Peter Weir
Master And Commander

The sea has always fascinated humanity. Perhaps it's due to its vastness, perhaps because of its deep blue. This "Master and Commander" by Peter Weir fascinates less than the sea. A grand directorial style, a super sponsored epic, plenty of nice words: the result is a film of undeniable value but one that fails to convey emotions.

Analyzing the work of the Australian transplanted to Hollywood, the realism of the objects immediately stands out. From the ships to the costumes, ending with the battles, everything is made in faithful replicas of the equipment from the Napoleonic era. This realist trend, although apt and formidable in evoking the maritime scenario of the 1800s, seems somewhat forced to the eyes of the viewers. In fact, "Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World" offers no fanciful digressions but appears too much like a "schematic" film, too faithful to production guidelines chosen in advance. Thus, the story of the captain of the Surprise, Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe), tasked with hunting down the French frigate Acheron, ends up bringing to the big screen more of the scientific obsessions of the ship's doctor Maturin (Paul Bettany) than narrating the maritime chase between the two rival ships.

For the rest, the film contains the usual themes dear to Weir: friendship from the perspective of the young sailors Calamy and Blackeney, the continuous quest for landscape celebrated here with beautiful shots of the vast blue sea and panoramic views of the Galapagos Islands. Another predominant theme in Peter Weir's filmmaking is heroism, present in massive doses: Captain Aubrey embodies the typical devoted hero who instructs his crew through absolute and complete discipline. Additionally, note the almost total absence of the female figure, which is glimpsed only for a few seconds.

Inspired by the novels of Patrick O'Brian, Weir's fourteenth feature film has the flavor of an epic film, with its realist vein that distinctly stands apart from the overuse of special effects. Computers are present but minimally invasive, so much so that most of the 135 million dollars spent were used for the reconstruction of ships and military uniforms.

The seafaring portrait offered by Peter Weir in 2003 is undoubtedly of good quality, expertly balanced between epicness and spectacle, between heroism and adventure. What is not convincing is the flat atmosphere that permeates much of the film's duration (over two hours). At the end of watching "Master and Commander," what remains in mind is a handful of characters who have based their lives on honor, homeland, and friendship.

2 Academy Awards: Best Cinematography and Best Sound Editing.