Een positive recensie in The Times.
Master and Commander
by Wendy Ide
Our critic takes to the high seas with Russell Crowe
12A, 135 mins
CINEMA HAS rekindled its love affair with tall ships. First there was the pulpy Pirates of the Caribbean this summer. Now we have the supremely confident Russell Crowe vehicle Master and Commander, which opens in London tomorrow and across the country next Friday.
And why not? While films such as the submarine drama U-571 had their fair share of peril on (or under) the high seas, the star of the movie, the sub itself, looked like a battered baked-bean can. But sailing ships, with their impeccable bone structure and temperamental moans and shudders, are the supermodels of the oceans; they stalk the waves in clouds of billowing fabric with a crew of scurrying men trying to anticipate their every need. Tall ships are uniquely cinematic but they have rarely looked as imposing as in this atmospheric adventure.
If Pirates, with its shameless hamming and anachronisms, is popcorn for pre-teens, Master and Commander is a gentleman’s relish for a more discerning palate. The director, Peter Weir, has meticulously assembled a detailed and evocative portrait of life aboard a British naval ship during the Napoleonic wars, during conflict — a rush of spasming cannons and shattered wood — and the long, claustrophobic periods between.
Much credit for the authenticity goes to the source, two novels from Patrick O’Brian’s acclaimed 20-book series of seafaring adventures which are generally acknowledged to be among the most thoroughly researched historical novels yet written. Another factor which contributes to the atmosphere is that the audience, like the sailors, is very rarely allowed to set foot on dry land. We join the ship, HMS Surprise, in the ocean and we leave her there at the end of the film. This means the movie can feel somewhat episodic and lacks a sense of narrative closure, but it ensures that the comradeship, the superstition and the stench of life below decks are inescapable.
Crowe is magnificent as Captain “Lucky” Jack Aubrey, the master and commander of the Surprise. Not just a handsomely chiselled figurehead like Gregory Peck’s Captain Horatio Hornblower, RN, Aubrey is a complex and ultimately flawed character. A born leader who commands respect and love in his men, he’s not afraid to push his crew to breaking point while pursuing a mission — to capture a more powerful enemy warship — that common sense would suggest could only end in failure. He also has a weakness for awful puns, much to the anguish of his trusted friend and confidante, the serious, reflective ship’s doctor, Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany).
Maturin, in a way, is a more important character than Aubrey because his status as the wry observer provides the audience with a window into the chummy boys’ club of the ship’s officers. Arcane nautical terms are translated into plain English, ostensibly for his benefit, but mainly for ours.
Most importantly, the friendship between Maturin and Aubrey, and the depth of characterisation of a colourful and well-acted supporting cast lift this film out of the realm of a Boy’s Own adventure. Despite there being no female characters — bar the HMS Surprise herself — this robust tale of men at sea should have wide appeal across audiences, regardless of their sex.
