Why Master and Commander is the Greatest Film of the 21st Century
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- čas přidán 22. 07. 2021
- My god, that's seamanship.
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Yeah yeah cock-sun not cock-swain, still good mouth feel
Try Forecastle, Fo'c'sle.
@@wadeheaton123 Forward - forrard
Aesthetic, not esthetic. The diphthong doesn't do very well in the US, especially 'ei' . Stein rhymes with tine, not teen.
Boatswain - "Boson"
Also, Sextant... Not Sexton.
Coxswain.is pronounced Cox'un
Boatswain, Bos'un
"Crowe and Bettany both give masterful and commanding performances." Top quality reference.
No women, except for the Brazilian woman who briefly crosses eyes with Aubrey and represents the stability, peace and colorful beauty they never have as men of the sea. Everything is meaningful in this masterpiece.
But there are deeper meanings to this as well - Jack is married, but he has a roving eye. He's tempted, but doesn't do anything about it - probably more for the sake of the crew than anything else. It would be hypocritical for him - and bad for morale - to have a pleasure he denies to them.
“Put that woman down! This is a ship of her majesty’s navy, not a floating bordello!”
@@stevenlowe3026 that’s certainly not what happens in the novels, lol!
@@jimsleestak8012yeah. One of my favourite moments in the novels is when he discovers he has a mixed-race illegitimate son called Sam.
...and a good handy
One thing Master and Commander does that I have never seen in any other movie, is having sound move slower than light, at the start of the movie the French frigate is seen in the distance and you see the flashes of the cannon and then after a delay you hear the sound. It's also the only movie I've seen that has actors of the right age and diversity (as the navy at the time was actually very diverse), it's the only time I've heard mention the standard practice of loading more than one cannon ball in the gun at a time, having the cannons fly backwards when fired and using the correct terminology throughout the movie.
First time I seen that was the 1972 movie Joe Kidd starring Clint Eastwood and Robert Duvall. A group of cowboys in 1913 are being sniped by someone from far enough away that the bullet impacts were happening before the shots were heard. I was pretty young at that time so didn’t understand what was going on until my dad explained it to me. At the time I didn’t know the name of the movie or the main actors. About 30 years later back when IMDB had a forum, including a section to help track down a movie title, I mentioned the details about the delayed rifle shot sounds and right away they knew which movie it was.
There is also a scene in the show "The English" that is heavily dependent on the difference between the speed of light and sound. Good scene.
The pacing of this film is flawless. Every scene is entertaining or interesting. I think it's often overlooked.
The fact that crap movies get sequels and movies like Dredd and M&C struggle to get a follow up...depressing.
Dredd still hasn't made a sequel . I agree with you on the politics of Hollywood but its judged on the box office and a film as majestic as this costs a lot of money but it didn't they make films for the 18-35 age group but be glad one film was made .
I cant understant how some people say Its a boring too long film. There isnt one single second of this movie I just dont fully enjoy. Everytime I find myself wishing I could see the Surprise finally approaching the Acheron...
Is it a bad thing though? We got this movie, and the rewatch value is priceless! Every time it ends my mind wanders to what the Surprise will do next… speculate on the rest of their voyage, and their lives. WHAT A GIFT that is!! Although, honestly I could just watch hours of “the vibes.” I’ve taken to going to nautical museums here in Maine, to fill that part of myself.
I was a sailor who worked on the film. It and Pirates I were made the same year, it was the only year all the tall ship sailors had jobs lol. The best tidbit is that the film crew felt that the rigging of the tall ship “Rose” got in the way of the shots, so they got rid of it. The rigging.
😂😂😂
I screenshotted this and sent it to my sailing friends lol
@@JohnMaxGriffin I had to screenshot this as well! It's such a 'Hollywood Douchebag' move lol
Were you on the wrong end of the bunghole?
Peter Weir was so driven to redeem Crowe and Bettany after Ron Howard wasted their chemistry on Oscar-bait trash that he literally made the greatest movie of the 21st century just so we could watch them play string instruments together. Absolutely baller.
