# Master and Commander **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 30, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355 "2003-10-30T01:31:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fatjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac91a4/32.png) [@fatjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fatjack)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/1 "2003-10-30T01:31:58Z")
Looking forward to it? I’m a huge fan of the books but the casting is troublesome to me. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/2 "2003-10-30T01:53:31Z")
i thought he was a real dude, and i bugged me i never heard of him. Then i was like “hey, it’s a book series!” and it bugged me no more. dunno if i’ll see it, if it comes out a slow week, i’ll be there. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/3 "2003-10-30T02:09:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fatjack \* > \*\*Looking forward to it? I’m a huge fan of the books but the casting is troublesome to me. \*\* Why is the casting troublesome? Russell Crowe is one of the finest actors working today, and Paul Bettany is a decent actor. What, are you worried that you’ll be thinking of Pippin whenever you see Billy Boyd? Whatever. I’m there opening day. Especially after reading this (no real spoilers, but a rave rave article by Jeffrey Wells, who loves to hate good movies. If he likes it, it must really be special. [http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/elsewhere/index.html](http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/elsewhere/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/4 "2003-10-30T02:23:02Z")
It does look neat, and I do like Russell Crowe. But everytime I see ads for it I keep thinking of the episode of South Park that made fun of him… **"Come 'on, Tuggah!!"** ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/5 "2003-10-30T02:28:21Z")
I know every time I see the commercials I do the “Ooooooh!” dance that I do whenever I see a movie involving sailing ships and cannons. Hell yea. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/6 "2003-10-30T02:29:07Z")
I had heard of this movie before, and it looked interesting. But honestly, what sold me was what I learned at the full-length trailer my wife and I saw before _Mystic River_ last week. I didn’t know, before, that it was directed by Peter Weir. A seafaring epic, directed by my favorite director? Oh yeah… _must_ see this one. I can imagine he’ll do something interesting with the story. Russell Crowe looks like he’ll do just fine in it… he’s an ass as a person, but he really is a great actor. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/7 "2003-10-30T03:00:46Z")
Not just a seafaring epic. Spies, relationships, 19th century culture, more about sailing vessels than any human could ever understand…and they’ll cram several of the books into one movie. Rutger Hauer and Dustin Hoffman would have been perfect for the parts in their youth, or even all the movies as they aged. Dr. Marturin is a scuzzy looking scrub, a physicain, naturalist and spy. Goofy as hell in naval matters. Jack Aubrey, described by Marturin “If it floats, I have perfect confidence in Jack Aubrey being able to sail it”, the perfect mariner and warrior, is an idiot at any other endeavor. Why is the dog watch shorter than the others? Because, Sir, they are cur-tailed. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/8 "2003-10-30T05:29:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Avalonian \* > \*\*Russell Crowe looks like he’ll do just fine in it… he’s an ass as a person, \*\* Aw, I don’t know. If you were an ass 5 days a year, and a perfectly nice person 360 days of the year, but “journalists” happened to be present those particular 5 days, and wrote it up and made a big big deal out of it, people would think you’re an ass as a person too. What I’ve culled is that he’s a decent guy who doesn’t suffer fools, gladly or any other way. He doesn’t play the Hollywood game and won’t play nicey-nicey kiss ass just to make people happy, and he doesn’t give a fig who likes or doesn’t like it. I find that kind of refreshing. Every “bad boy” thing he does is reported out of context and blown way out of porportion. He doesn’t seem like an ass at all to me. He’ll never be as beloved as Tom Hanks, say, but I don’t think he’s too worried about it. I don’t care either, as long as he keeps making good movies. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/9 "2003-10-30T07:17:08Z")
I have read a lot of the books in the series and cannot wait to see the movie. Go watch the trailer on the IMDB or on the official site: [www.masterandcommanderthefarsideoftheworld.com](http://www.masterandcommanderthefarsideoftheworld.com). It’s cool. I have no quarrel with the casting. Actually, I love the ship even more than the people! ---
