Who would you guys like to see cast as Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin in the upcoming movie, if we're going with younger actors? I actually think Chris Hemsworth could play a good Jack Aubrey. He has the physicality and the looks, and the charisma and humor. He'd need to work a bit on his serious commanding side though. Maybe Nicholas Hault as Maturin? Michael Fassbender would be perfect, but I am not sure the age they're going for.In a perfect world, I’d actually love to see a movie from one of the later books in the series with Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany reprising their roles. Crowe’s weight gain and both their aging actually perfectly reflects that of the characters’ in the books. Unfortunately, the upcoming movie is said to be a prequel.What book do you think would be best to adapt? I personally hope they choose novel 3 or 4: HMS Surprise or The Mauritius Command. Both would make excellent films, although rumor is it'll be the first book.So every time I watch this movie, I appreciate it more and more. I am currently on book 16 of 21 in the Patrick O’Brian Aubrey/Maturin books, and here’s why the movie casting was perfect:-Russell Crow perfectly encapsulates Aubrey’s love of the Navy as second only for his love of Stephen.-Crowe’s depiction Aubrey’s sheer love for sailing. Standing in the rain, climbing to the topmasts, his jovial demeanor shines through at even the harshest time.-The dinners for his crew and his absolute love for a good joke. “The lesser of two weevils” line shines through. In the books, Aubrey often refers to himself as not the brightest fellow, but when he can summon a good joke, he savors it and loves it more than any man, often laughing at his own puns until red in the face.-His deep love for firing the great guns, and devotion to marksmanship. In the books gunpowder is quite expensive, and the allotment for practice is only like 6 broadsides every 6 months. Most captains viewed it as a waste of time, claiming it’s hard to miss in a real action. Aubrey vehemently disagrees, so his crews are some of the greatest marksmen in the fleet, which is why they’re able to take out the Acheron’s main mast so effectively. Captains of means would buy private stores of gunpowder with their own money in order to effectively practice the crews. Aubrey also viewed the practice as a great way of bringing the crew together, through healthy competition and bonding.-Paul Bettany as Maturin: His love for naturalism, and his absolute dismay and frustration when the “requirements of the service” prevent him an opportunity from exploring new islands.-His love for Aubrey. In the books he seems to revel in calling Jack obese and unhealthy, but the two of them risk their lives for each other time and again. They drive each other crazy, but their friendship is deeper and more complex than any I have ever come across.--His stoic disposition hiding a deeply loving character who also enjoys a good joke, and thoroughly finds value in life and its pleasures. Ie joining Jack in the maintop, enjoying their music together in the cabin, his kind ways towards young Babbington for bringing him the beetle and while amputating his arm, his return quip of “he who puns would pick a pocket.”--Some fun trivia from the books concerning the movie:Did you know that the movie is actually an amalgamation of many of the books? Many of the lines and events are taken from all over the series. For example, when Maturin amputates young Babbington’s arm, in the book it is a different character altogether and comes earlier in the series, and also the line “I’ve never had a braver patient” is from book 16 Clarissa Oakes, and is for removing a splinter near a boy named Read’s ribcage rather than the amputation. -When Maturin performs surgery on himself to remove a bullet, this actually happens in book 3 (if I remember correctly), and is from a duel rather than a naval action. Disguising the Surprise as a whaler in order to lure in the Acheron doesn’t happen in Master and Commander. Similarly, the famous line “The lesser of two weevils” is from book 12, I believe. Also the surgery of Joe Plaice to put a shilling in his skull happens much earlier in the series.There are maaaany more examples, but you get the gist.The character of Bonden, Aubrey’s coxswain, played by Billy Boyd (Pippin from Lord of the Rings) is described in the book as “a hulking beast of a man,” and “one of the strongest men Aubrey has ever known.” He’s also a champion boxer and all around badass. So the casting choice was an interesting decision. Dave Bautista would be perfect casting for this role.The character of Tom Pullings is actually also a captain in the books, but due to his name being so low on the captain’s list, and him being quite poor, the chances of him actually getting his own ship are nearly zero. So with that in mind, as well as his love and devotion to Jack Aubrey, he is actually serving as a volunteer on Jack’s expeditions as acting first lieutenant rather than being a captain stranded on shore with half-pay. Also, in the books his nose is nearly hacked off and his face so terribly scarred he is described as a monster of a man. They verrrrrry much downplayed this in the film, giving him a rather slight scar. Think of Tyrion from GoT.Stephen Maturin is a multi-faceted badass in the books, hidden beneath his doctorial disposition and love for all things nature. He actually works as an intelligence agent, and is a dangerous man with a rapier and a crack shot with a pistol. So in the movie, if you see him at the end helping board the Acheron and roll your eyes as I used to do, it is actually quite true to his character.I could go on and on, but this post is already sorely long.P.S. I highly recommend reading the books. I’m 35 and an avid reader all my life, and they’re some of the most enjoyable reading I’ve ever experienced, even though I’ve never given a shit about sailing or naval battles. Now I can read about sailing for scores of pages without pause and find myself utterly immersed. The first 100 pages can be hard to get in to, and I think books 1 and 2 are a couple of the weaker in the series (although still quite good), so press on! via /r/movies https://ift.tt/3A8Ystb
No comments:
Post a Comment