Just to assuage any uncertainty about the title: there’s no hyperbole - all art is objectively comparable, and Master and Commander is mathematically the best. Just do the numbers.
I want to point something out that people may not know.
That Jonas thing is as real as people make it. I work in a factory and have seen men come and go because they were operating machinery that just happened to fail while they were standing in front of it. And as a consequence developed a reputation for being bad machine operators.
I've tried and other coworkers have tried to convince the group that the guy had nothing to do with the failure but often to no effect.
It's bizarre and impossible to stop.
And those who get labeled unfairly sometimes end up becoming crappy operators because of the social pressure.
Piece of cake. Nothing to think about. The flick just scores a 10 in everything. There’s isn’t a dull second..
@@w12ath040211The problem here though is they don't think Hollom is bad at his job. They think he's a jinx. They even think it's his fault there's no wind for their sails! It's entirely a superstition. And the captain shares it.
@@esterhudson5104No it's flawed in fundamental ways. Particularly in the development of Crowe's character where we see the good bits first and the bad side later which greatly spoils its spontaneous enjoyment. The sequence should be the opposite for a checkered character. And the special effects are very average even for 2003. They err too much on the side of never being bad rather than trying to reach for the moon, especially in the final naval battle
But it was still a special movie in that something like this was even tried in a decade when studios weren't known for taking risks and directors were never really in charge especially in big budget movies. So much of the charm of the movie is masterfully subtle and they ignore the annoying limiting idea of having just two or three interesting characters to ensure box office success. They don't at any point compromise on the story they're telling to make it more of a seller. That will never happen again in any big budget movie
@@jamespower5165 Why would any seaman join a ship led by a captain who showed his bad bits before the good bits?
My all time favorite movie, probably have watched it a hundred times. There’s a great scene we’re the crew is looking at the Galápagos Islands one remarking “I don’t see any women.” While the other responds “island with no women ain’t natural.” As they stand on a man made “island” with no women. Don’t know why that line I always found so funny.
I thought he just said “no women?! Ain’t natural..” either way brilliant ironic line
The Patrick O'Brian novels that the movie is based on are full of wit and understated humor-- highly recommended.
I think it's the most underrated movie ever. Pure masterpiece. The acting is superbe, the filmmaking is incredible, the soundtrack is amazing, the photography, it's all amazing. If there wasnt Lord Of The Rings , that year Master And Commander would have got at least 7 Oscars. Plus is the most accurate historical movie of all time. If you want to see specifically a movie that represent 100% accurately history and naval history, this is the one. Truly masterpiece, Weir is a genius of cinematography.
This movie has been my all-time favorite, and it is glorious to see it put on a pedestal as it deserves. Thank you for highlighting it.
I'm a huge fan of the books and re read them religiously every three years or so..but I think the film is simply wonderful, I went to see it in an empty cinema in 2003, there were about 15 others there, mostly single men, and they had the look of 'Surprises' about them..they'd been bitten by the POB bug, no said anything afterwards but we all looked at each other and burst into contented laughter...
Like POB, the movie is uncompromising, you are in thr Georgian world whether or not you want to be from the food to the music to the language... POB throws his readers into thr deepend and in doing so respects them utterly.
The film is a work of genius, Crowe and Bettany expertly cast.
When the film was in theaters, I (the lone 23 y/o female at the time) can confirm that the audience was exclusively older men, each of the six times I went. 😄
This movie is a work of art. Especially if you know naval history.
rum and sodomy
only film I could gladly watch and enjoy every month
In the novels, Maturin actually has estates in Portugal. He's also a very capable agent of the British Intelligence Service; and has friends in the highest of places.
Do you mean Catalonia, not Portugal?
"In the highest of places" - in The City of London?
(Oh dear....
T.M.I. - FOR SURE😱)
@@rmp7400 You okay?
@@alfresco8442plainly not.
Fantastic movie! You literally feel like your on a sailing ship, and forget your just sitting watching a movie.
