Review of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) by Filipeneto — 21 Aug 2018

Inspired by a novel, this film tells of the adventure of the frigate "HMS Surprise" and its captain, Jack Aubrey, in the South Seas, in pursuit of a powerful French warship during the Napoleonic Wars. To understand the film, however, its necessary to forget the book, set in a different conflict between British and Americans. The creative freedom of cinema has these things. The best of the film, however, is not the action or war scenes, but the way it accurately portrays the "modus vivendi" of a navy crew during this time. The historical portrait made is absolutely strict and this is something that a historian, like me, knows how to value and thank. Superstitions, war tactics, uniforms, hygiene and eating habits, relationship between military hierarchies, scientific research... all have been portrayed in a trustworthy way.

Russel Crowe is the main actor and manages to perfectly embody the spirit of stubbornness and determination of an old sea lion. Beside him, the detailed and meticulous spirit of the naval surgeon Dr. Maturin is personified by Paul Bettany in a grandiose way, especially when both are together on the scene. There are other good actors, I especially liked a young man who plays a boy who, at the beginning of the film, loses an arm in combat (I didn't memorize actor's name but he did a great job). Another detail that delighted me was the soundtrack and the use of music during the film. Cinematography is excellent, particularly in combat and storm scenes. The biggest problem of the movie is it's nearly three-hour length. That will discourage some people, although this has not happened to me.