Age of Sail - Movies/TV Shows

R5 plus · Mar 16, 2017

What are your favorite Age of Sail movies and what do you like about them? Anything you didn't like about them?

I initially didn't like Master and Commander, but it's grown on me. I still have to skip over the midshipman's suicide.

I like Horatio Hornblower which Mangekyou recommended to me awhile back. I don't like how the ships seem to sit still in the water at times and the backgrounds seem off at times, but I really like the actor who plays Hornblower and the one who plays Pellew. I've watched these over and over again when I'm going through a research phase in my writing.

Generally, I try really hard to enjoy the "feel" of movies without getting hung up on the history - though sometimes it is very difficult to ignore glaring inaccuracies. If something interesting catches my eye, I'll do some research to find out how accurate it is.

I'll be interested to see some of your choices. I could use a few more in my movie library.

Triceratops · Mar 17, 2017

Gregory Peck's version of Horatio Hornblower:

and Captain Ahab:

Triceratops · Mar 17, 2017

This is quite good:

Pandra · Mar 17, 2017

The Bounty. This version of the famous voyage and mutiny shows what a good navigator Bligh was, and a terrible leader.

Two Years Before the Mast. Admittedly more than a little on the sadistic side, based on the Dana book. A hard, but fair version of the rich boy caught on a ship is Captains Courageous.

Billy Budd. Melville's other sea story, shorter, but plays with symbols, too.

A High Wind in Jamaica. Pretty good movie based on one of my favorite books. Fun, then devastating.

Belgarion · Mar 17, 2017

'Damn the Defiant' A classic - very popular on by boat when I was in the navy.

'Master and Commander' - excellent attention to detail even if they did muck about with the Patrick O'Brien storyline.

'Hornblower' TV series - excellent boys own type adventure.

'Billy Budd' - a study of the human condition rather than a simple sea story, but excellent nonetheless.

'Captains Courageous' - brilliant book and excellent movie.

Excalibur · Mar 17, 2017

Legends of my childhood in 80s Czechoslovakia:

Jack Holborn (New Zealand, 1981)

Retour de Surcouf

Monte Christo (R. Chamberlain)

The Black Corsair (Kabir Bedi)

Blackie the Pirate (Terrence Hill, Bud Spencer)

Sandokan (Kabir Bedi)

Deux ans de vacances: adaptation of Jules Verne book. I still remember the song after the decades.

R5 plus · Mar 17, 2017

I'm enjoying the suggestions so far.

I'll add "The Admiral," though it's gruesome at times.

Excalibur · Mar 17, 2017

I totally forgot an unique Soviet TV series.

Russia molodaya (Young Russia, 1981, Czech name: Ship pilot of Peter the Great)
This was hell task for Soviet TV makers as it portray Petr, the feudal as a hero while feudals were the worst enemies of soviet regime.
It got ten episodes, one was not published or completed those times due the heretic ideologic reasons.

Story of 3 naval officers of Peter and their sons as it contains several decades.
The story starts when Peter the Great travels west incognito to get knowledge of modern navy in 1680s.
It continues by building a modern navy, changing military traditions like promotion officers by their results not by nobility rank.
It focuses on Great Northern war against Sweden and attack of Noteborg fortress (1702). It ends about 1720.
9 episodes of 10: Sadly in Russian only.

Yôḥānān · Mar 18, 2017

I used to enjoy the Eroll Flynn and Sandokan movies and TV shows, can't remember the names of the first though.

Excalibur · Mar 18, 2017

Yôḥānān;2715180 said:
I used to enjoy the Eroll Flynn and Sandokan movies and TV shows, can't remember the names of the first though.

Eroll Flynn - Captain Blood.
I have read book (Rafael Sabatini) and i loved it in my childhood. It was story of an European physician who helped to a wounded during revolution/rebellion and he was sent to exile in caribbean for treason. I have read it repeately as i loved the story when he started pirate career but he tried to keep an ethic rules all the time. I believe it has a real history background.

Yôḥānān · Mar 19, 2017

Excalibur said:
Eroll Flynn - Captain Blood.
I have read book (Rafael Sabatini) and i loved it in my childhood. It was story of an European physician who helped to a wounded during revolution/rebellion and he was sent to exile in caribbean for treason. I have read it repeately as i loved the story when he started pirate career but he tried to keep an ethic rules all the time. I believe it has a real history background.

Thanks for reminding, I watched that one few years ago, but there were several others, he even played Francis Drake in The Sea Hawk.

janusdviveidis · Mar 19, 2017

I loved Sea Wolf, checked it on IMDB and got dismayed by very low score. Book is great for sure, my memories of the movie are also quite good, but may be unreliable.

The Sea Wolf (TV Movie 1993) - IMDb

Yôḥānān · Mar 19, 2017

It seems he didn't played Francis Drake in that movie after all don't know where I took that idea from, the description from the movie seems to be the one I recall.

Blue · Mar 19, 2017

I admit that I didn't watch either of those, but the trailers look awesome!

sculptingman · Apr 1, 2017

Blue said:
I admit that I didn't watch either of those, but the trailers look awesome!

Black Sails is actually pretty well done... The sea scenes are all CGI- but I have to say they did a pretty commendable job at them on a TV series budget.

It tries to paint a picture of the golden age of piracy- and even features many notable figures from history- although in service of modern drama tropes it does muck about quite a bit with history- ( they show charles vane getting hanged... but on the wrong island and before other pirates who dies before him )

they invent some narrative and characters just for the purpose of allowing them to make up more storyline... but they DO make an effort to try and follow some basic historical strokes.

I was pleased to see them portray Blackbeard as less of a cartoon villain- seeing as how he actually did have a reputation for NOT being abusive to captives.

All in all, a pretty good rendition of the era in the form of a ripping yarn.

Given the success of Master and Commander I would love to see someone do a high budget TV series like Black Sails, only more faithfully following the 21 books on that series.

SgtSchultz · Apr 1, 2017

I second Black Sails. I'm on season 2 and so far it's been excellent.

Kevinmeath · Apr 1, 2017

SgtSchultz said:
I second Black Sails. I'm on season 2 and so far it's been excellent.

Watching the series and have found it enjoyable.

Not sure how accurate it is historically-- but that's not the point.

In case anyone doesn't know its supposed to be a prequel to 'Treasure Island' -- So there is a young 'Long John Silver' and a Billy Bones and recently Israel Hands has entered the story.

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Age of Sail - Movies/TV Shows

R5 plus

Triceratops

Triceratops

Pandra

Belgarion

Excalibur

R5 plus

Excalibur

Yôḥānān

Excalibur

Yôḥānān

janusdviveidis

Yôḥānān

Blue

sculptingman

SgtSchultz

Kevinmeath

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