What strikes me with this film is how "commanding" (pardon the pun) each and every actor is without forcing it. No exaggerations, no grand performances, nothing forced. They deliver almost a documentary with such 'grace' that it's easy to forget it's a film. The soundtrack beautifully supporting the narrative - and not just the music, every sound from ropes creaking to doors squeeking to guns blasting -. The philosophy is not pushed down our throats but it's impossible to overlook. The dichotomy of duty and freedom, of comradery and class differences, of conflicting ethics still finding common ground to serve a higher purpose. This is the kind of meaning all modern men yearn for. Nothing is over-the-top but when they all come together, the entire film is over-the-top. So much so that I don't think it's credited sufficiently.
Like Napoleon,. They play dress up,.This movie makes everyone look as they are Really THERE~
Hey! I've probably watched the film a dozen times since my early childhood, and starting earlier this year, I began to listen to the book series. The film's script is more than the first and tenth film seamlessly bound together, but an expansive, loving, masterful anthology of every book I've had the immense pleasure to listen to so far. I've heard lines pulled from almost every book I've listened too, and many of the key events in the film are also pulled from other books. I gush about the movie and series almost every opportunity I get
Perhaps we have not seen a sequel because Weir & Crew created such a fantastic work of cinematic art that nobody -- no studio, no director, no set designer, et al. -- felt they could match the movie-making excellence and transition from novel-to-screen that M&C experienced.
Incredible movie. I saw it when it came out as a teenager and was too immature to really absorb it. I recently watched it as an adult it's top 3 of all time for me now
I adore this film. Always have.
i always thought it would be silly and boring but then i watched it a month ago and it was intense
I've watched it 5 times by now and it never gets boring. The only thing comparable is "Das Boot"
Never forget that the title is "Master and Commander"; above all else it is a study in leadership and command. And it's brilliant
My wife hates war movies, but she watched this one twice in cinema.
TJW talking about Master & Commander? Welp, guess I just reserved the next 18 minutes of my evening.
Truly feel like this is one of the greatest films ever made
in conclusion: dudes rock
I’m an English teacher, we taught this film to a year 10 class in a comparative study with Rime of the ancient Mariner. It was a fantastic program.
do you have an OF?
One of my all time favourites. Would have been so easy to make it a purely 'action' film but Weir is too much of a clever bastard to be lazy like that. This is very much character driven. And Weir, aka Clever Bastard, assembles the very best Everything to make it the classic that it is. From actors to cinematographers to sound engineers (special mention to the sound dept. who succeed in making the ship a living character) - every single cog is perfect in this brilliantly crafted machine.
How in the name of god does anyone watch the first 10 minutes and fall asleep... it literally opens with a marine playing the snare followed closely by a giant cannon battle...
BEAT TO QUARTERS!!!!!
Fuck, this movie goes hard
So happy to see a quality video about my favorite movie, which is also the greatest film of the 21st century. I've started into the book series too, and it's also incredibly entertaining. I don't know the first thing about ships/sails/oceans but the books are so well written it doesn't matter.
people should remember the film doesnt just do the Nelson era war / military aspect of the royal navy- it also does the Captain Cook adventurer explorer aspect too, Cook is one of the very greatest sea captain explorers ever, and of course Benttany is partly playing a version of Darwin, covering that aspect as well.
I rewatched this movie last night, 20 years later.
Absolutely incredible
Will there ever be great movies again?
I whole heartedly think is on my short list of greatest movies.
still 1 for me, today is " Lawrence of Arabia"
But it is on that level of movies.
Thanks a bunch for the perspective!
Yes, excellent movie. They had a special viewing of it in one of our better theatres for its 20th anniversary. I believe it was an extended version because there were scenes I didn’t remember seeing on TV. It was fantastic and something I’ll never forget. If you haven’t read its trivia section over at IMDB, I highly recommend you do so. Some really interesting tidbits. One is about all the injuries Peter O’Toole suffered during its production. It’s actually a bit shocking what he went through. Supposedly he didn’t watch the movie until 1978 which I can believe considering what he’d experienced.
@@mako88sb thanks for tip!!!
