The Year of Living Dangerously

Based on the novel by Christopher Koch, The Year of Living Dangerously is the story of a group of foreign correspondents who report the chaos in 1965 Indonesia where two reporters engage into an affair during the event. Directed by Peter Weir and screenplay by Weir and David Williamson, the film follows the chaos of the events of September 1965 in Jakarta at a time during an attempted coup where foreign reporters try to understand what is going on. Starring Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt, Bill Kerr, Michael Murphy, and Noel Ferrier. The Year of Living Dangerously is a riveting and evocative film from Peter Weir.

Set during the events of 1965 in Jakarta amidst a growing division in politics, the film revolves around an Australian journalist who goes to the city to cover the events with the aid of a Chinese-Australian dwarf while falling for an assistant to a revered British official. It’s a film that play into a lot of drama that occurs in Indonesia during a tumultuous period of civil and social unrest where foreign correspondents try to understand what is going on as they’re aided by this dwarf who knows what is happening but is also trying to carry a sense of hope for Indonesia. The film’s screenplay by Peter Weir and David Williamson is told mainly from the Chinese-Australian dwarf Billy Kwan (Linda Hunt) as he lives in Jakarta and knows what is happening as he would be a guide for the Australian journalist Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson) who is reporting for an Australian network.

Hamilton is just among a group of reporters trying to cover this chaos in Jakarta and other parts of Indonesia as they also try to find time to relax and enjoy the local scene that include parties at other foreign embassies. When he meets Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver) at the British embassy as she’s an aide for the diplomat Colonel Henderson (Bill Kerr), he is smitten by her where he turns to Kwan for help as he has information on everyone which makes Hamilton uneasy. Still, Kwan is able to get Hamilton contacts with those who are involved in this conflict but has a hard time trying to understand what is going on just as he’s being torn in his job and his growing love for Bryant. It would later get more dangerous for Hamilton as he gets a scoop that ends up being a major revelation about what is really happening in Indonesia.

Weir’s direction is definitely entrancing for many of the visuals that he is able to capture as well as setting during a tumultuous moment in time. Shot on various locations in Australia and the Philippines, Weir’s direction definitely captures an intimacy into the marches and protests that emerged on the streets as well as the scenes at the rural areas in the city or outside of the city. Weir does display that disconnect of how foreigners who live in comfortable hotels and posh embassies while the locals are struggling to get by as they live in decayed homes on the streets or near river canals with polluted water. Weir would use the wide and medium shots to capture the chaos of the protests as well as a look into the landscapes outside of Jakarta. Weir would also use the medium shots and close-ups for scenes involving the characters as they all talk about their assignment or relaxing at a party.

Even in some of the intense moments in the film where it play into that disconnect of what is happening in Jakarta and at these embassies where Hamilton and Kwan do get a closer look as the latter knows what is happening as there is an element of disillusionment that would occur in the third act. Even as the chaos really starts to come ahead forcing Hamilton to come to terms with what is really happening and face some harsh truths about the world’s influence in Indonesia. Overall, Weir crafts a gripping and haunting film about a foreign correspondent covering the chaotic events of Indonesia in the mid-1960s.

Cinematographer Russell Boyd does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it play into the naturalistic daytime exteriors of the countryside locations while maintaining something gritty and direct for the scenes set in the streets for the day and nighttime. Editor William M. Anderson does excellent work with the editing as it uses rhythmic cuts to play into the drama and suspense along with a surreal montage that plays into a nightmare sequence for Hamilton. Art director Herbert Pinter does fantastic work with the look of Kwan’s home in Jakarta to play into the wallpaper of pictures and such that is similar to the home of the locals which is a sharp contrast to the spacious and comfortable hotel rooms and suites that the foreign correspondents live in. Costume designer Terry Ryan does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual with the exception of the colorful shirts that Kwan wears that contrasts the more posh look of some of the foreigners including Bryant.

Special makeup effects designers Judy Lovell and Bob McCarron do amazing work with the look of Kwan in its attention to detail to make the character look manly but also full of life. Sound editor Andrew Steuart does superb work with the sound as it play into the intense atmosphere of the protests and marches on the streets as well as the eerie calm for the scenes in the countryside outside of Jakarta. The film’s music by Maurice Jarre does incredible work with the film’s score as it mixtures elements of orchestral music with traditional Asian string pieces to play into some of the suspense and drama while the music soundtrack consists a mixture of pieces ranging from classical, rock n’ roll, pop, and other music from Richard Strauss, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Vera Lynn, Vangelis, Gene Vincent, and Jimmy Reed.

The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from Ali Nur as Hamilton’s driver, Mike Emperio as the Indonesian president Sukarno, Noel Ferrier and Paul Sonkkila as a couple of foreign correspondents in their respective roles in Wally O’Sullivan and Kevin Condon, Kuh Ledesma as a secretary working for Hamilton and Kumar, and Bembol Roco in a terrific performance as Hamilton’s assistant Kumar who is an Indonesian that has a full understanding of what is going on as he shows Hamilton the chaos of what is happening as well as his own political allegiance. Michael Murphy is superb as the American journalist Pete Curtis who is a rival of sorts for Hamilton as he is more interested in having a good time rather than do his job. Bill Kerr is fantastic as Colonel Henderson as a British diplomat living in Jakarta who is more concerned with maintaining a social status and ensuring Britain’s influence on Indonesian politics rather than help out the people of Indonesia.

Sigourney Weaver is brilliant as Jill Bryant as Colonel Henderson’s assistant who falls for Hamilton though not initially as she is also a friend of Kwan where she understands what is happening and tries to give Hamilton a scoop which would serve as a plot point for the film. Linda Hunt is tremendous as Billy Kwan that has Hunt play a Chinese-Australian dwarf who is a guide for Hamilton while having his own personal interest for the people in Jakarta where he deals with the chaos as well as the empty promises of those in power as it is a defining performance for Hunt. Finally, there’s Mel Gibson in an amazing performance as Guy Hamilton as an Australian reporter covering the events as he’s torn in his job and his love for Bryant where he is forced to see some of the realities of what is happening instead of providing an angle for those with influence.

The Year of Living Dangerously is a phenomenal film from Peter Weir that features great performances from Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, and Linda Hunt. Along with its gorgeous visuals, Maurice Jarre’s haunting score, and its look into an unruly conflict seen from outsiders trying to make sense of everything. It’s a film that play into the chaotic events of mid-1960s Indonesia and its attempt to stray from the influences of the Western world seen from those who unknowingly created that sense of civil disobedience. In the end, The Year of Living Dangerously is a sensational film from Peter Weir.

