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Master & Commander appreciation thread

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Gary Whitta

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Got this on Blu-ray for Christmas and even though I've seen it countless times I couldn't resist popping it in the PS3 to catch it in 1080p. And of course was reminded once again of what an awesome movie experience this is. Just absolutely epic, beautifully crafted, unflinching, fantastic attention to detail and riveting throughout. I can't think of any other movie that transports to the viewer to a particular time and place in history in such captivating style as this movie does.

I remember when this first came out at the theater I passed on it, even though I love age of sail stuff. Eventually saw it on DVD and instantly fell in love with it; my one big regret is that I never saw it on the big screen when I had the chance.

The AV presentation on the Blu-ray is fantastic, but I'm a little disappointed that it's not as fully-featured as my special edition DVD.

Anyway, if you haven't seen it, do. It's masterful cinema.
 
Gary Whitta said:
I remember when this first came out at the theater I passed on it, even though I love age of sail stuff. Eventually saw it on DVD and instantly fell in love with it; my one big regret is that I never saw it on the big screen when I had the chance.
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It was magnificent in the theater and as such I never watched it again on DVD as I feared it'd cheapen the experience. I'll probably cave on the BRD soon though. Fantastic flick.
 
Holy shit this movie is one of the greatest and most enjoyable experience I've ever had in cinema.

I think the fact that it was released close to Pirates showed the world how gritty and awesome the world was in these waters. And no fucking useless romance plot made this movie even more entertaining.

Is there a reason why fucking awesome Peter Weir only makes movie like 10 years apart?
 
Brilliant film i was just thinking about it yesterday when watching the pile of rubbish that is Pirates Of the Carribean/Dead Mans Chest.

I love the long scenes of what it must have been like living life on the sea,and the fantastic ship battles.
 
Gary Whitta said:
I remember when this first came out at the theater I passed on it, even though I love age of sail stuff. Eventually saw it on DVD and instantly fell in love with it; my one big regret is that I never saw it on the big screen when I had the chance.
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Same. I thought the movie looked really boring but when a co-worker played the movie at work I was blown away. I have now seen it dozens of times, own it on both DVD and Blu-Ray and own the first three books.

Really, if you loved the movie then check out the books. No one writes better characters than Patrick O'Brian, and this is coming from an avowed David Eddings fan.

EDIT: Oh, and Best. Soundtrack. Ever.
 
Pointless anecdote: One time I was on a retreat with some friends and we were playing charades, and I got this film. As if that wasn't bad enough, none of them knew that the whole title was "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." They all thought it ended at "Master and Commander" so as soon as I signaled "8 words" I didn't have a chance.
 
YES, I love it so much. I'm a massive Crowe fan and it pissed me off that America doesn't like him for some reason.

My brother just bought a Blu-Ray player yesterday, so I need to get this. Do you know if it's region free Gary?
 
AndersTheSwede said:
Yes, it really is excellent. As a sailor, it's so nice to watch a sailing movie devoid inane unrealistic crap.

FYI: Hulu has it up.
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Patrick O'Brian used diaries of sailors during the Napoleonic wars as his base material, hence it being so realistic.
 
legend166 said:
YES, I love it so much. I'm a massive Crowe fan and it pissed me off that America doesn't like him for some reason.

My brother just bought a Blu-Ray player yesterday, so I need to get this. Do you know if it's region free Gary?
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It's out in Australia. In fact, we were one of the first to get the Blu-Ray.
 
legend166 said:
YES, I love it so much. I'm a massive Crowe fan and it pissed me off that America doesn't like him for some reason.

My brother just bought a Blu-Ray player yesterday, so I need to get this. Do you know if it's region free Gary?
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Unfortunately it is not :(
 
Lebron said:
I watched it on Hulu recently, and I was mad at myself for not seeing it sooner. Love me some Crowe.
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See I'm not a Crowe fan really, so I never was that interested in watching M&C in the cinema. Then I happened to be renting out some DVDs and it was a 3 for 2, I needed a third and it was the only thing that remotely interested me. I was totally blown away by it, absolutely loved it.
 
