Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World 2003

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a 2003 American-Australian epic period war-drama film co-written, produced and directed by Peter Weir, set during the Napoleonic Wars. The film's plot and characters are loosely adapted from novels in author Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series, which includes 20 completed novels of Jack Aubrey's naval career. The film stars Russell Crowe as Aubrey, captain in the Royal Navy, and Paul Bettany as Dr. Stephen Maturin, the ship's surgeon. This was the second onscreen collaboration for Crowe and Bettany, who previously co-starred in 2001's A Beautiful Mind. The film was a personal project of 20th Century Fox executive Tom Rothman, who recruited Weir to direct. