‘Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World’ is now on 4K digital, 4K HD, and Blu-ray

Category: Blu-ray's, DVD's and Digital

The 2003 epic film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is now newly restored and remastered and available to view at home.

The story of Captain “Lucky Jack” Aubrey (Russell Crowe) and his close friend the ship’s surgeon Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), is an adventure of courage and perhaps destiny. When their ship is ambushed, the challenges of war force Aubrey into a choice between duty and loyalty.

The movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards. It won for Best Cinematography and Best Sound Editing.

Besides the story of Captain Jack Aubrey and the ship HMS Surprise, there are incredible bonus features that enhance the experience with looks at the making of the film as well as casting and behind the scenes.

The Hundred Days

This is a detailed look at the making of the movie. At 1 hour 8 minutes, there is plenty in this feature to unpack for those who love the story, the film, and Director/screenwriter Peter Weir.

Peter Weir delves deeply into the heart of the film as well as the making of the production about a courageous captain and his crew on their high-seas adventure during the Napoleonic Wars. 

Patrick O’Brian’s 20 volume book series provided the background for this film. Weir decided he was interested in creating the story of The Far Side of the World, which is the tenth book in the series. Interestingly enough, Weir originally turned down the job until he knew he could create the story based on the tenth book. 

The filmmakers purchased the replica of the HMS Rose, which was originally built in 1757 but is now only part of history. They altered it to the specifications of the HMS Surprise for this film. Alternately, they created two boats to make the movie. One was able to set sail on the ocean and the other was delegated to a tank on a stage so the filmmakers would be able to control everything. 

The ships were intricately recreated, and viewers see how they took the details of the old to make this as realistic as possible. It was a daunting task.

And besides Weir originally not accepting the job, Russell Crowe originally did not want to take on the role. He was not excited about the script however he wanted to work with Weir and relented. 

In the Wake of O’Brian

This 19 minute feature is an interesting look at how Weir works. He said he always likes to have something from the period in which a story is taken and ended up purchasing a lot of old items to have around him while working on the script. He also admits he played music that would have been like the music of the time. 

Weir surrounded himself with items and music to put himself into the period. He also shows the viewers how he marked up the volumes of the books to be able to create a story that was befitting the work of Patrick O’Brian.

Featurettes

There are three featurettes looking at various aspects of the filmmaking process: cinematic, and sound, as well as the HBO first look documentary.

A Look at Multi-cam Shooting

This is an interesting look at how shooting the scenes from various angles blend together. For film buffs, this shows an aspect of filmmaking rarely seen or discussed.

Others

There are some deleted scenes and some trivia to round out the array of incredible bonuses.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is now available for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD Digital and Blu-ray Disc. Whether you select to view the film via 4K digitally (Movies Anywhere is a good place to see it) or purchase the physical disc, the newly restored and enhanced audio and video along with the amazing and intricate bonuses make this a great epic movie fans – old and new – will enjoy.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences, related images, and brief language.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists and is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

Courtesy images supplied