Longitude
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Movie Reviews of Longitude
Movie Review: True Story of a Lone Genius who Captured Time
Summary: 5 Stars
+++++
Note: This review has been written from a city with the following position on Earth:
LATITUDE: (43 degrees 2 minutes North)
LONGITUDE: (81 degrees 9 minutes West)
This 3 hour 20 minute movie (based on the 1995 book of the same name by Dava Sobel) that was first on television in 1999 is "a sweeping epic that takes place in two worlds." The two worlds are the eighteenth century of John Harrison (1693 to 1776) and the twentieth century of Lieutenant Commander Rupert Gould (1890 to 1948). This movie chronicles the life of Harrison who builds sea clocks and alternates his story with Gould's who restores Harrison's clocks and at the same time restores his own health. (Note that most of Sobel's book is concerned with Harrison's story while only four pages in the last chapter of her book are devoted to Gould's story.)
The beginning of this movie is narrated and lasts less than three minutes. However, this narration is probably the most important part of this movie because it tells the viewer about latitude and longitude, indirectly how to calculate longitude, how time is related to longitude, and why longitude was so difficult to measure "during most of human history." (How to determine latitude was discovered centuries before this.)
I felt this narration was adequate but it did not mention one simple and important fact:
In 24 hours, the Earth spins 360 degrees on its axis from east to west. (Thus, as the narrator states, four minutes of time equals one degree of longitude east or west.)
The first of two DVDs tells the story of how ships (with their crew and valuable cargo) were being lost at sea because they could not determine their position properly since their navigators were unable to calculate the ship's longitude accurately. As a result, the British parliament offered a reward that's equivalent to many millions of dollars today to anyone who could practically solve "the longitude problem."
Most of the scientists of this time thought that this problem's solution, even at sea, was astronomical. However, a lone genius, simple carpenter, and clockmaker named John Harrison (acted superbly by Michael Gambon) knew the fact stated above, so he reasoned that time was the solution to this problem.
So Harrison began building a clock (eventually called a "chronometer") that would be accurate enough to be used by a ship at sea. (Realize at this time there were only pendulum clocks that were quite bad at keeping time on a swaying ship at sea.) The viewer is shown Harrison constructing his clocks with it's many components. As well, we are shown the final beautiful result -- a clock that was to be used at sea. (Note that this first clock was named "H-1.") We are also shown the maiden voyage of H-1 as it's tested in 1736 on a ship bound for Lisbon (with Harrison, a non-sailor, on board). H-1 worked well during this trial. Because of Harrison's perfectionism, he elected after this trial, to build a better clock called H-2 (which was never tested). H-2 led to H-3 (which was also not tested).
As mentioned above, we are also shown scenes of Rupert Gould's life (very well-acted by Jeremy Irons) that alternate with Harrison's adventure described above. We are made aware that Gould's own life was tragic. As a result, he volunteers as a sort of therapy to restore clocks H-1, H-2, and H-3 that, in his time, were almost two centuries old. The result is that the viewer is shown more of the exterior and interior of Harrison's beautiful and complex "timekeepers" and how they actually work.
The second DVD tells us of Harrison's masterpiece -- H-4 (that was the size of a large pocket watch). As with H-1, H-4 is tested in 1761 on a ship bound for Jamaica with Harrison's grown son (well-acted by Ian Hart) on board. This timepiece worked well.
Also we are shown how Harrison had trouble collecting his monetary prize. In fact, we hear one official on the board (the "Board of Longitude") responsible for bestowing this prize say, "I would not wish to see the longitude prize stolen by a country toolmaker." As fate would have it, an astronomer who favored an astronomical method, Nevil Maskelyne (well-acted by Sam West) became the head of this board, causing further delays. Harrison has to seek the assistance of King George the Third (well-acted by Nick Rowe) to cut through this bureaucracy.
Meanwhile, Gould finishes restoring the clocks and manages at the same time to overcome his own problems.
The acting of those indicated above and the supporting cast is exquisite. The cinematography is breath-taking with the scenes at sea very realistic. All costumes that represented the two alternating time periods transport the viewer back to those periods. The movie itself has it all: intrigue, science, history, geography, astronomy, navigation, clockmaking, ambition, and greed.
A minor complaint is that a simple calculation for determining longitude was not shown. As well, the DVD only has one extra feature called "Behind the Scenes."
Finally, although not absolutely necessary, I recommend reading Sobel's book before viewing this movie. Doing this will enhance your enjoyment and understanding of the movie.
In conclusion, this movie was an A&E production. As a result, viewing this movie is definitely "time well spent."
