Sailing movies are almost universally awful, but there are a few that we hold dear. “Wind” for obvious and ironic reasons, “White Squall” for a fascinating dramatic take on a horrifying event, Dead Calm for Nicole Kidman’s nakedness, Morning Light for some of the best offshore sailing shots of its time, and Master and Commander for everything else. The Russell Crowe-led film hired pro sailors and riggers to help with the sailing, bought two square rig replicas, spent 9 figures on production, and managed to not only provide historically accurate visions of the Age of Sail at war, but a great adaptation of one of the best seafaring book series of all time.
The guys at History Buffs are perhaps the web’s best judges of the historic value of movies, and they took on Master and Commander in this episode that dropped the other day. It’s a great 21-minute look at one of our favorite sailing movies, and the video is above or over here on Youtube.
Thanks to Weinie for the tip.