@@bugvswindshield NP. I hadn’t read it in awhile and it looks like a bunch of newer ones added. That amazing shot of Omar Sharif emerging from a mirage was done with a custom built lens that was only used for that shot and never used again. Wow!
Forget Master and Commander, Taylor Williams…
This critique itself is a work of art. It is deep, yet follow-able; educational yet fun! Thank You! Well done!
totally underrated film
Take a walk through HMS Victory. You will feel the Royal Navy.
Been there on October 2022, worth every penny.
In two years living in England, the Victory was the best thing I experienced.
If I had the money, I would fund the production of an entire master and commander multi season series. Im on the second to last book now, and the whole series is great. The movie nailed the relationship between Maturin and Aubrey. Also the "lesser of two weevil's" is from the books.
It's not that this movie doesn't have women. This movie doesn't NEED women.
In book #10 that has the Hollom character in it is (titled The Far Side of the World which most of the movie is based on), there is a woman onboard, the wife of the master gunner. Hollom has quite the affair with her and a much different ending compared to the movie. I hadn’t read the books until after watching the movie so it was interesting to read about parts of 3 different books being used for the movie.
Talks about how he loves the pronounciations of coxswain, boatswain, and sextant, then proceeds to mispronounce all three lol
A bold assertion, yet entirely true. A timeless masterpiece.
The highest achievement in the "dudes rock" canon of the 21st century.
And to think there are 18 more novels that could have been used in a sequel or a whole damn series, singly or in combination like this movie. Patrick O'Brian, author.
I agree with what you said 100%. It's a masterpiece that warrants repeat viewing!
Just rewatched it i remembered it beeing on of the best movies i've ever watched its spotless from start to finish but my god was i blown away just now..
It’s a masterpiece, it’s a shame we haven’t seen a sequel yet
Great run down. I agree to 90%. Only thing you forgot was that they played baroque Corelli. And it was played as the ship slowly sailed away….amazing…. Best movie ever!
No Corelli. Botticelli.
bruh this makes me even sadder the ikea ferry doesnt run weekdays 😔 bc that shit would go so hard after watching this
Great review! You’ve shown me so much that I didn’t observe in my own viewing of the film.
Yes! Thank you for your brilliant commentary. I love this film.
"Never made it past the ten minute mark"? Does Lucky Jack even appear before the ten minute mark? Yes, He lateches his sword around his waist at around 6.5 minutes and the battle commences at 9 minutes. The ship being destroyed wasn't enough to hold this geniuses attention? What a moron. There are few films that I'm able to put on at any time and have them hold my attention from the opening frame to the start of the end credits. Master and Commander is one of those films. I must have seen it two dozen times by now and it is a stunning film you'd have to be an idiot not to appreciate.
Edit: I typed this before watching the video. This is the first I'm hearing of another movie set in this universe which is great news. Unfortunately I think my point still stands that we'll never see a movie like this again since they're doing a prequel without Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany, the writer is better known for his YA novels and there will almost definitely be a butt load of green screen or maybe the Volume (the wrap around screens they use for Mandalorian and Thor: Love and Thunder) in the best case scenario. They won't be taking a working ship out to sea because that's not how movies are made anymore. This was really the last of it's kind. I'll gladly eat my words if they actually use a mock up or a real ship as that would be incredible. It's just cheaper and easier to film on a stage where you have more control. I can't blame them if they go that route but it's still a shame we won't get to see something on this kind of scale again.
Not so much a movie, as a miracle. They were GUARANTEED to mess it up. And somehow they didn't.
I cannot find a flaw in this film - pacing, script, acting, set, cinematography, direction, etc. Except for one thing: Mr. Blakeney asks Mr. Hollum if he is "ok" when Hollum has a panic attack. "Ok" was not used back then. But it's a minor, inconsequential detail.
I am hoping for Crowe & Bettany to do a sequel from the later books.
Film is a masterpiece
Bettany should have won best supporting actor, Weir best director, and the movie best picture.
I don't know what won and most likely during that time I would have seen it; however, awards for "best" don't always go to the best... other criteria matters--or it would have won.
