Films such as the historical and adventure drama of the Australian-American director Peter Weir are certainly necessary for the world cinema community, they successfully dilute the projects that have exhausted everyone about the tricks of maniac killers, villainous terrorists and evil aliens from other galaxies. “Master of the Seas: On the Edge of the Earth” (front-end actors: R. Crowe, P. Bettany, D. D'Arcy) with an intriguing salvo of naval guns captivates the viewer in the vast expanses of the Atlantic Ocean, where two great sea powers came together in a mortal battle, two ships, two captains. As recognized by world film critics, before, not a single “sea battle” that ever appeared on the big screen could not boast of such a reality. Perhaps that is why the tape has a rather high rating - IMDb: 7.40.
Main characters
The actors who played the main roles are especially distinguished among the actors and performers in the film "Master of the Seas: At the Edge of the Earth". Russell Crowe in the drama turned into the image of Captain Jack, and Dr. Stephen brilliantly played Paul Bettany. Their characters are bosom buddies, despite the fact that their beliefs and views on life vary quite seriously. More than once in the course of action, the characters enter into fierce disputes, but the hero Crowe invariably emerges as the winner, which, in principle, is not surprising, because, as usual, the captain is always absolutely right.
Most films with Russell Crowe (Gladiator, Own Man, Los Angeles Secrets) are presented in the action genre. However, this time the actor was lucky to get out of the usual genre. His character and hero Bettany touch upon serious issues that the authors deliberately included in the plot. The confrontation of heart and mind, war and peace poured on the viewer from the screen thanks to Dr. Stephen and Captain Jack. By the way, the same acting duet recently starred together in the Oscar-winning biographical movie "Mind Games."
Fight to the end
Realizing on the screen the idea of the director of the film "The Master of the Seas: At the Edge of the Earth", the actors told the audience an exciting story. The basis of the storyline is a description of the deadly confrontation between the two ships - "Acheron" and "Sudden", and the crew of neither one nor the other does not allow even the thought of a possible defeat.
A fight to the last breath, a struggle to the end, a sense of indestructible patriotism - this moves the minds of crew members. Despite the fact that the enemy’s forces are obviously unequal, the servicemen of the “Sudden”, led by their fearless leader, sincerely believe in victory.
The ups and downs of acting
Previous films with Russell Crowe did not absorb the actor to such an extent. He initially took an active part in the production of the painting. After reviewing the original version of the script, the Oscar winner in 3 nominations found a lot of inaccuracies in it, so he personally handed over a copy to Akiva Goldsman for adjustment. In addition, the Australian and American film actor of New Zealand origin, to rally the performers of the roles of the crew of his ship, periodically organized a game of rugby. He also insisted that actors acting as characters from different crews should live in different rooms. In addition, Russell played most of the violin part on his own, although he did not know how to play the violin before filming. But he studied the basics of playing a musical instrument with all responsibility.
The role of Dr. Stephen could be played by Ralph Fiennes, who later refused to participate in the filming process. Approved for the role, Paul Battany visited the Royal College of Surgeons London and studied in detail the methods of using surgical instruments of the 18th century.
Casting cast
All the performers involved in the production of the tape underwent a special two-week training, where, under the steadfast gaze of professional instructors, they learned to knit ropes, reload and shoot from cannons, and fight with swords.
Billy Boyd, a Scottish film actor and musician, adorned the film “Master of the Seas: On the Edge of the Earth” with his presence. He played the role of Barrett Bonden, the helmsman. This character is fundamentally different from the former famous Peregrine Took in the epic "The Lord of the Rings."
The creators, impeccably following the ancient wisdom that a woman on a ship means to be in trouble, for all the impressive timing (138 minutes) of the fair sex, they took 30 seconds to frame the picture. But Joseph Morgan, who played William Worley, appeared in the frame a sufficient number of times, had the opportunity to demonstrate all the facets of his acting gift. The British actor, who shone in the role of an ancient bloodsucker in the television films “The Firstborn” and “The Vampire Diaries”, benefited from the change of role.
Waiting for the sequel
The merit of the scriptwriters of the picture is also an ambiguous ending. Largely thanks to him, as well as an impressive box office, most likely, you will not have to wait long for the sequel “Master of the Seas: At the Edge of the Earth” to be released. The actors who took part in the production of the original film will be happy to continue their sea adventures.
"The Master of the Seas" once again proved that historical and adventure films were and will be one of the most impressive and beautiful genres of the world film industry. Peter Weiri’s project was awarded two Oscars and was announced in 8 more nominations, almost ahead of the Titanic.