Should've won the oscar for that year. One of the best experiences I had in theater. I actually missed the first 10minutes...stood around for 45minutes just to see them in the next showing.:lol

Side note, Didn't this come out around the same time Last Samurai did also? :lol
 
Well I saw "The Bounty" the other day with Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson and that movie is also fucking awsome. Great sailor movie.
 
i really love this film. a perfect synergy of stunningly atmospheric authenticity and boy's own swashbuckling. i've been hankering for a sequel ever since i first saw it.

oh well, atleast empire:total war will let me finally realize my 'age of sail' naval ambitions.

etw2.jpg
 
A great film by one of the best filmmakers in Hollywood. He never fails to deliver some kind of debate about religion vs. agnosticism in his films (OK, maybe not in Green Card). This includes Truman Show, Fearless, The Last Wave, Picnic At Hanging Rock, etc.
 
Like everyone else here, I was completely blown away by the flick. I missed it in theaters during it's initial run, but it was re-released just before the Oscars and I was able to go catch it in a completely empty theater. It was an incredibly experience, made all the better by not having people yakking it up and answering their cell phones around me.

I can also second the Blu-ray recommendation: it's a top notch disc of a top notch film. Anyone who went Blu over the holidays or who already is into the format and got a bit of scratch as a gift should go buy the disc posthaste.

I keep meaning to read the books, which a good friend of mine swears by. Apparently it takes the first full novel to get used to the jargon, but once you've got it down you're all set. Thanks to this thread for reminding me that I really need to give the original novels a shot.

FnordChan
 
FnordChan said:
Like everyone else here, I was completely blown away by the flick. I missed it in theaters during it's initial run, but it was re-released just before the Oscars and I was able to go catch it in a completely empty theater. It was an incredibly experience, made all the better by not having people yakking it up and answering their cell phones around me.

I can also second the Blu-ray recommendation: it's a top notch disc of a top notch film. Anyone who went Blu over the holidays or who already is into the format and got a bit of scratch as a gift should go buy the disc posthaste.

I keep meaning to read the books, which a good friend of mine swears by. Apparently it takes the first full novel to get used to the jargon, but once you've got it down you're all set. Thanks to this thread for reminding me that I really need to give the original novels a shot.

FnordChan
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Do what I did: read the novels with a dictionary next to you. Preferably a big one. The nautical terms come thick and fast.
 
Amazing film. I'd say it was the best flick of 2003. Just a wonderful sense of time and place throughout the entire film. Sadly I think most younger viewers would find it incredibly boring.

I've been hesitant to pick up the blu-ray disc since its lacking all the extra features of the wonderful special edition dvd. Is the picture quality a big enough upgrade to warrant a purchase? I can pick up the blu-ray for 15.99 at the Fox store but I have a feeling we'll get a feature laden edition eventually.
 
Reluctantly saw it in the theaters with my dad back when it came out. It really was a very good movie. Felt quite authentic and had a nice atmosphere and great script.
 
A-fucking-men!

I love this movie. Bought it on both DVD and Blu-Ray. I remember, after seeing it for the first time in the theatre, I remarked to my friends that not every movie has the balls to chop off the arm of a 10 year old kid after a battle.

good times.

The relationship between Aubrey and Maturin felt so developed and real. great friends but there's a tension between them as their duties are so different.
 
Randomly came across the dvd in the $5 bin at Walmart a few months ago. Purchased on a whim, and ending up loving it. I really wish I would have seen this in theaters. A friend told me it was great way back in 2003, but I sort of ignored him and this movie. What a mistake. This felt like the type of movie you go to the theater for. Big and beautiful. :D
 
Totally loved this movie too. Peter Weir's best movie outside of Witness.

For me, I saw all sorts of odd connections with star trek in this movie. The captain reminds me of Kirk and the other main character reminds me of a hybrid between McCoy and Spock. I know this is based on a novel, or a series of novels and I've often wondered if these characters were somehow an inspiration for the original star trek. I just did a (very) quick investigation on the internet and I can't find any confirmation of that, but others have apparently seen the same connection, so maybe there is something to it.
 
