A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Date Viewed: 11/23/03

Details:

Russell Crowe (Capt. Jack Aubrey)

Paul Bettany (Dr. Stephen Maturin, Ship's surgeon)

plus a good ensemble for ship's crew

Director: Peter Weir

Score: +

The Review: An anti-swashbuckler, a quest following the exploits of Captain Aubrey of the British Royal Navy as he pursues a particularly pernicious French ship of the line, during the Napoleonic wars. The subtitle of the movie comes from the extent of the quest: well past Tierra del Fuego and the stormy and treacherous Cape Horn, into the Pacific Ocean. There's ample shipboard intrigue, some incredible sailing, a bit of humor, and several gruesome and effective battle scenes.

For me, the primary attraction here was the director, Peter Weir, whose films I have found of interest for decades. Although long aware of Patrick O'Brian's sea-faring novels, I've never been sufficiently motivated to become engrossed in them or their characters (and I'm still not). Portraying the ship's surgeon (Bettany) not just as Aubrey's friend and an accompanying cellist for the continuing shipboard chamber duet, but also as an amateur naturalist, allows the plot to presage Darwin's voyage of discovery by several years, as well as lend some depth to a strong supporting role. And the depth of his skill as a surgeon is surprisingly similar to a story to emerge recently from the trials of Dr Jerri Nielsen and her comments (Ice Bound, published in 2002) explaining why the Russians in Antarctica have good reason to send two physicians to their polar base each season.

(30-Nov-03)

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