Master & Commander : De l'autre côté du monde

Au ciné, il m’est arrivé de m’endormir sur trois films : The Game, Batman Begins et Master & Commander. J’adore Russel Crowe, mais je ne comprends pas comment il a pu se prêter à un scénario aussi médiocre. Un navire poursuit l’autre au bout du monde puis, à la fin, ils se rencontrent et c’est parti pour une grande pagaille ! Plus jamais, même sous la torture ! (06/06/2007)

N'importe ce que vous attendez, vous obtiendrez quelque chose de différent. Master & Commander est comme James Ivory sur l'eau. Sans intrigue de gros film, sans action, sans grands héros. Une excursion psychologique dans la vie de l'équipage d'un vieux navire de guerre, de ses conflits personnels et des règles qu'il doit suivre. La scène la plus lumineuse dans ce film de guerre serait la bataille finale réussie. Ici, il s'agit de la collecte de scarabées par un médecin blessé sur une île tropicale. Une belle caméra, avec des dizaines de nuances détaillées dépeignant les caractères des différents personnages. Russell Crowe apparaît à l'écran et vous l'adorez immédiatement. Et vous développez une relation avec les autres personnages principaux, comme si vous les connaissiez depuis des années. Peter Weir est un réalisateur unique. (13/11/2003)

Thanks to the engaging filmmaking and realistic setting, I can safely say: I was there with them. On the ship during the storm, during the battles and during the moments of relaxation, and I was not bored at all. In the opening battle I was thrown into the whirlwind of the action, with blood, sweat and tears at my fingertips, during the scene with the crashing my ship was being tossed from side to side, and on the Galapagos I relaxed with the Doctor to the strains of the double bass and it was enjoyable. If Weir wanted to show a detailed portrait of life on an English battleship, he succeeded. If he wanted to make an adventure story, he certainly didn't miss. And certainly not with this select ensemble of actors. I believed Crowe and Bettany and their captain and doctor, respectively, every second. And by the way, do you want to know how a scarecrow can help win a naval battle? Then don't hesitate with this film. (30/06/2004)

I can't remember the last time I found out before the movie climaxed that I had barely been breathing. It had to be a long time ago, and it had to be for a movie similar to Master and Commander. This is a wonderful callback to old times, robust filmmaking with a clear vision, precise leadership and superbly put together dramatic layers. Peter Weir has commanding skills and the steadfastness of captain Jack, but he also remains an analytical observer like Dr. Stephen. The way individual characters are built, and the way chemistry is maintained by the crew, should be in a cinematic tactics textbook. In a few minutes, a person is on board and participates in a cruise that is both informative, exciting and emotional. Moreover, Weir's typical dualities of small and large universes are reflected here, when war, politics, and science are all reflected in the relationships and conversations of the characters, without the film sliding into any exaggerated philosophizing. Everything's just right, and the dust won't get wet despite the thunderous runtime. This blew off my main mast. Huzzah! (and the second part, from what Peter Weir told us, is not utopia). (03/04/2011)

A perfect combination of artsy chamber piece focused on characters and “how things worked on those beautiful vessels with sails" with a simple adventure for boys about friendship and duties like out of a dime novel you read secretly during lessons. Despite having nothing whatsoever to do with the equally marvelous book the movie is based on (this is more a mixture of the first and third book with a bit from the tenth book in the Aubrey and Maturin series), this is a simply wonderful movie in its sense for historical precision, characterization of characters or nods for readers (Jack’s missing earlobe, letters to Sophia, Maturin’s “floral" waistcoat etc.) And technical aspects keep step with the content - they are the highest possible standard. The only thing that disappoints me is the non-existence of a director’s cut. As a whole twenty-four minutes of cut scenes demonstrates, not just ballast, but much high quality material was left out of the final cut. (28/01/2007)