Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

2 corrections since 9 Jan '25, 00:05

(6 votes)

Corrected entry: In the opening scene, the officer of the watch and Aubrey couldn't even spot the French ship with the telescope through the thick fog. But then, how was the French ship able to fire at Surprise with such accuracy? Their line of sight would be just as bad as the British.

Correction: It would also be possible that the Acheron could locate the surprise by sound. They had just beat to quarters, which made a lot of noise; now the ship was resuming normal operations, with the bell being struck and people chattering and working normally. Noises carry extremely far and loud over water.

Correction: The French ship is a 44, whereas SURPRISE is a 28. It is possible that her masts are higher, allowing lookouts in the tops to see the topmasts of the aproaching British frigate. Depends on how deep the fog bank is, but I've seen similar things at sea on more modern ships.

Factual error: When performing the burials at sea after the final fight with the Acheron, the body on the plank is covered with the wrong ensign. The one shown is not the Union Jack created after the 1800 Act of Union. The correct ensign would be the flag of Great Britain, which does not have the saltire of St. Patrick (the diagonal red "X").

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Suggested correction: The story takes place in 1805; the Union Jack is therefore absolutely correct.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World mistake picture

Revealing mistake: The Acheron fires many devastating blows on the Surprise and the effect is visible in close-ups and a wide shot. However, after Mr. Mowett yells, "Relieving-tackles on the tiller! You men collect the wounded!" there is another wide shot of the Acheron in the foreground and Surprise in the distance. In this shot Surprise has NO damage whatsoever! (00:11:00)

Super Grover

More mistakes in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Capt. Jack Aubrey: England is under threat of invasion, and though we be on the far side of the world, this ship is our home. This ship *is* England.

More quotes from Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Trivia: When Captain Aubrey makes the toast 'To wives and sweethearts - may they never meet' he is following a custom in the Royal Navy called the toast of the day. There was a special toast for every day of the week. This one in particular was usually for Saturdays. There is a minor mistake, however: tradition dictated that the proposer (in this case, the captain) would say the first part 'to wives and sweethearts', to which the most junior officer present would reply 'may they never meet'. Here is the list that seems to be most commonly followed dates from before Trafalgar, courtesy of the Canadian Navy website: Monday - our ships at sea, Tuesday - our men, Wednesday - ourselves, because no one else is likely to both, Thursday - a bloody war or a sickly season (to ensure quicker promotion), Friday - a willing foe and sea room (The two preceding seem to be of historical interest only), Saturday - wives and sweethearts - may they never meet (reply is made by the youngest officer present) Sunday - absent friends.

More trivia for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Question: When the men are on deck singing the "Spanish ladies" song, they suddenly stop, leaving Hollom singing alone, and then he trails off at the end. Why do the men stop singing? If it's because Hollom was singing, too, I didn't think they hated him so much at this point.

angi

Chosen answer: They stop singing because they hear Hollom joining in. There are very strict ranks in the Navy, and Hollom singing with the lower crew dissipates these ranks, which is undesirable. That Hollom sings with the crew is frowned upon by the captain, as can be seen by his serious/agitated reaction after Stephen mentions that Hollom has such a clear voice.

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