I mean a little film called Return of the King won Best Director and Best Picture
@@firiel2366 I take this over ROTK.
Fellowship should have already won.
@@firiel2366I love ROTK but it was nowhere as good, technically OR artistically, as M&C.
@@rjohnson993 completely agree, FoTR is superior to TRotK.
Havent even watched this vid but i agree. This film is a PERFECT historical fiction. Based 100% in reality of the time, yet change trivial details to tell a unique story
I agree. This film is a masterpiece. Wonderful from start to finish.
Coxswain is pronounced "cox'n". And boatswain is pronounced "bosun". Don't mind me - I'm a language nazi (BTW "swain" means "man", so a boatswain is "boatman" - in fact in the 16th century the word - at least in Scotland - was "botisman"). Originally I was upset about the plot changes, but I've come to terms with it and enjoyed the movie for itself. BTW, the two leads were coached in string technique by the famous violinist Richard Tognetti.
I was coming on to add this, but you’ve beaten me to it - well done you……. I will add though that the instrument used by the midshipmen whilst Aubrey teaches them is called a “Sextant” not sextan the final T is pronounced.
Just re-watched the movie again. Such a good movie. I wondered if they'd been coached on their instruments. Should have won more Oscars
@@glen1555 Certainly should have. It was their misfortune to be up against the Return of the King, which swept the Oscars that year (even though it was the worst movie of the trilogy)
I really enjoyed this video. I saw the movie in the cinema some years after reading all 20 (and a half'th) books of the series. I loved the movie, and thought it represented the Jack/Steven relationship so well that when I re-read the books several times in the last 20 years, my mind's eye pictues Crowe and Bettany. I really appreciated the nuanced approach to the review, without undue bias, without judging those who did not appreciate the movie as I do. I forgave the movie for overlooking the strong characterization of Maturin in the books - he is a very formidable man - in order to present the whole setting in 2 hours and some minutes. I watch it regularly, every time I finish the series again, on the 21 1/2'th book, with Jack and Stephen and all their living loved ones, on the way to new adventures, abrubtly
This review is amazing, thank you for this! I love this movie, I must have watched it at least 10 times. Peter Weir has been one of my favourite directoes for many years.
I love how the weevil scene plays out. You can see that everyone is in on it except Maturin and they're all holding their laughter while Jack sets up the bit. Paul Bettany's response is so subtle as he looks at Jack. It's brilliant. All the moments hit perfectly as we get to know the characters. It's a shame the new film is being set in earlier days. I cannot imagine the relationship will be as solid as it is with new actors. Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany are both at the top of their game. They convey so much in every glance and whispered word. You can feel the history between them. I LOVE THIS MOVE!!!
Don't say THE HMS Surprise - it is simply HMS Surprise.
That criteria list almost made me choke on my coffee. Instant like!
Great review, TJW!
Seriously👍
This is by far my favourite master and commander review,,, such an underrated movie!!!
Nice video, I should rewatch this film. It's been two years, surely you've gotten around to watching Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously, Witness, and The Mosquito Coast - all (if memory serves) fascinating fish-out-of-water stories, though that last one doesn't quite meet Weir's usual standard. Still, what a run he had! I wonder if you've made any more Peter Weir videos.... I'll go check.
If this movie was released at the theatre it would be a full house !
I’m a little late to the party on this one, but your criteria alone earned a like and subscribe from me. Excellent video.
Great breakdown.
The British military? Historical villians?! Most of the world would disagree, I don't think thats a very fair comment even for americans to make
Really my favorite movie.
Wow finally someone speaking the truth about M and C
One of the very few films I say multiple times in the theater...
And of course (as those who've read "The Ionian Mission" know - you trice puddings athwart the starboard gumbrils, when sailing by and large . . . ;-)
I like how you create an almost identical copy of the font for the film’s title in the poster at the beginning.
Easily impressed
@@pyenapple No, just an observation. Run along, bozo.
