Sea fever
MASTER & COMMANDER:
The Far Side of the World
Cert. 12a. 2 hours 18 minutes
Dir. Peter Weir
It is a long time since I have heard an adult audience give a round of applause at the end of a film - but it happened with this one!
Based on the extremely popular novels by Patrick O'Brien, and set in 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars, it concerns HMS Surprise, captained by 'Lucky' Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe), giving chase to a elusive and superior French frigate from the S. Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean. It is a very 'manly' film - there is hardly a glimpse of the fair sex throughout, and the storms and battle scenes are horrifyingly realistic. The photography is beautiful and the historical detail fascinating.
Early 19th-century Englishmen still had something of a Christian worldview, and it is against this background that the main themes of the film are explored. Those things are good old-fashioned duty and leadership. With his duty to be done, we see Lucky Jack having to make difficult judgements: when must a leader insist on discipline; when should caring humanity take precedence; how does a leader win his men's loyalty; and where is the dividing line between strong leadership and self-centred pride?
From the audience's reaction, it seems that even in a postmodern climate, where we are told there are no causes worth dying for, an heroic man (albeit a celluloid one) can still stir people's hearts. I wonder why...?
The re-emergence of heavy shepherds
What would you think if you received a letter from your church leaders that read like this? ‘Are church …