The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 5 of 8)

and Richard McEnroe's letter ("Missing O'Brian") in Reader Mail's Taking Issue : /p>

James Bowman's review of Master and Commander was spot on when describing some dialogue out of the nineties and post-Vietnam sensibilities rather than the period it was meant to be. It seems a screenplay tends to give away the era it was written. Being an aficionado of sea stories I cringe when they appear. In Cameron's Titanic, the fictional characters were right out of the nineties while the re-creation of the ship herself was so good, probably 95% of the public could not appreciate the degree of accuracy that went into portraying a real Titanic.

Sea stories are especially difficult to re-create in film because with each generation, we are getting further away from the skills and knowledge required sailing great ships. Until Master and Commander, the best movie representing of sail in action in my opinion was Captains Courageous circa 1937. The schooner race to Gloucester was breathtaking.

The Yankee-built ship and model referenced in the movie supposedly built for the French is our own USS Constitution, a fast 44-gun frigate that drove the British Navy crazy pursuing her during the War of 1812. American ships' lines were finer which meant faster and they were sturdily built; hence "Old Ironsides" as cannonballs bounced off her hull and their speed outrunning the enemy was valuable to live another day. Superior design was used to advantage in war and commerce throughout most of the 1800s. French warships of the late 1700s and early 1800s had beautiful lines too but not the muscle built in American ships; they usually lost a battle when equally matched.

p>I agree with Richard McEnroe's description of the special effects and cinematography, magnificent right down to the details like the cramped, crowded feeling between decks, even hearing water gurgling alongside the hull. Despite some problems with the dialogue, for anyone who loves history, beautiful ships and a good, old-fashioned action yarn, there are so few movies of this caliber, Master and Commander is a must-see. br> -- Karen Kamuda , Vice President br> Titanic Historical Society and Titanic Museum br> Indian Orchard, Massachusetts

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