| | Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2 Disc) | |
Sorry, this product is currently unavailable.
Adobe Flash Player Version 8 or greater.
Click Here to download the latest version.
Description
Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind) stars as Captain 'Lucky' Jack Aubrey, renowned as a fighting captain in the British Navy. The charismatic Captain rouses the patriotism of the crew while wrestling with issues of honour, pride, duty, sacrifice and loyalty. With the true passion he holds for his vocation, he consistently employs ingenious tactics to engage his prey - a much larger and better-equipped French ship.
After the French ship almost sinks them in an early battle, the ship’s surgeon and Aubrey’s closest friend Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany – The Heart of Me, A Knight’s Tale) cautions him about letting revenge cloud his judgement. With the HMS Surprise badly damaged and much of his crew injured, Aubrey is torn between duty and friendship as he pursues a high-stakes chase across two oceans to intercept and capture his foe, refusing to accept defeat at the hands of the French at any cost. It’s a mission that can make his reputation – or destroy Lucky Jack and his crew.
In the course of the Surprise’s epic journey, the crew travel the world – from the coast of Brazil to the storm-tossed waters of Cape Horn, south through ice and snow to the far side of the world and across to the remote shores of The Galapagos Islands. A true camaraderie develops between the men with the help of rum, music and the regaling of tall tales!
On Special Edition 2-DVD set, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World includes a making of featurette The Hundred Days, a HBO Special, documentaries on sound effects and special effects, deleted scenes, galleries and a special interactive Cannon Sound featurette.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Review
"Master and Commander" stars Russell Crowe in a period action movie for the first time since "Gladiator," but those expecting a swashbuckling tale of the Napoleonic wars that matches that swords and sandals epic are in for a disappointment. Crowe is 'Lucky' Jack Aubrey, Captain of the good ship HMS Surprise, given the task of apprehending a mighty French battleship on the far side of the world. And that's it basically. What follows for the next two and a quarter hours is a nautical tale of cat and mouse leading up to the inevitable climactic battle.
However, the film does start well, with magnificent initial shots of the crew at work and a suspenseful build up to the thoroughly engaging initial sea battle. Director Peter Weir's fervent desire to ensure that the film's many special effects remain invisible also gives us some truly amazing scenes of the ship at sea, including a spectacular set piece as she fights her way through an epic storm. The film also boasts some fine performances, particularly from Brit Paul Bettany who takes on the role of ship's surgeon and best friend to Crowe's 'Lucky Jack' and newcomer Max Pirkis who brings a surprising gravitas to his role as a thirteen-year-old midshipman. (I challenge anyone not to find the sheer terror displayed on his face while lying on a primitive operating table truly moving.) But at the centre of the film is a disappointingly subdued performance by Russell Crowe, whose unquestionable star quality is given little chance to shine by a script that leaves his character ill defined and surprisingly one dimensional. Consequently, although you will be bedazzled by the film's technical merit, you are unlikely to find yourself too involved with the lives (and, in some cases, inevitable deaths) of the crew of HMS Surprise.
Special Features
- Audio commentary from director Peter Weir
- Deleted scenes
- 'The Hundred Days': a 'making of' documentary
- Peter Weir on directing the documentary
- Special effects featurettes
- 'HBO Special' featurette
- Multi-angle scenes
- Stills gallery
- First look at 'I Robot'
- Interactive menu
- Scene access
Technical Details
Screen: Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic
Languages: English - Dolby Digital (5.1)
Subtitles: English for the Hearing Impaired
Duration: 2 hours and 12 minutes (approx)
Genre: Action Adventure
Certificate: 12 Suitable for Persons Aged 12 or Over
Director: Peter Weir
Release Date: 05-04-2004