Peter Weir Films: (3 to Go-Michael) – (Homesdale) – (Whatever Happened to Green Valley?) - (The Car That Ate Paris) – Picnic at Hanging Rock - (The Last Wave) – The Plumber (1979 TV film) - Gallipoli - (Witness) – (Mosquito Coast) – Dead Poets Society - (Green Card) – (Fearless) – (The Truman Show) – Master and Commander: Far Side of the World - The Way Back

© thevoid99 2018

The Plumber (1979 TV Movie)

Written and directed by Peter Weir, The Plumber is the story of a plumber who works at an apartment for the wife of a professor as his attempts to befriend her only leads to all sorts of trouble. The film is a TV movie that Weir did in 1979 that explores a woman succumbing to paranoia over the activities of her plumber. Starring Judy Morris, Ivar Kants, and Robert Coleby. The Plumber is a compelling yet intriguing TV film from Peter Weir.

The film revolves around a professor’s wife whose husband is working towards a major interview with the World Health Organization as she stays at a flat where the water pipes are going through trouble prompting a plumber to come in and fix things only to cause a lot of trouble. It’s a film with a simple premise that play into a woman dealing with this unruly presence in a plumber as she is trying to finish an anthropologist thesis. Peter Weir’s script play into this simple premise where the titular character in Max (Ivar Kants) is asked by the university to fix the plumbing of a professor and his wife at their loft just as the former is getting a chance to go to Geneva while the latter stays home. For Jill Cowper (Judy Morris), Max causing troubles and wanting to chat just becomes annoying as it include these stories of him being in jail and such which adds to the sense of fear and paranoia for Jill. She turns to her husband Brian (Robert Coleby) who dismisses it as he’s busy with work as it adds more tension and chaos as he would see what’s happened to the bathroom.

Weir’s direction is low-key in its simplicity as he does create some unique compositions as the film is largely set inside this loft in Australia. Weir would use some wide shots to get a look at the apartment loft from the outside yet much of his direction is based on intimate usages of close-ups and medium shots. Particularly in the scenes at the apartment loft where Jill is watching what Max is doing and see if he’s doing a good job though he spends much of the time goofing off or trying to talk to Jill. There’s some offbeat moments in the film though it starts off slowly to build up the suspense early into the film as Weir’s direction is about establishing the characters and location in the first act. The rest of the film is about how much Jill could deal with Max while there’s a moment in the third act when Brian invites members of the WHO for a dinner where it has an element of humor but also shock. Even as it play into this tension between husband and wife over this plumber who could playing both of them in this idea of home invasion. Overall, Weir crafts a riveting yet whimsical film about a plumber wreaking havoc into the life of a college professor’s wife.

Cinematographer David Sanderson does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is shot on 16mm to play into some of the grainy elements of the film including a lot of the shots of the interior scenes including the moments set at night. Editor Gerald Turney-Smith does terrific work with the editing as it is straightforward with a few stylish moments in the film to play into the suspense. Production designer Wendy Stites, with art directors Ken James and Herbert Pinter, does brilliant work with the look of the loft with some of the things that Jill has as well as the look of the bathroom in its ruined and messy state. Sound recordist Ken Hammond does nice work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of Max fixing the bathroom and the chaos that he’s creating while Jill tries to work. The film’s music by Rory O’Donoghue and Gerry Tolland is wonderful for its score that features some African-based percussion music as well as bits of serene yet eerie orchestral music to play into the suspense and drama.

The film’s superb cast include a few notable small roles from Henri Szeps as an American official of WHO in David Medavoy, Candy Raymond as Jill’s friend Meg, Yomi Abioudan as an African official of WHO, and Beverley Roberts as the Indian official of WHO. Robert Coleby is fantastic as Dr. Brian Cowper as a college professor who is given the chance to attend a WHO conference in Geneva as he deals with the chaos of his apartment and his wife’s behavior. Judy Morris is excellent as Jill Cowper as an anthropologist who is trying to finish a thesis as she deals with the presence of the plumber as she believes that he’s stalking her and giving her a lot of shit. Finally, there’s Ivar Kants in an amazing performance as Max as the titular character who is talkative man that is full of humor but also an element of darkness as it relates to his criminal past, whether it’s true or not, as he causes problems for Jill as well as the bathroom.

The Plumber is a marvelous film from Peter Weir. Featuring a superb ensemble cast, a minimalist premise, and a playful approach to suspense, the film is a fascinating story about paranoia and stalking as it play into a woman dealing with a troublesome plumber. In the end, The Plumber is a brilliant film from Peter Weir.

Peter Weir Films: (3 to Go-Michael) – (Homesdale) – (Whatever Happened to Green Valley?) - (The Car That Ate Paris) – Picnic at Hanging Rock - (The Last Wave) – Gallipoli - The Year of Living Dangerously - (Witness) – (Mosquito Coast) – Dead Poets Society - (Green Card) – (Fearless) – (The Truman Show) – Master and Commander: Far Side of the World - The Way Back

© thevoid99 2018

Gallipoli

Directed by Peter Weir and screenplay by David Williamson from a story by Weir, Gallipoli is the story of two Australian runners who join the service in the hope they can be heroes during World War I unaware of what lies ahead. The film is a look into the ideas of war and the element of romanticism in being part of the military where two men cope with their decisions to join the service and be part of a campaign that ended up killing thousands of Australians. Starring Mel Gibson, Mark Lee, and Bill Kerr. Gallipoli is a mesmerizing and intense film from Peter Weir.

Set in 1915, the film revolves around two men who meet a running competition as they both enlist in the Australian army in the hope to become heroes in the war unaware of what is happening in the peninsula of Gallipoli in Turkey. It’s a film that explore the romantic ideas of war where two different men from different backgrounds bond through their love of running as well as the idea of heroism during World War I. David Williamson’s screenplay opens with the lives of these two different men in the 18-year old stockman/sprint-runner Archy Hamilton (Mark Lee) and the unemployed railroad worker Frank Dunne (Mel Gibson) as they both would meet at a race as they befriend each other with similar ideas about joining the service. Though Archy is too young to join and Frank is inexperienced in riding horses to join the Light Horse cavalry infantry, the two would help each other as Frank would be joined by other railroad workers in the war.

They all have these motivations revealed in the second act set in Cairo that play into these romantic ideas of being a soldier where being a soldier means taking part in adventures, travel, and do so many different things. That portion of the film is brief as it relates to what Frank, Archy, and many others have to do once they arrive in Gallipoli as all of these romantic ideas is completely swept away. It’s not just the harsh reality of their environment they have to deal with but also the fact that Australians are treated with a sense of disdain since they’re considered second-class by the British Empire who rule over them.

