听 Upon boarding this two-disc release you'll find an "old-fashioned adventure, which stays afloat despite being almost as long and self-important as its title". The DVD maintains that veneer of pomposity but while there's some hot wind billowing in the sails of this enterprise, there's also an impressive attention to detail.
Russell Screeches
Actually that's an easy pot shot to take at Mr Crowe, especially as he looks unusually meek while dredging his bow against his tortured string instrument in The Hundred Days documentary. The title doesn't refer to the time it took for The Angry One to master and command his violin, but rather to a production so large you'll be won over by the effort of putting it together. From the huge gimble-mounted ship to the craftwork of the set dressing, there's plenty to impress both blockbuster movie and naval fans alike.
Weir's History
From this DVD you'll see that director Peter Weir had his hands firmly on the tiller of the film. Throughout the documentary and the featurette In The Wake Of O'Brian, he enthuses about his research for the project. So, not only do you learn about the making of the film but you also get an entertaining lesson in naval history as well.
The Flashy Bits
The rest of disc two brings you such flashy treats as clever multi-camera breakdowns of key scenes, and an in-depth look at the combination of old model and new CGI effects used for the movie. If you like your sea epics large in scale, then this two-disc set should float your boat.
EXTRA FEATURES
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-N5 DVD player.
