rather than throwing money at the over priced two-disc DVD edition.
Conclusion
Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World is a surprisingly satisfying historical drama with a level of authenticity seldom seen in similar films. Russell Crow delivers an above average performance, and the movie is able to captivate receptive audiences from the first frame to the last. It’s beautiful to look at, has a rich and involving sound track and gets all the emotional beats just right. If you have even the slightest interest in sea stories, go grab Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World today!
|