Peter Weir’s direction is definitely entrancing for the vast locations he is able to go to in presenting this vast world of romanticism for much of the film’s first two acts. Shot largely on location in South Australia with the scenes in Cairo shot on the actual city, Weir creates a film that starts off in Southwest Australia where Archy is practicing to be a runner and make his family proud while Frank is just at a railyard with a few friends as they talk about joining the service which Frank is reluctant to do at first since he isn’t fond of the British Empire. Weir would use a lot of wide shots to capture the scope of the locations including the scenes in Cairo which is also shot in medium shots for the sequence at the shops and brothels. There are some close-ups to play into the growing friendship between Archy and Frank as well as this idea of gorgeous romanticism in the way the two would interact with upper-class society in Australia which is different from the way they’re treated by the British. There are elements of comedy during the second act in which Frank and his railroad worker friends mock the British cavalry as it showcases the tension between the British and Australians where the latter really work hard to combat the enemy.

The film’s third act that is set in Gallipoli is a complete removal of everything that Weir would do in the first two acts as it relates to the romanticism of being a soldier. Upon the arrival in Gallipoli, Archy and Frank believe it’s something that is adventurous where everything is fine until a skinny-dipping where a soldier is hit by stray artillery shells. It sets up these moments where reality slowly creeps in as the camera would suddenly shake whenever an artillery shell hits the ground to play into this reality. The film’s climax that involves the battle is definitely intense as it have these anti-war elements that play into a lot of the mistakes that happened as it also showed who was in charge and how their arrogance would play into the loss of innocence of these men trying to fight for survival. Overall, Weir crafts an evocative and eerie film about two young men whose idealism about war is shattered by its dark reality.

Cinematographer Russell Boyd does brilliant work with the film’s gorgeous and sunny photography for many of the exteriors set in the day as well as the usage of low-key natural lighting for some of the scenes in Cairo as well as some artificial lighting for the scenes at night. Editor William M. Anderson does excellent work with the editing in its usage of rhythmic cuts to play into some of the action and lively moments as well as the intensity of the battle during the film’s climax. Art director Herbert Pinter does fantastic work with the look of some of the places the characters go to in Australia and Cairo as well as the look of the tents and trenches in Gallipoli.

Costume designers Wendy Stites and Terry Ryan do nice work with the costumes as it play into the period of the times with some of the fancy dresses the women wore in Australia as well as the look of the uniforms the soldiers wore. Sound editor Greg Bell does amazing work with the sound in the way artillery cannons sound as well as the sound of gunfire to play into the intensity of battle and how powerful it can hit the ground to give it that sense of realism. The film’s music by Brian May is superb for its mixture of electronic synthesizers with some string flourishes to play into the drama while much of the soundtrack feature an array of pieces by Jean Michel Jarre in the running scene as well as Georges Bizet’s Pearl Fishers’ Duet for the film’s climax.

The casting by Allison Barrett is great as it feature some notable small roles from John Morris as the arrogant British colonel Robinson who orders the fatal attack in Gallipoli, Peter Ford as the Australian officer Lt. Grey who is aware of the flaw in Robinson’s plan, Ron Graham and Gerda Nicolson as Archy’s parents, Harold Hopkins as a bullying farmhand in Les that dislikes Archy, Diane Chamberlain as Major Barton’s wife, and Charles Yunupingu as Archy’s Aborigine friend Zac who helps out Archy’s family. The trio of Robert Grubb, Tim McKenzie, and David Argue in their respective roles as Bill, Barney, and Snowy are fantastic as Frank’s friends who also share Frank’s romantic idealism of war where they would be the first to encounter a reality that none of them expected. Bill Hunter is excellent as Major Barton as an Australian military leader who is determined to lead his troop to victory as he also knows that he is put into a dangerous position knowing that he and his troop would face death in the hands of the enemy.

Bill Kerr is brilliant as Archy’s Uncle Jack as a man who trains Archy to be a great racer but has worries about his nephew joining the service though he wishes him luck. Mark Lee is amazing as Archy Hamilton as an eighteen year-old runner that is eager to join the war hoping he would become a hero and endure a lot of the glories of war only to face reality that is just traumatizing. Finally, there’s Mel Gibson in an incredible performance as Frank Dunne as an unemployed railroad worker who joins the service for the romantic ideals of being a soldier where he is also a top runner that can go fast as he finds a friend in Archy where they both deal with the realities of war as it’s a role filled with charm and anguish as it’s one of Gibson’s early triumphs.

Gallipoli is a tremendous film from Peter Weir that features top-notch performances from Mel Gibson and Mark Lee. Along with its gorgeous cinematography, eerie music score, and intense action scenes, it’s a film that explores men’s reality with war as well as showcasing a moment in history that no Australian have to relive ever again. In the end, Gallipoli is a spectacular film from Peter Weir.

Peter Weir Films: (3 to Go-Michael) – (Homesdale) – (Whatever Happened to Green Valley?) - (The Car That Ate Paris) – Picnic at Hanging Rock - (The Last Wave) – The Plumber (1979 TV film) - The Year of Living Dangerously – (Witness) – (Mosquito Coast) – Dead Poets Society - (Green Card) – (Fearless) – (The Truman Show) – Master and Commander: Far Side of the World - The Way Back

© thevoid99 2018

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Based on the novel by Joan Lindsay, Picnic at Hanging Rock is the story of schoolgirls and their teacher having a picnic at the geological formation known as Hanging Rock in the Victoria state of Australia where several of them don’t return. Directed by Peter Weir and screenplay by Cliff Green, the film is about an event on Valentine’s Day 1900 where a community is rocked by this event. Starring Anne-Louise Lambert, Helen Morse, Rachel Roberts, Vivean Gray, Jacki Weaver, and Dominic Guard. Picnic at Hanging Rock is an evocative and haunting film by Peter Weir.

The film revolves around a simple picnic near the geological formation of Hanging Rock where a trio of schoolgirls from an all-girl’s college and a teacher of theirs suddenly disappear as a town and the school try to figure out what happened. It’s a film with a simple story about a disappearance on a day where nothing could go wrong yet many wonder what happened as one of the missing is eventually found as she has no idea what happened. Cliff Green’s screenplay starts off with the day of the event as it plays as if it was a normal day where a group of girls go to have a picnic with one of them being forced stay at the school due to her behavior. During this picnic, three of the girls in Miranda (Anne-Louis Lambert), Irma (Karen Robson), and Marion (Jane Vallis) would explore Hanging Rock with another classmate in Edith (Christine Schuler) who would return from the exploration screaming in horror as one of the school’s teachers in Miss Greta McCraw (Vivean Gray) would also disappear.

During this picnic, two young men in the young Englishman Michael Fitzhubert (Dominic Guard) and his valet Albert (John Jarratt) would notice the four girls crossing the creek before the disappearance as Michael becomes obsessed in Miranda whom he’s enchanted by as he would go on a search of his own where Albert would later make a chilling discovery. The script doesn’t just play into people baffled by this disappearance where a police sergeant and a constable try to figure out what happened where the local town is asking lots of question. The script also show how the disappearances of three girls and a teacher would change the environment of this all-girl’s college as students would leave as well as other things prompting a sense of change where its headmistress Mrs. Appleyard (Rachel Roberts) is dealing with the incident and the effect it’s had on the school.

