October 29, 2003. Copyright, 2003, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Masterly Crowe in command of the far side
By Mark Samms

LONDON, October 29, Graphic News:  When a movie title contains a colon these days, it can signify only one thing -- the producers reckon they are on to a good thing and they intend to cash in.

Well before its release earlier this year, Pirates of the Caribbean became Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl when the potential for money-spinning sequels became obvious. ItÕs reasonable to assume, therefore, that The Far Side of the World is just the first of many films likely to be produced under the Master and Commander badge.

There is no shortage of raw material. This movie is based on the 10th book of 20 in the Master and Commander series by British author Patrick OÕBrian, which first appeared in 1969. Sadly, OÕBrian himself never lived to see this long-overdue recognition of his talents. He died just three years ago at the age of 85, but his formidable legacy is regarded as a potential pot of gold by story-starved executives in Hollywood.

Director Peter Weir (The Truman Show, Dead Poets Society) has his first attempt at a rip-roaring adventure yarn, and so successful has he been that 20th Century Fox delayed the release of the movie from June until November in a calculated attempt to improve its Oscar chances.

It could be a shrewd move, because the film is a combination of cash, class and extraordinary special effects guaranteed to appeal to a wide audience.

Academy favourite Russell Crowe (Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind) is in rumbustious form as Captain Jack Aubrey -- master of the HMS Surprise -- in which he rampages across the worldÕs oceans during the Napoleonic wars. His faithful ally is shipÕs surgeon and special agent Stephen Maturin, played by Paul Bettany, who also starred with Crowe in A Beautiful Mind.

In a bid to satisfy the OÕBrian purists, a lot of money and trouble has gone into establishing the historical integrity of the film, but in the final analysis it is a good, old-fashioned sea epic that has used every cent of its $135 budget to good effect.

The action sequences are stunning and trailers suggest that the chase around Cape Horn between HMS Surprise and her French adversary will make the heaving seas in The Perfect Storm look like ripples in a paddling pool.

And so seriously did Crowe take his swashbuckling role that other members of the cast took to calling him ÒcaptainÓ even after the cameras stopped rolling. He has already stated his intention to continue in the role of Aubrey if the movie is successful. LetÕs hope he has acquired his sea legs.

RELEASE DATESs

November 14: USA
November 19: Philippines
November 21: UK
November 26: Belgium, Sweden
November 27: Austria, Germany, Netherlands
November 28: Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Turkey
December 4: Australia, Hungary
December 11: Czech Republic
December 12: Estonia, Lithuania
December 19: Italy
December 31: France
Janary 1: New Zealand
January 9: Brazil
January 29: Argentina
/ENDS