@@TheWelchProductions easily provoked too
Nice to hear somebody agree with my own opinion! Rare event. The wooden world of Nelson has always been personal passion. I read the books - and they are superb. Brilliant, skilfully crafted source material really can help make a brilliant movie - and it really must rank as my all time favourite. Do kind of wish they could have kept to the books and historical accuracy, but they probably correctly figured a US audience would not like the "baddie" being a US heavy frigate, so they changed it to French. Can't have everything I guess.
'Tis true
All things considered, many an American would prefer a Colonial era frigate presented in a favorable light...
More understandable anyway
than
presuming to justify the coming Rothschild Navy as having much, (if any), objective merit....
(just sayin'...)
I saw this is theater in 2003 and have told the “lesser of two weevil” joke many times. Nobody gets it.
Also the French ship is pronounced Asher-on not Acker-on.
The film did a creditable job of a superlative series by Patrick O'Brien. Patrick O'Brien was one of the finest historical and nautical authors.
I am glad you mentioned how adaptations don't need to be 100% faithful to the books, it is something I have been thinking about with Dune: Part 2 as well which captures the spirit of it's source material while changing the details. Master & Commander gets the spirit of the Aubrey-Maturin books perfectly, distilling the core of the stories into a brilliant film.
With that said, I have begun reading the books and I do wish more people looked into them since they're on such a different level entirely. If you have a near perfect film still getting the complaint of "the books were better" it's a glowing review of the books!
I wish we could have gotten more sequels to the film to expound on Aubrey-Maturins' relationships to Sophie Williams and Diana Villiers, especially the gut wrenching division caused when Aubrey and Diana are sleeping with each other and the jealous emotions it stirs in Maturin. Or just more of Maturin's espionage career, his feelings on Catalan and Irish independence, and his Spanish castle. There's a great rousing scene in HMS Surprise where Aubrey captains a gunboat on a near-suicidal mission to save Maturin after the French capture him as a spy and torture him in Port Mahon that just feels so cinematic, begging to be made into a film scene.
It is a shame the film never got the sequels it deserved, and as the video mentioned while there is some hope to getting new films eventually; I wish we could have seen more Crowe-Betnay depictions of Aubrey-Maturin, especially with the hundreds of adventures in the books that the film never had time to reach.
Great Review...I loved this movie.
I watched this movie when I was a kid and found it boring. I recently decided to rewatch it and realized what a masterpiece it is. I have rewatched the battle scene probably 100 times and it never fails to excite me
My favourite movie.
Will there be a new master and commander film?
In response to the not to be seen normally in a scene ( yuk yuk),....
A friend of mine once climbed Mt Rainier. Once at the summit he had packed up an oven. Yes. He was THAT guy.
So he proceeded to bake a chocolate cake for he and his two friends. Before it was done, another climber rounded the corner to the summit...
"oh hi, excuse me, but you wouldn't be baking a chocolate cake by chance would you?'
Geo : " why yes I am! Its almost done!"
Climber turns and shouts back down " I TOLD YOU I wasn't crazy! This guys is baking a cake!!!!!!"
har har har.
large fun and small pieces of cake had by all.
Rip George May. thank you for love and all of the hundreds of miles of trails we shared.
I , nay , we, all miss you very much.
My wife always shits on me when I watch this movie few times a year. It’s a great film and I wished they made a second
the lesser of two wevils joke i believe is from the book Fortune of War. hahah
imagine you are making a 3d graphics engine and you think you've mastered hair physics then you see this guy:
What i think of Women❤:? I agree the Who? Is more important than: The where?
Oh man! If you like Peter Weir getting into the whole institutional oppression discussion, particularly as it pertains to anachronism, look no further than Harrison Ford’s character in WITNESS - a savvy urban cop having to hide out in Amish country!
Don't know if I agree, but I absolutely understand why you think so.
Yep.. I'd agree
Great series of books
Muh brother made me love this movie. He would watch it like 4 to 5 times a week for a while when we both lived together.
I agree with you, amazing movie 🙏
you read my mind & youtube algorithm knew it
Check out the USS Constitution moored in Boston. It takes a sail annually around Boston Harbor.
A FIGHTING naturalist!
I only had to read the title to agree with you.