Peter Weir’s direction is just ravishing in every sense of the word from the way he shoots everything on location at Hanging Rock as well as the Martindale Hall which plays the school and locations in Mintaro and parts of Adelaide. Weir’s usage of the wide shots would play into the beauty of these locations as well as create compositions that have this look and feel of a painting for a scene where the schoolgirls and their adult chaperones would be as Weir would have the actors in one part of the location and someone else in another part. It all plays into this quaint world of turn-of-the-century Australia where everyone is still trying to maintain certain etiquettes of the ways of the world yet these young girls are entranced by things that are new where three of them would go to Hanging Rock out of curiosity where they have no idea what they’re doing or getting themselves into. There is a dream-like quality to these scenes where Weir’s usage of superimposed dissolves would help play into these strange things these young ladies encounter as well as what Michael would dream about which leads him to try and find the girls during the second act.

Weir would use some close-ups and medium shots for some of the intimate moments as it relates to the environment of the school from Sara becoming more troublesome as she copes with losing her friend Miranda to Mrs. Appleyard losing students at the school. The direction has Weir showcase a growing sense of decline of 19th Century values and etiquette for something that is new as there’s a scene in the third act of people picnicking and doing other activities at Hanging Rock while still continuing to do the search. Even in scenes where the police sergeant is forced to close the door at his home because has no answers where it does have this sense of changing times where there are no answers for why three people disappeared. Overall, Weir creates a rapturous yet eerie film about a school picnic that turns to tragedy following the disappearance of three schoolgirls and a teacher.

Cinematographer Russell Boyd does incredible work with the film’s very ravishing and gorgeous cinematography with its usage of natural lighting to play into the film’s dreamy tone for many of the daytime exteriors as well as some natural light for the scenes at night. Editor Max Lemon does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts, montages, and dissolves as it help play into the drama as well as some of the mystery that looms throughout the film. Art director David Copping does excellent work with the interior designs of the school as well as the home of the sergeant as well as the home of Michael’s uncle.

Costume designer Judith Dorsman does fantastic work with the look of the dresses of the girls and women as well as the clothes of the men including Michael’s suit. Sound recordist Don Connolly does superb work with the sound in capturing many of the natural elements as well as the chaos into people’s reaction over what happened. The film’s music by Bruce Smeaton with pan flute music by Gheorghe Zamfir is amazing for its mesmerizing score with Smeaton’s music largely consisting of eerie piano and orchestral strings with Zamfir’s music creating some dream-like themes for the girls.

The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles from Peter Collingwood and Olga Dickie in their respective roles as Michael’s uncle and aunt, Tony Llewellyn-Jones as gardener, Frank Gunnell as the head gardener, John Fegan as a doctor, Garry McDonald as the police constable, Wyn Roberts as the local police sergeant, Christine Schuler as the student Edith who would join the girls in exploring Hanging Rock only to be scared, and Jacki Weaver in a terrific performance as a young maid named Minnie who is concerned for the well-being of the students as well as Mrs. Appleyard. Kirsty Child and Vivean Gray are superb in their respective roles as the teachers in the prim and loyal Miss Lumley and the mathematics teacher Miss McCraw as the latter would suddenly disappear. Karen Robson and Jane Vallis are fantastic in their respective roles as Irma and Marion as two of the schoolgirls who would explore Hanging Rock and suddenly disappear. John Jarratt is terrific as the valet Albert as a local who is at first dismissive about what happened to the girls until he makes a chilling discovery as he also copes with his own troubles with his family.

Dominic Guard is excellent as Michael Fitzhubert as a young Englishman who is visiting relatives in Australia where he is entranced by one of the schoolgirls who had disappeared as he becomes obsessed in finding her. Margaret Nelson is brilliant as the troubled student Sara Waybourne as a young woman who is a close friend of Miranda as she has trouble fitting and meet the expectations of Mrs. Appleyard. Helen Morse is amazing as Mademoiselle de Poitiers as a young French teacher who is the most concerned as she tries to help the students anyway they can in coping with the disappearance as well as be aware that things won’t be the same. Rachel Roberts is remarkable as Mrs. Appleyard as a headmistress keen on maintaining some control and a stature of the school as she copes with the disappearance of three of her students and her best teacher as well as the emergence of change happening. Finally, there’s Anne-Louis Lambert in a radiant performance as Miranda as a student whose beauty entrances Michael as she is the most concerned about what she sees at Hanging Rock that would lead to her disappearance.

Picnic at Hanging Rock is a magnificent film from Peter Weir. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, a mesmerizing story, and a hypnotic score, the film is truly one of the finest stories about disappearances and its effects on a school and a community. In the end, Picnic at Hanging Rock is an outstanding film from Peter Weir.

Peter Weir Films: (3 to Go-Michael) – (Homesdale) – (Whatever Happened to Green Valley?) - (The Car That Ate Paris) – (The Last Wave) – The Plumber (1979 TV film) - Gallipoli – The Year of Living Dangerously – (Witness) – (Mosquito Coast) – Dead Poets Society - (Green Card) – (Fearless) – (The Truman Show) – Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - The Way Back

© thevoid99 2017

Dead Poets Society

Directed by Peter Weir and written by Tom Schulman, Dead Poets Society is about a former prep school student who returns to his old prep school as a teacher to a new group of young students. Breaking away from the conservative world of the school, the teacher gives his young students a chance to find their own individuality through poetry as a couple of students get a chance to live their dreams while dealing with the conservative world of their school and the expectations from their parents. With Robin Williams in a leading performance as the English teacher John Keating, he is accompanied by a young cast that includes Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles, Dylan Kussman, Allelon Ruggerio, Gale Hansen, and James Waterson, along with appearances from Norman Lloyd and Kurtwood Smith. Dead Poets Society is an inspiring yet majestic film from Peter Weir.

Set in a prep school in 1959 in the American Northeast, the film is a simple story where a new teacher arrives at the school to teach poetry and literature as he would bring new ideas to his young students that breaks away from the traditional ethics of the school. It’s a film that in some respects is about times that are changing where this school is trying to maintain these ideas of wisdom in tradition, honor, excellence, and disciple in a world that is starting to change as its new teacher is part of that new world. At the same time, it is about a group of students who are amazed by this new teacher and his ideas as they’re inspired to read poetry as some of these students have the desire to do something else rather than what is expected from them. Especially as a few would endure the pressures of their parents to uphold certain standards and ideas rather than pursue their own ambitions and desire.