I dragged a couple people back to the theater to see this movie (Arclight!) and loved it every time. It's probably one of my most-watched movies of the past ten years.

I highly recommend the books they're based of. I've read five or six of them and enjoyed them all.
 
The DVD of this movie has one of the most stunning surround tracks ever made. Amazing work by the sound designers and mixers. Anyone with a decent sound system should watch this movie for sure!
 
Krowley said:
Totally loved this movie too. Peter Weir's best movie outside of Witness.

For me, I saw all sorts of odd connections with star trek in this movie. The captain reminds me of Kirk and the other main character reminds me of a hybrid between McCoy and Spock. I know this is based on a novel, or a series of novels and I've often wondered if these characters were somehow an inspiration for the original star trek. I just did a (very) quick investigation on the internet and I can't find any confirmation of that, but others have apparently seen the same connection, so maybe there is something to it.
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The books first came out in the seventies, after Star Trek came out.
 
caught it in the theater. sooo good. pacing was incredible, too. right when it drags on and out something happens to pull you right back in.

amazing soundtrack too.

crowe/bettany was awesome, too. no choosing between weevils, there. :D
 
I'm a Russell Crowe fan and thought this movie was pretty good, but it clearly didn't stand up to the greatness that was Gladiator.
 
I'll get it if there's not a re-release within the next few years from Fox.

Strange that HDDigest has the video at 3/5 and not impressed at all, and Blu-ray.com has it at 4.5/5 and says that it's "near-reference-quality depth, black level, contrast and detail."
 
I guess Im alone in the fact that I didnt think too much of the film. It's not bad, but it just seems to drag at points and it was tough for me to keep interest. Russell Crowe was good, but I really didnt like Paul Bettany in his role. I think that performance just brought the entire movie down a bit.
 
Miroku said:
The DVD of this movie has one of the most stunning surround tracks ever made. Amazing work by the sound designers and mixers. Anyone with a decent sound system should watch this movie for sure!
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Watched it again tonight on BD with the surround sound cranked up and it really is stunning. When those cannonballs are tearing through sails, splintering wood and whizzing right past your ear it's like you're right there on the quarterdeck. Amazing.

I can't remember if this movie won an Oscar for sound but it bloody well should have.
 
Are we ever going to see sequel to this ? Wasn't this supposed to be epic movie saga with 4-7 movies ?

Anyway, I liked this movie very much and I'm going to buy it on Blu-ray in the near future.
 
Gary Whitta said:
Watched it again tonight on BD with the surround sound cranked up and it really is stunning. When those cannonballs are tearing through sails, splintering wood and whizzing right past your ear it's like you're right there on the quarterdeck. Amazing.

I can't remember if this movie won an Oscar for sound but it bloody well should have.
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Yup, Sound Design I think.

I used to play the cannonball scene when demo-ing a/v gear.
 
ghst said:
i really love this film. a perfect synergy of stunningly atmospheric authenticity and boy's own swashbuckling. i've been hankering for a sequel ever since i first saw it.

oh well, atleast empire:total war will let me finally realize my 'age of sail' naval ambitions.

etw2.jpg
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They can't get that one to me soon enough.
 
I just happen to be halfway through the first Patrick O'Brian book (Master and Commander.) and I will concur that the nautical jargon is indeed thick as gravy but the story itself is a fun read. I can nearly name all nineteen sails on a square rigged ship from the Flying Jib to the Mizzen Topgallant. That's right ladies! Mizzen Topgallant! Sexy, no?

There are some cool nautical battles, some taking place in the story, some retold by the characters. There is definately room for a sequel and Crowe should make that happen. They describe this one battle (that apparently really happened) where three ships get snared together, port to starboard. The two ships on the outsides blast their way into the middle ship and men stream through to fight inside.

I'm a Russell Crowe fan and thought this movie was pretty good, but it clearly didn't stand up to the greatness that was Gladiator.
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Gladiator's story made no sense at all. Master and Commander uses the writing of a world class novelist with naturally superior results.
 
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