+++++
Movie Review: Better Than the Book
Summary: 5 Stars
This film is described as an adaptation of Dava Sobel's book of the same name. It is far more than an adaptation, however. Charles Sturridge took a somewhat threadbare tale and turned it into a stirring, dramatic account of the life, tribulations, and ultimate achievement of the 18th century English horologist, John Harrison. It's not that Sobel's book is poorly written. It is in fact entertaining and engrossing as far as it goes. The trouble is that she doesn't go into enough detail and leaves a lot of questions unanswered for the reader. Sturridge takes up her story and fleshes it out, providing the sort of background and character development that the book lacks. Providing the audience with a parallel storyline involving the WWI veteran, Rupert Gould (briefly noted in Sobel's book) also is a stroke of genius on the writer/director's part. The parallels between the lives of the earlier inventor and the shell-shocked vet are striking and poignant.It does nothing to hurt Sturridge's cause to have assembled such a sterling British cast. Irons and Gambon have great roles to their credit, but they surpass themselves in this production. Sturridge has demonstrated that he can squeeze good acting out of a virtual lemon (Ted Danson in Sturridge's adaptation of "Gulliver's Travels"). He has far more to work with here, and the results are remarkable. Gambon, perhaps best known to American audiences for his lead role in "The Singing Detective," and the recent "Gosford Park," again delivers the goods in this masterful performance. He captures perfectly his character's idiosyncrasies, vicissitudes and ultimate triumph.
Much of the series of course focuses on the "chase" for a solution to the longitude problem that plagued seamen from time immemorial. Methods for determining longitude before the chronometer was invented ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. Heavenly charts were sometimes supplanted by such ludicrous schemes as "the wounded dog method". The following is a transcription of a dialogue delivered by the method`s inventor:
" Now, it is vital to my process, Sir Edmund, that each dog be wounded with the *same knife*, as these three animals have been, under my instructions, some three days ago. Now, the animals are then to be conveyed aboard one of His Majesty's ships, uh, under the supervision of a designated officer, whose task it is to *prevent the wound from healing*. Now the knife, however, would remain here, in London, and at *precisely noon*, each day, is to be plunged into the Powder of Sympathy, which would immediately aggravate the wound, so that each dog, no matter how many thousands of miles away he may be on his particular vessel, would begin to howl... thus."
Clearly, there was a need for a practical solution to this age-old problem, as thousands of sailors were placed in constant peril, owing to the fact that, without a reliable method, they really couldn't get their bearings. This is one area where Sobel does a very good job in her book describing the difficulty in determining longitude, versus the rather simple methods for calculating latitude. That a rather simple man of humble origins could work out the method was disconcerting to several members of the vaunted Board of Longitude, which was composed of members of the ruling class. Harrison's chief detractor and a rival for his claim of the longitude prize (20,000 pounds, equivalent to almost a million dollars by today's standards) was Sir Nevil Maskelyne. Maskelyne comes across in the film and in Sobel's book as a rather arrogant, self-inflated snob, who engages in actual subterfuge of Harrison's claims. Viewers/readers may be interested to note that Maskelyne also appears as a character in Thomas Pynchon's "Mason & Dixon," also in an unflattering light.
In terms of a recommendation, I would have to give Sobel's book between three and four stars. While it is highly readable and engaging, it leaves way too many avenues and dramatic possibilities unexplored. Sturridge fills in all the gaps, and then some. It is not often that I recommend a film over a book, but in this instance, the film is a far richer and satisfying experience.
Movie Review: The man who made his bicycle fly to France
Summary: 5 Stars
"Longitude," in my view, is docco-drama at its best and could have been utterly boring, in lesser hands than Michael Gambon and Jeremy Irons.
Longitude is actually two stories set about 200 years apart;
the first is set in the 18th. Century, about the carpenter, John Harrison (Michael Gambon), who believe that a clock impervious to extremes of temperature and the motion of a ship at sea will solve the problem of determining longitude.
The second, set in the early 20th century, tells of the trials and tribulations of Cdr.Rupert Gould (Jeremy Irons),"on leave" from the Royal Navy, in finding and restoring Harrisons' 4 clocks.
It was common knowledge, even in the 18th. Century, that the Earth turns through 1º every 3 minutes 56 seconds. If every 3'56" unit of time = 1º of Longitude then all mariners need is some arbitrary Prime Meridian to compare with ship's time at noon! i.e. Greenwich. Through the Act of Queen Anne, Parliament offered a prize of £20,000, to anyone who could find a practical way to find longitude at sea.
To Harrison that meant a clock that could keep time at sea and so he presented the ad hoc Board of Longitude with the world's first chronometer. He was opposed by the "lunatics" on the board, personified by the obese Dr. Bliss (Ian McNeice) and rodent like Rev. Nevil Maskelyne (Samuel West,)astromomers who insisted that "lunar observations, properly charted, would solve the problem of navigation at sea" even though the moon could not be seen for 12 days in every month.