Tom Schulman’s screenplay is very broad in the way it explores the life of a prep school in the late 1950s where a new year is about to begin for a group of students while a newcomer to the school is a shy aspiring writer in Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) whose older brother was a student at the school. Anderson’s roommate in Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) is being pressured by his father to become a doctor as he would eventually become interested in acting. Anderson and Perry would eventually find inspiration through the teachings of John Keating who was a student at the school years ago as he traveled through Europe to become a teacher as he would teach his students new ideas about living life. Even as he discards the traditional ideas of poetry as he feels that everything he had been taught about is tired and irrelevant as he would allow students to find themselves and their passion where many of them would reform an old poetry that Keating was a part of called the Dead Poets Society.

The script doesn’t just explore a group of young men coming together to read poetry but also find something in themselves where Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles) would use poetry to woo a girl from a nearby public school while Charlie Dalton (Gale Hansen) would find individuality and challenge the school’s old school ethics. Though Keating’s intentions were noble, he isn’t interested in challenging anything but rather expand the ideas as it would get him into some trouble with the school’s headmaster Gale Nolan (Norman Lloyd) who is trying to ensure the school’s ethics refusing to believe that times are changing. Especially where Perry’s desires to become an actor starts to get the attention of his father (Kurtwood Smith) as it would play into events that would effect the film tonally as well as the decisions some of the characters would make.

Peter Weir’s direction is very mesmerizing in the way he portrays the world of late 1950s prep schools set in the American Northeast where it’s very posh and has this air of elegance that stood for the ethics that the school is about. Yet, everything outside of that school represents a world that is ever-changing where it is shot largely at the St. Andrew’s School in Middletown, Delaware which definitely feels like the perfect setting of a world that is long and gone. Weir’s direction is quite simple in terms of the many compositions he creates but has this air of richness in every image he creates as well as an energy that plays into this feeling of a new world emerging into this school by this very passionate and charming teacher. The direction also has Weir find elements of humor and exuberance to play into a world that is changing where Keating brings something that is very worldly in the art of poetry.

Through some unique close-ups and medium shots, Weir maintains that sense of intimacy inside the classroom but also something much looser outside of the classroom. Even as the students would find ways to express themselves such as Perry who would get a chance to do Shakespeare while Anderson would have this great scene where he would create a poem of his own in the classroom in a way that comes off very naturally. It’s among the key aspects in Weir’s direction that is compelling as it does become more dramatic in its third act where it plays into some of the fallback of Keating’s teachings and how the old world wants to instill its ideals against the new world. All of which is set in a classroom about poetry and one teacher who would get a group of students to feel inspired for the world that is ahead of them. Overall, Weir crafts a very touching and riveting film about a teacher and the students who inspired him.

Cinematographer John Seale does amazing work with the film‘s rich and colorful cinematography to play into the exterior settings from the fall and winter seasons as well as some of the low-key lighting schemes for some scenes set at night. Editor William M. Anderson does brilliant work with the editing with its unique approach to rhythmic cuts and other stylized cuts to capture the sense of energy in the film as well as some of the more haunting moments in the film. Production designer Wendy Stites, with set decorator John H. Anderson and art director Sandy Veneziano, does fantastic work with the look of the classrooms and dining halls as well as some of the places nearby the school. Sound editor Alan Splet does superb work with the sound from the sense of chaos that goes on in the school to some of the sparse sound textures in some of Keating‘s teachings. The film’s music by Maurice Jarre is tremendous for its very low-key yet somber score with some unique string arrangements and some soothing orchestral themes as it is one of the film’s highlights.

The casting by Howard Feuer is just excellent as it features some notable small roles from Alexandra Powers as Knox’s crush Chris Noel, Leon Pownall as the teacher McAllister, and Debra Mooney as Neil’s mother. Kurtwood Smith is terrific as Neil’s very strict father who wants him to become a doctor while Norman Lloyd is excellent as the school headmaster Gale Nolan who tries to maintain a sense of order and idea of tradition in the school. Allen Ruggiero is superb as the nerdy Meeks who becomes much looser through poetry while James Waterston is wonderful as the more awkward Pitts who finds some confidence through poetry. Gale Hansen is fantastic as Charlie Dalton who is the first to be amazed by Keating’s teachings as he finds individuality and the desire to make difference. Josh Charles is amazing as Knox Overstreet who would find confidence in poetry to woo a girl who comes from another school.

Dylan Kussman is brilliant as Richard Cameron as a student who is the most reluctant to follow Keating’s ideals as he would later look out for himself and think of what is best for the school. Ethan Hawke is phenomenal as Todd Anderson as this aspiring writer who is very shy and extremely insecure only to get a push and some encouragement through Keating as he would find his way towards happiness. Robert Sean Leonard is marvelous as Neil Perry as this young man who is trying to find himself as he falls in love with the world of acting as he struggles with his own desires and what his father wants from him. Finally, there’s Robin Williams in one of his most iconic performance as John Keating. It’s a performance that has Williams display humor and exuberance but also one that is very sensitive and nurturing as it displays many of what he can do as an actor and how inspiring he can be.

Dead Poets Society is a magnificent film from Peter Weir that features an exhilarating and passionate performance from Robin Williams. Armed with a great supporting cast that includes Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard as well as captivating themes on individuality and changing the world through art. It’s a film that goes beyond the ideas of inspiration as it is also a film in how one teacher can change the lives of a group of young kids. In the end, Dead Poets Society is an outstanding film from Peter Weir.

Peter Weir Films: (3 to Go-Michael) – (Homesdale) – (Whatever Happened to Green Valley?) - (The Car That Ate Paris) - Picnic at Hanging Rock - (The Last Wave) - The Plumber (1979 TV film) - Gallipoli - The Year of Living Dangerously - (Witness) - (Mosquito Coast) - (Green Card) - (Fearless) - (The Truman Show) - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - The Way Back

© thevoid99 2014

The Way Back

2003’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World was a film that garnered lots of acclaim from critics as it also received several Oscar nominations. Despite the acclaim, the film was a modest hit in the U.S. while its overall grosses worldwide did help cover the film’s massive budget. For its director Peter Weir, it was another of his great films as he would spend the next seven years taking on various projects. Among them was an adaptations of Pattern Recognition by William Gibson and Gregory David Roberts’ Shantaram. Other projects included War Magician and Shadow Divers as none of them got past the development stage. Weir finally got a project going based on the true story about a group of prisoners escaping the Siberian Gulag during World War II based on The Long Walk by Slawomir Rawicz that would be entitled The Way Back.

Directed by Peter Weir with an adapted script by Weir and Keith Clarke. The Way Back tells the story of a young Polish POW who is sent to the cold Siberian prison where he meets fellow prisoners from around the world. The young man along with other prisoners decides to escape the prison as they go into a treacherous journey through the cold mountains of Siberia and into the desert where they‘re later joined by an orphaned teenaged girl from Poland. Starring Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, Mark Strong, Gustaf Skarsgard, Dracos Bucur, and Ed Harris. The Way Back is an exhilarating and adventurous film from Peter Weir.

