Master and Commander

[bobstod]

Went to the opening last night in Rehoboth Beach, with my son-in-law! Fantastic!! Absolutely top-notch from beginning to end!

For those of you who have not read this timeless and unmatched series of novels by Patrick O'Brian, I can only say that I envy you! To have a storehouse of twenty books of such surpassing excellence, totally untapped, must be a luxury comparable to being fabulously rich! I have read them three times, straight through. And I will be reading them again.

The movie is actually based on two of the books: Master and Commander (the first in the series), and The Other Side of the World, which is somewhere around book six or seven, I believe.

The two principal characters, whose complex and lasting relationship is the true subject of these books, are Captain Jack Aubrey and Ship's Physician Steven Maturin. Aubrey is played by Russel Crowe, and Maturin by a man whose name I do not know. Both do a superior job of portraying the character deliniated in the novels.

The movie is so rich with authentic scenes of shipboard life, battles at sea, and the interplay of emotions and duty between Aubrey and Maturin, that one is simply unable to look away or even sit back during the entire two and a half hours. I have seldom been as impressed and pleased with a movie portrayal of a beloved book as I am with this production.

I think myself incredibly lucky in that regard, because three of my most highly treasured works LOTR, the Aubrey-Maturin novels, and Lonesome Dove, have all been the subjects of truly excellent productions in film.

I can only hope that the producers of this wonderful film will continue to make movies from these equally wonderful books!!!

 

[LTBF]

Bob, great review! I definitely am going to see this one!

Did I misunderstand what I thought I heard: that it was based on a real person? Maybe the fictional character was based on a real person.

I saw on the History Channel where they were doing to do one of their segments where they compare a historical movie with what really happened. That is what made me wonder about it.

Any light that you can shed will be helpful.

Thanks!

ROLL TIDE FOREVER!

 

[bobstod]

Hi Caroline!

From what I have been able to gather, O'Brian did extensive research in the files of the British Navy. He uses descriptions of naval actions that actually occurred; but of course were not all fought by the same Captain and crew.

No human being could survive a career like Lucky Jack Aubrey's!

Nevertheless, the events described in all the sea battles actually happened. When you read some of them, it seems impossible to believe that people can accomplish such deeds under such exceedingly bloody conditions.

In fact, though, it is not the action scenes, but the long days in between that are the meat of these novels. O'Brian's research did not stop with naval combat. He allows us to live aboard a sailing ship in the late 1700s, early 1800s, eating what they ate, sleeping where they slept. You become immersed in that world so thoroughly that it is actually addictive. I have read all twenty books three times; and I'm already itching to pick them up again.

The unique aspect of O'Brian's long opus is, in fact, its examination of a long and deeply complex relationship between two heterosexual men.

Steven Maturin is Jack Aubrey's 'particular friend'. They meet at a concert in book one (Master and Commander), and sail together through all twenty books. They both marry, they both have children. They play Mozart concerti in Jack's cabin aboard every ship they sail upon. Jack plays violin and Steven, cello.

They are as different as can be imagined; but their relationship is deeply moving. I don't remember any books that attempt to examine this purely masculine relationship as these do.

Both my son and my son-in-law have read these books with great pleasure. My son has introduced them to his longtime friend, who has adopted them with as much love and enthusiasm as they both did LOTR. I also have another member of my extended family, married to my niece, who loves these books as I do. He is a PhD in history.

If you discover more about the actual basis of Jack Aubrey's character I would be very interested to hear about it. I am under the impression that he is an amalgam of every valiant English sea captain.

Hope you like the movie!!!

RTR

 

[Mr. Peabody]

I saw it this weekend.

It was a great movie. It was also a nice history piece about life on board a Naval Ship during the Napoleonic Wars.

 

[PellCityBAMA]

bobstod,

Have you read the 3 book series by AB Guthrie about the West. The subject writing reminds me of Lonesome Dove. The three books are "The Big Sky", "The Way West", and "These Thousand Hills".

The director of Master and Commander read all 20 books 4 times. Pretty impressive.

 

[bobstod]

PellCity, I did not know of that Guthrie series. I have made a note of it, and will check it out. Do you consider it in the same class, quality-wise, as Lonesome Dove?

I didn't know that the director had read the O'Brian books four times, either! Where did you read that? I am impressed as well. It gives me hope that they will produce more movies!!

 

[PellCityBAMA]

I have read the first of the Guthrie series and am working on the second. So far I like it about as much as Lonesome Dove. The books were written in the 30's and 40's. Guthrie lived in Montana. Some of the old timers from the cattle days would have possibly still been around. All 3 have been made into moves, but I haven't seen them.

"The Big Sky" - A KY youth runs away from home and heads West. He becomes a mountain man at the end of the mtn man era. Maybe 1830's.

"The Way West" - A character from the first book has retired to Missouri. Upon his wifes passing head leads a wagon train along the Oregon Trail - late 1840's

"These Thousand Hills" - 1880's cattle boom days in Montana.

The way I found these was to list Westerns by rating on amazon. The first one was rated with Lonesome Dove. The local used book store had hardcover for $2. I had to try it.

When I read the first one I couldn't help but think that McMurtry had read it. The book is much thinner, but somehow he still gets the story in. All of the language is understated. Kind of a dry wit sort of thing. I didn't laugh out loud the way I did with Dove. The humor is different. The 2nd time I read Lonesome Dove it struck me just how funny the book is.

My boss is a sailing freak. He's read all of the O'Brien and CS Forrester books. We're currently going through the Lambert series on Books on Tape. He has a 48' sailboat and when he's not sailing or working he's reading about sailing. When I found out about this movie coming out and told him he said he saw an interview with the director. The 4x through thing came up in the interview. The director definatly did his homework.

 

[bobstod]

Thanks for the info, PellCity! I will check out Big Sky. I remember the movie; at least I remember that there was a movie. Don't remember who starred in it, but it was thirty or forty years ago, anyway.