Full broadside: "Master & Commander" in home cinema test from stream to 4K disc
Peter Weir's film is one of the most authentic seafaring adventures. The new UHD film entices with 4K and bombastic sound, even if the Atmos track is weak.
(Image: Disney - abfotografiert von Hartmut Gieselmann)
- Timo Wolters
"Master & Commander" from 2003 seems like the antithesis of typical sea adventures: it has nothing of the chlorinated studio stink, but salt in the air and gunpowder in the nose. Even the first few minutes immerse the audience: splintering wood, whipping wind, the thunder of cannons during the first major naval battle.
The story takes place at the beginning of the 19th century, when the Enlightenment had just overcome its birth pangs and Napoleon was waging war on Europe. The British frigate Surprise under Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) is caught in the crossfire of the superior French Acheron. Driven by pride and duty, Aubrey does not have his badly damaged ship repaired on land, but chases the enemy across the ocean. Much to the displeasure of his ship's doctor, Maturin (Paul Bettany), who later uses the voyage to scientifically explore the nature of the Galapagos Islands. The gripping cat-and-mouse game unfolds as a mixture of historical facts and free dramaturgy, inspired by Patrick O'Brian's famous series of novels, which tells the story of Aubrey and Marutin in 20 volumes.
Due to its comparatively authentic portrayal, the film is not only popular with cineastes but also with sailors. Expectations for the newly restored version on Ultra HD Blu-ray (UHD) were therefore particularly high. It shows the film for the first time in 4K resolution in the HDR color space with Dolby Vision and English Dolby Atmos sound. In this test, we compare the new disc with the streaming versions on Disney+ and AppleTV as well as the older Blu-ray release from 2007.
(Image:Â 20th Century Fox - abfotografiert von Hartmut Gieselmann)
Real ships instead of computer simulations
Weir's uncompromising demand for authenticity was decisive for the effect. The actors received basic training in seamanship and drill. Every movement, every command seems as if the actors had been on deck all their lives. Russell Crowe not only led his crew in front of the camera: he actually let the actors live in a confined space to make the feeling on board palpable and kept morale high with snappy remarks while wind machines, fire hoses, and tons of salt water rained down on them. In the battle scenes, the actors act like people who are actually struggling to survive. Even the music follows this striving for realism: Aubrey and Maturin practiced the string instruments to the point of absolute fingering accuracy. Weir had both actors play the pieces on instruments below deck and smoothly translated their music into a classical film score.
Technically, the director relied on a sophisticated mix of original ships, detailed models and CGI. And so seamlessly that even twenty years later, nothing looks artificial. The film crew rebuilt the HMS Surprise, once the training sailing ship "The Rose", for the film and used it on the open sea. A replica of the ship stood on a hydraulic joint in the gigantic water tanks at Fox Studios.
Real ships, storms, battles, 1:6 scale miniatures and digital effects lend the film a visual credibility that is often lacking in today's blockbusters. Master & Commander is not a superficial popcorn spectacle, but a film about honor and friendship, science and war that rewards patience and dedication with a running time of 138 minutes. This is despite the somewhat lengthy scenes on the Galapagos Islands, which let the film's suspense sag in the middle.