It’s 1939 as Janusz (Jim Sturgess) is being interrogated for possible crimes in being a spy which he denies. When his wife (Sally Edwards) reveals, under torture, that he did commit crime, he is sent to the Gulag in Siberia for twenty years. Entering the Gulag in 1941, Janusz meets an actor named Khabarov (Mark Strong) who claims to know a way to escape the Gulag. Yet, Janusz learns from an American prisoner named Smith (Ed Harris) that Khabarov is just trying to make his own way out as Janusz refuses to give up. When a brutish, tattooed prisoner named Valka (Colin Farrell) overhears a conversation with Janusz and Khabarov, he decides to join in Janusz’s plan to escape.

Joining Janusz, Smith, and Valka for the escape are four other men that consists of a Lativan priest named Voss (Gustaf Skarsgard), a Yugoslav accountant named Zoran (Dracos Bucur), an artist named Tomasz (Alexandru Potocean), and a 17-year old Polish boy named Kazik (Sebastian Urzendowsky). During a snowstorm and a blackout in the prison, the men escape as they trek through the cold forest of Siberia as they make their way South in hopes of reaching Mongolia. Along the way, they go further into the mountains hoping to reach a lake while they wear wooden masks during the heavy snowstorm. During the long journey, Janusz finally finds the lake as everyone goes to the lake.

Along the way, they learned that a young Polish girl named Irena (Saoirse Ronan) has been following them as Smith isn’t sure in taking another person to the journey. Still, she follows them as they reluctantly let her join the trek to Mongolia. Encountering everything from mosquitoes to icy waters, they finally reach the Russian-Mongolian border only to learn that Mongolia is a Communist state. Realizing that the only place to go to is India for freedom, the group goes on a trek through the Gobi desert where they have to deal with all sorts of challenges to get across to their destination.

The film’s plot about a group of men and a young girl trekking through Siberia to India seems like the kind of film that doesn’t really do much in terms of plotting. In the hands of Peter Weir, it becomes an extraordinary experience about endurance and survival. Though the film’s opening dedication does spoil the ending which is the only big mistake the film makes. Weir and co-screenwriter Keith Clarke decides that the film shouldn’t just be about the journey but also the characters.

Janusz is the character who drives the film as he knows he’s innocent and hopes to return to his wife whom he loves and knows that she is carrying a lot of guilt for putting him in prison. He is then joined by several characters who would help him escape and take part in this journey. While there are a couple of minor characters like the shady Khabarov and the young Kazik that do get a chance to shine. They’re just minor players who would help everyone else. Smith is an American who came to Russia to find work only to be suspected as spy. Smith is the old man who would be Janusz’s right hand man as he’s also someone not very sentimental as he tells Janusz about his kindness which he perceives as a weakness.

Yet, the arrival of Irena would become the person that the men in the journey would feel protective for. She becomes their angel of sorts as at one point during an encounter with Mongolians in the desert. Smith would say that Irena is his daughter as their relationship becomes somewhat of a father-daughter relationship as the rest of the men are her brothers. The character of Valka is a brutish man who is an admitted thief and is willing to do anything to survive. Yet, he becomes someone who would help everyone for their survival while maintaining his belief as a man who loves Stalin despite everyone else’s opinions.

It’s not just Weir’s ability for audience to get to know these characters which include other supporting characters like Tomasz, Voss, and Zoran as they would bring their own personalities to the journey. Even as the film would have bits of humor through the dialogue as some of it is in Russian and Polish. The screenplay also has a great structure in how to tell the story despite not having a lot of plot-points or conventional story ideas. Though it would lag in a few places, the overall work in the script is superb.

Weir’s direction for the film is definitely top of the line in what is expected from a cinematic master. Shooting on location in places like Bulgaria for the scenes in Siberia plus other locations such as Morocco, Pakistan, and India for the rest of the film. Weir takes audiences into a journey as if they’re part of this long walk from Siberia to India as he always has the camera following the group or have long shots of them walking together. Part of Weir’s brilliance as a director is him always having a wide depth of field where he allows the audience to soak the vast locations they’re walking on.

Whether its coldness of the snow and heavy storms in Bulgaria as Siberia or the big sandstorms the group encounters in the desert. Weir allows the audience to get a feeling of the location with close-ups of the ground or vast long shots. There is always something that Weir is interested in and he’ll shoot it. Even if with actors interacting with nature while taking a chance to even get in touch with where they’re at. It’s definitely directing at its finest as Weir secures another film that goes up there with his vast filmography.

Cinematographer Russell Boyd does an amazing job with the film’s vast, sprawling camera work as he creates naturalistic images that are truly dazzling on film. From the snowy regions near the Himalayas and other mountains to the wondrous deserts. Boyd’s photography is truly exquisite not just for its realistic look at the locations but also in playing to the emotional tone of the film as creates dream-like images for scenes at night as well as a mirage-like sequence. Boyd’s work is definitely top-notch in what is expected for a film like this.

Editor Lee Smith does an excellent job with the film’s editing which is mostly straightforward as it moves quite well for a film with a near two-and-a-half hour running time. Smith also manages to keep the film going with rhythmic cuts for some intense, fast-paced scenes while a lot of the scenes of walking is slow but in a leisured pace.

Production designer John Stoddart and art director Kes Bonnet do a fine job with the few set pieces made for the film such as the prison where the prisoners were staying early on to the Soviet Union-Mongolia border arc they encounter. Costume designer Wendy Stites does a very good job with the ragged costumes the characters wear including the dress that Irena wears and the pants and boots the men wear in their journey. Sound editor Richard King does a spectacular job with the film’s sound in capturing the broad atmosphere of the locations the characters encounter whether it’s the snowstorms or a sandstorm. King’s work is definitely one of the film’s technical highlights

Music composer Burkhard von Dallwitz brings a wonderful epic, soaring score that plays to the journey of the characters. Filled with sweeping string arrangements and a huge orchestra, von Dallwitz’s score is definitely one of the film’s highlights as it helps play up to the film’s vast presentation.

The casting by Lina Todd is wonderful for what is definitely inspired casting not just for its well-known actors but also lesser-known ones. Smaller performances such as Sally Edwards as Janusz’s wife, Zahary Baharov as the interrogator in the opening scene, Stanislav Pishtalov as the prison superintendent, and Sebastian Urzendowsky as Kazik, the young prisoner suffering from night blindness. Alexandru Potocean is excellent as Tomasz, an artist who makes drawings as he keeps the morale of the group high while being a dreamer with high hopes. Gustav Skarsgard is amazing as Voss, a former priest hoping to find a home to maintain some kind of spirituality for those seeking something to believe in as he has a great scene where he and Saoirse Ronan are inside a decayed Buddhist temple.