**Author:** ![auliya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@auliya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auliya)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/10 "2003-10-30T11:59:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Equipoise \* > \*\*What I’ve culled is that he’s a decent guy who doesn’t suffer fools, gladly or any other way. He doesn’t play the Hollywood game and won’t play nicey-nicey kiss ass just to make people happy, and he doesn’t give a fig who likes or doesn’t like it. I find that kind of refreshing. Every “bad boy” thing he does is reported out of context and blown way out of porportion. He doesn’t seem like an ass at all to me. He’ll never be as beloved as Tom Hanks, say, but I don’t think he’s too worried about it. I don’t care either, as long as he keeps making good movies. \*\* I live on a small island just north of Brisbane in Queensland Australia. Russell Crowe and his band played here at the local pub about a month ago, $20 to get in, no special security, just another pub band on tour, taking their music to the regional areas. No pretentions or hype, but an Aussie band doing what they do. I reckon he’s a treasure 😛 [link](http://www.murphsplace.com/crowe/articles10-03.html) ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/11 "2003-10-30T16:14:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vivalostwages \* > \*\*I have read a lot of the books in the series and cannot wait to see the movie. Go watch the trailer on the IMDB or on the official site: [www.masterandcommanderthefarsideoftheworld.com](http://www.masterandcommanderthefarsideoftheworld.com). It’s cool. > > I have no quarrel with the casting. Actually, I love the ship even more than the people! \*\* Woohoo! I hadn’t seen the full length trailer, and DAMN that looks like a good movie. **Morelin** says he looks like Javert. ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/12 "2003-10-30T18:39:07Z")
I can not wait to see this movie, from what I saw on the trailer it should be good, I get my fixes every so often when the spots play on TV. I love Russell Crowe, and the books are very good, this should be good. I was kind of upset because the original release date was moved, it was suppose to have a June release, but they moved it to November - I guess to capitalize on the Oscar. I would have liked to see a good movie over the summer, since all the movies sucked ass. Oh, well a couple more weeks. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/13 "2003-10-30T19:35:32Z")
I know nothing about Crowe, so I am pleased to know that some readers of the series like him as Jack. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/14 "2003-10-30T20:20:48Z")
From what I’ve heard, he’s an ass in person. But he rocked Gladiator. And I think Gladiator has kind of brought back the big, epic picture, and thank god for it. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/15 "2003-10-30T21:46:21Z")
Eentsy quibble – the lines in the trailer where Jack Aubrey/Russell Crowe exhorts the crew, with “for home and the prize” and “do you want Napoleon for your king?”. I don’t recall Aubrey ever talking much to the crew at all, or giving pep talks. ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/16 "2003-10-30T22:15:12Z")
Crowe is far too dour to be Jack Aubrey, and Bettany is flat out too handsome to be Maturin. And instead of adapting the books faithfully they’ve mushed the first book together with another one from much later in the series. So I try to avoid thinking of it as an adaptation of O’Brian, and just hope for a good Age of Sail movie. From that perspective, it looks pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/17 "2003-10-31T00:38:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jsc1953 \* > \*\*I don’t recall Aubrey ever talking much to the crew at all, or giving pep talks. \*\* I recall two. One telling a crew that had joined would be given a head start in boarding “that’s fair”, and another trying to provoke the French in Medina “that’s the law. The man that fires first will get five hundred lashes, by God!” and O’Brien points out here, I beleive, that Aubrey knows he isn’t much good at it. ---
**Author:** ![fatjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac91a4/32.png) [@fatjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fatjack)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/18 "2003-10-31T01:05:02Z")
My thinking is like Wumpus. They really could have tried harder with Jack and Maturin. Russell Crowe is good but can he/will they even try to portray the side of Jack Aubrey that’s so much fun in the novels? As for Bettany, he’s nowhere near ugly enough. ---
**Author:** ![Curate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Curate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curate)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/19 "2003-10-31T02:56:03Z")
I’m willing to be open minded on Bettany’s Maturin (generous of me, isn’t it) but I’m a little concerned that Maturin’s character might be pushed into the background by Aubrey, or that the relationship might be presented as something like a Holmes/Watson one with Jack as the smart one. One of the charms of the books for me is that Stephen is there to ask all the lubberly questions the rest of us readers would ask if we were there, but the danger in this is that he’ll become simply a clueless buffoon in the film. But after all, we DO get to see the Surprise in her 28-gunned glory! And it appears that quite a few favorite scenes from the books are there for us. The book of the making of the film has a shot of Maturin’s brain surgery on the gunner and apparently there will be music in the cabin. There’s not a moment to lose! ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355/20 "2003-10-31T03:26:48Z")
Anyone know anything about the filming? Is the ship real, CG, a big set? Cause it LOOKS good. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-and-commander/210355.md?page=2)