Savant's new reviews today are
I saw MASTER AND COMMANDER at a Fox-lot screening Thursday night. It's a fine film, and I hope the fact that it doesn't try to appeal to a youth market doesn't hurt it. It's almost all action but the story and tone stay completely faithful to the 1805 setting of the Napoleonic Wars - there's no anachronistic pitch to woo crossover audiences, and no consessions to PC concepts. Best of all, the story has the old-fashioned feel of a great book.
Peter Weir's command of the screen is total, and so are the special effects, that (I'm told) account for much of the 'actual' sailing we see, from ships at sea to the rigging of sails. It's all flawless, and the filming of the storm scenes, etc., is much less obtrusive than in the previous movie THE PERFECT STORM.
The tale is told without concession to modern exposition. If an actor explains something, it's done once and is said as it would be in 1805. We have to figure out the operation of the ship and the various customs and duties on our own. In other words, nothing is dumbed down. I didn't hear a lot of the dialogue ... I'm ready to go again.
There are practically no women in the film and no romance. Besides the conflict with the French Navy, Russell Crowe has problems with his ship's doctor and other leadership snags; the closest film I remember to the tone of this one is DAMN THE DEFIANT, and that pales in comparison to the scope and verve of this one. It's a real movie, and five times the show that GLADIATOR was.
Back soon with more reviews... Glenn Erickson
Posted by DVD Savant at November 16, 2003 07:48 AM