Dracos Bucur is superb as Zoran, a Yugoslav accountant who brings some much needed humor to the film whether is the desire for salt or maintaining some kind of hope needed once they reach their destination. Mark Strong is very good in a small role as Khabarov, an actor who has the idea to escape prison but doesn’t believe anything will happen. Colin Farrell is phenomenal as Valka, a thug who is very pro-Stalin as he is an admitted thief but a person who cares about freedom as he helps his friends to their journey. Saoirse Ronan is just spectacular in her role as Irena, a young Polish girl who forges an unlikely bond with the prisoners. Even in her scenes with the more cynical Smith where the chemistry between Ronan and Ed Harris is one of the film’s touching yet low-key moments.

Jim Sturgess gives what is definitely his best performance yet as Janusz. A young man desperate to return home as his willingness to escape and go home becomes one of the key moments into why the film is so captivating to watch. Even as tries to maintain hope for his group as Sturgess proves himself to be a capable lead when he’s armed with a great cast. Finally, there’s Ed Harris in one of his best roles as Mr. Smith. A cynical American who came to the Soviet Union for work only to be in prison as he tries to maintain a realist approach to the journey. Even in being an unlikely father figure for both Janusz and Irena as he also some great scenes with the rest of the cast as Harris solidifies his position as one of the finest actors working today.

The Way Back is an amazing film from Peter Weir and company. Featuring a great ensemble cast led by Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Saoirse Ronan, and Colin Farrell along with new discovers in Dracos Bucur, Gustav Skarsgard, and Alexandru Potocean. It’s a film that is a great testament of courage and survival as its captured through masterful filmmaking. Fans of Weir will no doubt enjoy the film for its adventurous vision and large canvas as it’s something that should be seen more. In the end, The Way Back is a stunning yet engrossing film from Peter Weir.

Peter Weir Films: (3 to Go-Michael) – (Homesdale) – (Whatever Happened to Green Valley?) - (The Car That Ate Paris) - Picnic at Hanging Rock - (The Last Wave) - The Plumber (1979 TV film) - Gallipoli - The Year of Living Dangerously - (Witness) - (Mosquito Coast) - Dead Poets Society - (Green Card) - (Fearless) - (The Truman Show) - Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World

© thevoid99 2011

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/16/10 w/ Additional Edits.

2003 saw the return of old-school naval combat with the surprising success of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. It seemed like swashbuckling and sword fights were back in but later that year, another film came out with the idea of naval combat. Instead of being about pirates, the project was based on a series of novels by Patrick O'Brian about the relationship between naval captain Jack Aubrey and the ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin set during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s. The first novel that was published in 1969 called Master and Commander during a battle between the English and French. The novel along with two more would be adapted into a project by famed Australian director Peter Weir entitled Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Directed by Peter Weir with a screenplay by Weir and John Collee. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World tells the story of a British naval captain who is pursuing a French merchant ship. During the pursuit and eventual battle, the captain deals with his crew and their surgeon along with the enemy ship that proves to be superior to its own. A film about strategies and how a captain and crew converse with another. It is considered to be one of the best told tales about naval combat. Starring Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, James D'Arcy, Billy Boyd, Max Pirkis, and George Innes. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a brilliant, ambitious, and intelligent masterpiece from Peter Weir.

It's 1805 in the south of the Brazilian coast as the HMS Surprise is on pursuit of a French merchant ship known as the Acheron in order to burn, sink, or claim it as a prize. On a foggy day, midshipman Hollom (Lee Ingleby) sees an object shaped like a big ship covered by the fog. Though Hollom is uncertain, the news reaches the ship's Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) who goes for a look when they are suddenly attacked by the Acheron which is revealed to be a bigger ship with more cannons and guns as it heavily damages the Surprise and killing nine men in the process. Among the wounded is the young midshipman William Blakeney (Max Pirkis) who got shot in the arm.

Aubrey orders his coxswain Barrett Bonden (Billy Boyd) to sail the ship into the fog so they can get away from the Acheron which they succeed but the Surprise is inflicted with a lot of damage. With the ship's surgeon/naturalist Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany) tending to the wounded including the young Blakeney. Aubrey and his officers try to figure out what to do next in order to repair the ship since they can't go back to England as they're still on the hunt for the Acheron. After a young crew member named Warley (Joseph Morgan) shows Aubrey a model of the Acheron that he had seen being built in America. Aubrey realizes what he is up against as he knows what its weakness is but figures it might not be enough.

After a repair and a stop at a nearby island for food supplies, the Acheron surprises them yet again with Aubrey and crew hoping to get away from them miles and miles away until nightfall. A decoy is built to distract the ship using small sailing towers and lanterns for the distraction. The strategy succeeds as Aubrey and Maturin figure out what to do next along with several officers including Blakeney, sailing master Mr. Allen (Robert Pugh), First Lieutenant Tom Pulling (James D'Arcy), Captain Howard of the Marines (Chris Larkin), and another young midshipman in Peter Myles Calamy (Max Benitz) for a dinner where Aubrey talks about his own naval experiences. Realizing they're being the Acheron, Aubrey and his men have a chance to go after them but a treacherous storm would only lead to dire consequences that would bring conflict to Aubrey's persona of being a captain following his duties and a man who is beloved by his crew.

The incident would bring some bad luck for the men and their morale until a stop at the Galapagos Islands has Maturin excited in researching the islands for naturalistic reasons as Aubrey promises that Maturin would get the chance to look at it for several days. Instead, the Surprise encounter surviving whalers led by Mr. Hogg (Mark Lewis Jones) would make Aubrey want to pursue the Acheron much to Maturin's dismay. Yet, rising heat and dipping morale has one of the ship's crew members in an old seaman named Joe Plaice (George Innes) who believes there's a Jonah. Many are looking towards Hollom who some felt has made the ship cursed which only disturbs the troubled officer. Aubrey tries to maintain order as he ends up punishing a crewman in Joseph Nagle (Bryan Dick) but it would cause more trouble.

After a day of rain that raises morale again, an accidental shooting has Maturin wounded where the ship's other surgeon Mr. Higgins (Richard McCabe) is forced to perform surgery on Maturin. Yet, realizing that a proper surgery could work on land, Aubrey decides to live up to his promise to Maturin where the surgery becomes a success. Maturin, Blakeney, and Aubrey's steward Killick (David Threlfall) explore the island and all of its creatures where a discovery Maturin makes along with a creature that Blakeney learned about earlier would give Aubrey an idea to attack the Acheron.

While the film is about strategy and a captain's pursuit to attack a ship that is far superior to his own. It's really a whole lot more. While Captain Aubrey is a man devoted to duty and what he has to do for his country. He's also a man treats his crew no matter how big or small they are like equals. Yet, like all captains. He has to make decisions of what he has to do for survival. Even if the costs are great. At one point, he had a chance to save a man's life but at the risk of his own ship where he's reflected by the decisions he makes and it's never easy.

