Instead it was that other oceanic 2003 blockbuster with an overlong name, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, that would get the repeated sequel treatment to greatly diminishing returns. Anchored by the magnificent odd-couple chemistry between Aubrey and ship’s surgeon Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany) – the former an intuitive, hot-blooded captain, the latter a cerebral naturalist bewildered by nautical terms – Weir’s evocative sea yarn seemed primed to become an ongoing screen series. But while Master and Commander was nominated for 10 Oscars (winning for best cinematography and sound editing), there has long been a nagging sense that it never really got its due. In a 2019 round table of Hollywood studio heads, veteran executive and current Sony chairman Tom Rothman identified it as the film he was most proud of getting made in his storied career. It is strange to think of people being so protective of what has always seemed like a well-received and award-garlanded project. Crowe responded with a prickly dressing-down that could easily have come from his character Captain Jack Aubrey at his most severe, generating an emphatic social media chorus reiterating the movie’s old-fashioned greatness. In January, Ian McNabb of 1980s post-punkers the Icicle Works took to Twitter to recommend watching Master and Commander as a cure for pandemic-inspired insomnia and tagged star Russell Crowe in his post. “This is a cache of riches,” he wrote, “with so much left to be explored.” He also affirmed his love of Weir’s original movie, perhaps aware that it has inspired the fiercest of loyalties in its fans and even its cast. Patrick Ness, the author and screenwriter tasked with creating this new adaptation, confirmed his involvement by posting a bookshelf on Instagram of cherished O’Brian volumes.
0 kommentar(er)
