[Regia-NA] SOT - New Horatio Hornblower movies./ Master and Commander / LOTR: ROTK/ Timeline / Last Samurai

Tue, 18 Nov 2003 02:58:14 -0500

While some of us are medievalists through and through
we still appreciate period pieces, particularly
the swashbuckling variety, so:

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Horation Hornblower will have two new movies in
the series, these would be 7 & 8, on Dec. 2nd & 3rd.
at 8 pm e.s.t./7 p.m central time on the
Arts and Entertainment Channel.
There was a nice picture book published on the earlier
series shoot of several years ago.

[It's not as charmingly warm as the Gregory Peck
version but there is more of it. Peck was great as a
seafaring boat captain in The World in His Arms as well.]
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These films were shot in the same tank and area they just
filmed the new Master and Commander in that Russell
Crowe is currently playing in in the movie theaters.
One hundred days in the tank, with the capabilities to
tilt the ship in it and throw water in large amounts
from different angles, and ten filming on the sea itself.

Crowe is not bad at all, but is the least authoritative
figure I have seen depicted as a ship's captain in
any British Navy 18th-19th C. movie.
Chummy rather than hard. Not depressingly Bounty
movie style at all.

The film score isn't at all bad either.
They took pains to be accurate. Note the obvious
resemblance drawn rather exactly between one
tow-headed mid-shipman and Horatio Nelson.
The ship's surgeon Paul Bettany played Chaucer in
the Knight's Tale.  It is hard to eclipse that
performance but the chello/violin duets are good
as is his surgery and science interests.
My wife read in the newspaper that if it does well
there will be further movies in the series.
Notice that I am not giving anything away for your
enjoyment. You've probably already seen him standing
on the cat's head that holds the tied up anchor
while sailing with all sails set in the previews.

Pictures:
http://us.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0311113

On the movie poster you may note that they are sailing in
heavy seas with all gunports open. Rather fantastic
with cannons firing - at what?
http://us.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0311113/masterposter.jpg
Well, that little caper took down both the English Mary Rose
and the Swedish Vasa in much milder seas.
http://us.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0311113/MC-FF-10.jpg
It doesn't appear in the film, although they do some
heavy seas sailing - somewhat less than the viking
longship surfing heavier seas in the Thirteenth Warrior
which was a truly unforgettable image to see.
[I keep meaning to re-view that movie. Maybe after
midnight.] The waves were close to those depicted
in the Perfect Storm.

Having seen a modern recreation of a Viking ship sink
in about five seconds in the middle of a fjord when
a cross-wind hit it on television I am amazed that they
got as far as they did in medieval [and modern] times.
Lots of heads and chests were bobbing about in very
cold water. It would likely be amazing to see just
what is on the bottom of those fjords one day. I
wonder why it hasn't been explored further. Wood
that far north doesn't decay much down there,
nor are there woodworms as in warmer waters.
Maybe Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute hasn't
considered it yet. Boy would that be fun to watch.
They did find an early ship in the Black Sea
standing erect with it's mast up in the silt.

Two of three viking replicas sank rounding Spain for the
Mediterranean a few years back. And the Iceland to
Greenland group had a sizable number missing way back when
of the twenty-five ship fleet.

There is a Making of Master and Commander book
currently out and it is full of photos.
Tom McGregor is the author.

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BTW the movie picture books are out already for the
LOTR: Return of the King. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167260/
One is on the weapons and armor this time all by itself:
The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare
by Richard Taylor and Chris Smith (Author)
Amazon has some of them at a 40% discount.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0618390995/ref=pd_sxp_elt_l1/103-9608269-1767826

Viewing them early can give you a preview of sorts
of the movie, so you might want to order them and
open the box -after- the movie has been seen. The detail
in the whole series of them is remarkable. I particularly
liked the Rohan culture depictions.
The movie begins on December 17

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Timeline starts on the November 22nd.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0300556/
There is a revealing [but not too much] summary under
more by anonymous. I'm hardly anonymous.

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The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise begins Dec. 5.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0325710/
I don't recall any Yankee officer being in that
rebellion, as there was a very real Englishman mirrored
in Shogun but it makes good theater.
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Anyway, enjoy. It's a great fall for movies.
We are so damned lucky to be living in a time when
spectacular films can be made.

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