The screenplay that director Peter Weir and co-screenwriter John Collee is truly complex. Not only for Aubrey's complexity as a character and as a man. It's also about he treats his crew along with his own friendship with Stephen Maturin, the ship's surgeon. Maturin is a man who plays a conscience of sorts for Aubrey where they would argue privately so Aubrey can maintain his role as a leader. Even when Aubrey's leadership is tested. Yet, Maturin is a man who is interested in nature where at one point. His love of nature and animals would get him into a bit of trouble. Still, Maturin is a man who is just as complex as Aubrey where they're the two personalities that drive the story.

Weir and Collee also gives the audience a chance to get to know various crew members and their own interaction with the two main characters. Yet, it's all about how a captain and a crew deal with the enemy in this cat and mouse game of sorts. It's a film that is about a lot of things as Weir and Collee create a fantastic script that is about the battle and how a captain must try to do his duty even if he has to face events that would test his own morality and role as a leadership.

Weir's direction is truly fascinating in its huge, epic vision. The film is meant to look big yet Weir makes it more than just a simple action/adventure piece. Yet, there's moments where Weir maintains a sense of intimacy or at times, claustrophobia about what's going on inside the ship. The ship is a character that is important than the people on the ship along with the Acheron that is the antagonist where the audience doesn't see the crew of that ship until its climatic battle. Weir also has these long yet amazing compositions to let the audience know where it's being shot at the open sea with some real island locations.

The scenes at the Galapagos islands and other locations have a sense of beauty that is reminiscent of the work of Terrence Malick. Notably for the fact that it plays up to the character of Maturin's own fascination with nature. What Weir does for parts of the second and third act is give the audience a break from the action and give them a chance for them to be engaged by the characters and their own personalities. Even let a man like Aubrey get away from his role as captain for a while. The mesmerizing yet epic direction that Weir does show a man who is clearly at the top of his game as a director.

Cinematographer Russell Boyd does spectacular with the film's award-winning cinematography which is truly deserving. Boyd's gorgeous exterior shots of the Galapagos Islands with daytime and evening light scenes that is truly reminiscent of the work of Terrence Malick. Boyd's camera work inside the Surprise in its nighttime scenes are very intimate with a bit of mid-lit looks in the officer's dining room while the look of the crew's bunkers are very low-lit with lanterns being used. The nighttime exteriors of the ships are wonderful in its dark mood while the day time is truly expansive and epic in its scope. Boyd's work is truly an amazing technical highlight of the film.

Editor Lee Smith does excellent work with the film's break-pace editing for many of the film's intense action sequences. Yet, Smith also succeed in maintaining a pace, though a bit slow, is deliberate for the audience to be engaged into the characters and drama that goes on with the ship's crew. Even as it has a film that feels like a long epic but makes sure it doesn't feel too long in its 138-minute running time. Production designer William Sandell along with set decorator Robert Gould and a team of art directors do an amazing job with the film's set design on the ship of the HMS Surprise. The look of the ship is brilliant in its scale along with the claustrophobic look of the bunkers and the place where the cannons are. The art direction overall is another brilliant achievement in the film's technical field.

Costume designer Wendy Stites does an excellent job with the look of the uniforms that the officers wear along with the ragged clothing of the crew as it has a real sense of authenticity and grittiness to the film. Visual effects supervisors Mitchell S. Drain, Stefen Fangmeier, Nathan McGuinness, and Marc Varisco does fantastic work with the visual effects for parts of the ship and moments of destruction along with the look of the treacherous storm that the Surprise encounters. Sound designer Richard King does great work in the film's sound for the use of intense action sequences, the calm atmosphere of the wavy sea, and the lush tone of the Galapagos islands as the sound work is phenomenal.

The music score by Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon, and Richard Tognetti bring a mesmerizing yet bombastic score that plays to various sections for action sequences with more somber orchestral arrangements for the film's dramatic scenes. A lot of the film's music features pieces by Amadeus, Bach, and Luigi Boccherini along with sea chanteys to maintain a rich soundtrack that is a mixture of traditional and classical music.

The casting by Mary Selway and Fiona Weir is superb in its large ensemble with several actors standing out. Among them are Ousmane Thiam as Killick's cooking assistant, Mark Lewis Jones as Mr. Hogg, Joseph Morgan as the carpenter William Warley, Bryan Dick as Warley's friend Nagle, Richard McCabe as the ship's other surgeon Mr. Higgins, and Chris Larkin as the Marine captain Howard. Billy Boyd, known many as Pippin of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, is very good as the ship's no-nonsense coxswain Barrett Bonden while George Innes is really good as paranoid Joe Plaice. Lee Ingleby is fantastic as the tortured midshipman Hollom while Max Benitz is excellent as the young Calamy. Robert Pugh is wonderful as the ship's sailing master Mr. Allen while Max Pirkis is brilliant as the young Blakeney, a young boy who is both a fighter like Captain Aubrey but also a sensitive naturalist like Maturin. James D'Arcy is also brilliant as Lt. Pullings, a young officer who tries to maintain order while learning from someone as complex as Aubrey.

Paul Bettany is superb in what is truly an outstanding supporting role as Stephen Maturin, the ship's surgeon and naturalist. Bettany's calm, sensitive performance is wonderfully understated while he does show emotion in intense scenes he has with Russell Crowe where the two have a great sense of rapport with each other. Russell Crowe is brilliant as Captain Jack Aubrey with a towering, larger-than-life persona that is complex in its presence. Crowe's performance is also understated in some places of how he treats his crew and officers quite equally with a bit of humor and playfulness. Crowe, who is often very serious in his performances, here loosens up a bit while proving to be an adept violinist in his scenes with Bettany, who plays cello that shows the great rapport between the two.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a sprawling yet spectacular film from Peter Weir featuring great performances by Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. Fans of Weir's work will no doubt see this as one of his finest while it also features what is probably Russell Crowe's best work as an actor. Fans of naval combat films will definitely be amazed for its complexity as well as camaraderie between officers and crew. Even as the film is something worth revisiting for those who missed it the first time around when it was released in late 2003. It is a rare big-budgeted Hollywood film that is both filled with substance and style while being entertaining and insightful. In the end, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a mesmerizing yet epic film from Peter Weir and company.

Peter Weir Films: (3 to Go-Michael) – (Homesdale) – (Whatever Happened to Green Valley?) - (The Cars That Ate Paris) - Picnic at Hanging Rock - (The Last Wave) - The Plumber (1979 TV film) - Gallipoli - The Year of Living Dangerously - (Witness) - (The Mosquito Coast) - Dead Poets Society - (Green Card) - (Fearless) - (The Truman Show) - The Way Back

© thevoid99 2011