Gould was a British Officer in "disgrace for conduct un-becoming;" a nervous breakdown no less ~ whilst on active duty at sea in World War I. In the early 20th. Century it seems, Post-traumatic Stress disorder was no excuse for a British Officer and Gentleman to "fail in setting an example to the British Other Ranks." Gould had further "blotted his copy-book" by seperation from his wife Muriel (Anna Chancellor) who found the strain from his "obsession" with restoring Harrison's clocks unbearable.
After a roller-coaster ride of triumph and setbacks, the stories come together at the Greenwich Obseratory where Harrison's four clocks, restored by Gould and his journals on their restoration, are on joint display.
Harrison was given his £20,000 at the age of 80 by special act of Parliament and had 2 years to enjoy his wealth before his death on March 24, 1776. Gould was given a gold medal in 1946 and often appeared on the "The Brain's Trust" until his death 5 October 1948.
This two disc version of "Longitude" includes a useful docco that clarifies the Board's resistance to Harrison's "machanical" solution to finding longitude at sea: the board members, university educated astronomers, were deeply incensed by the prospect of handing over the £20,000 prize to a country tool-maker and not a man of science!
For me the great irony of "Longitude" lay in the clockmaker George Graham's(Peter Vaughan) warning to Harrison, that "the Board wants a practical solution - they won't reward a theory," because in their grim determination to ignore Harrison, in favor of luna observations the likes of Bliss and Maskelyne spent 40 years trying to do JUST THAT!
A quotation from elsewhere:
"In the excellent film "Longitude" Rupert Gould is seen on the TV version of "The Brains Trust," but the show was not televised until 4 September 1955; seven years after his death. The radio version of "The Brains' Trust" had it's first transmission on 1 January 1941."
Still both Harrison and Gould stuck to their guns and won out in the end and that makes it more than just a docco to me.
Movie Review: A Timeless Period Drama. Marvellous!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was first introduced to the story of John Harrison via Dava Sobel's dynamo paperback 'Longitude' which I thoroughly enjoyed. Next to fall into my possession was Sobel's 'The Illustrated Longitude' which was just superb and added so much to the story with all the amazing images. Subsequently when I came across the DVD 'Longitude' a few years back I quickly grabbed it.
This film is wonderful and a delightful complement to Sobel's books. Michael Gambon and Jeremy Irons shine in their respective roles of John Harrison and Rupert Gould. The movie quickly draws you in and you soon find yourself sharing Harrison's challenge in his quest to solve the problem of finding longitude at sea, and feeling his frustration in the claiming of his prize with the big-headed politicking from the Board of Longitude consistently throwing new obstacles in his path.
The story of Gould is interwoven with that of Harrison throughout the film and it works exceedingly well. Jeremy Irons excels in his portrayal of Gould and you share the man's passion for the timepieces as he discovers them in 1920 to gently take them under his wing and painstakingly restore them to their former glory, breathing life back into their little mechanical hearts. If it hadn't been for Gould then these ticking treasures could very well still be stashed away collecting dust and rust, or worse still they could have been destroyed during the war. For the producers to include Gould's story in the movie was a masterstroke.
The supporting cast is excellent as is the detail to historical accuracy and setting. The film has a nice blend of intrigue, science, heartache, triumph, humour, passion and politics. Compelling, informative and entertaining, this is film is a winner and a definite keeper. The acting by all involved is stellar.
A marvellous film that will be enjoyed by all the family. Chances are you won't look at clocks the same way ever again.
Movie Review: Gripping Historical Drama
Summary: 5 Stars
What a remarkable, utterly satisfying and powerfully moving film "Longitude" is on every level. For "film as history lesson" it stays sharply on course with the known history of its subject, it is full of high sea adventure, heartbreak, fascinating glimpses into 18th century technology and the mindsets that produced it and much, much more.
The stories of John Harrison and Rupert Gould, one's creating and the other's discovery - are played out on the screen simultaneously in an ingenious time traveling manner that is never confusing but keeps the viewer alert and hungry with anticipation. Its 200+ minutes fly by too quickly.
Harrison is played with such crackling authority, gusto and love by Michael Gambon that it is impossible not to route for him and be angered at the shabby treatment he receives at the hands of the Board of Longitude- really little more than an aristocratic old boys club unwilling to accept that a country carpenter could possibly solve the problem of longitude at sea. These bastards held up Harrison for over half a century, refusing to fully acknowledge his achievement and withholding the prize from him for some 51 years! Harrison's dream of providing a better life for William, his son, is lost in the balance as his son dedicates his 40 some years to aiding his father. As William, Ian Hart must play a lot of second fiddle, but in his important scenes he adds further heart to the story and his speech to his father about earning respect and love is one of the film's most powerful.
As Gould Jeremy Irons is - as always - terrific, putting more gas into the role than anyone else may have thought to, and watching the dissolution of his marriage, sanity and life, all mirroring various points of Harrison's life, is never less than fascinating.
I can't find enough good things to say about this wonderful, gripping movie. Highest recommendation.