Messing about in boats: Master and Commander

[vilakins]

No spoilers!

While I was with my sister, we went to see Master and Commander. It was an involving and fascinating story of another time, and a friendship between two very different men: the captain, driven by duty, pride, and patriotism; and the doctor, basically a Napoleonic-era geek. Both were very likeable people; in fact the whole crew were.

I was surprised by the life on board ship not being as brutal as I'd imagined, and by the young midshipmen. These boys, some as young as 12 or so, were obviously not seen as children at all. In fact, they gave orders to grown men who seemed to find nothing odd at all in that.

I have to say I couldn't help but remember astrogirl2's comments about it in her blog, comparing naval stories to space ones, citing the old 'hide in the fog / nebula' trick. The French ship was even sighted 'two points off the starboard bow' which made me think of Klingons.

I highly recommend this film for its characters, action, and intelligent script and dialogue.

Comments

[hafren.livejournal.com]

In fact, they gave orders to grown men who seemed to find nothing odd at all in that

The grown men didn't like it much but could do sod all about it (officers and men were seen as more like different species than different ranks). Hence the seaboard proverb: as useless as a middy. Some middies were even younger than 12. I think their parents saw it as a cheaper version of boarding school...

How brutal life was depended almost entirely on the captain. If you got a gentle one (like Bligh, believe it or not) you might never see a flogging. But Sir John Franklin, when he first went to sea as a middy, was physically sick at what he saw.

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

In the days this film is set there was no teenage as we have here, you were a child until you were about 12 in the upper classes, younger in the working classes, then you went to work.

Also the class system meant the labouring classes, the crew, obeyed their superiors automatically regardless of age. They often didn't like it but they did it on the whole, there were occasional mutinies in spite of the punishment if caught.

Did you know that children as young as 5 years old were working in the mines in Wales as 'door minders' making sure the blast doors were closed after men or drays went through.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I did gather it was class and rank which spoke. Surely though there were upper-class children who went to schools like Eton and Harrow then on to university, though I suppose not many.

Yes, I knew about the children in the mines too. Very young children are still forced or even sold into work in India and other places.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Surely though there were upper-class children who went to schools like Eton and Harrow then on to university, though I suppose not many.


Oh yes, of course. It depended on what you were going into; those destined for the forces don't seem to have bothered. But if you wanted to be a bishop or go into politics you would.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

As I've discovered now I'm reading the wonderful Quicksilver. :-)

[matildabj.livejournal.com]

I highly recommend this film for its characters, action, and intelligent script and dialogue.

And Billy. And Billy! (although his Cock-er-nee accent slips a bit now and then. But I'll forgive him. Sigh)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did notice him! :-D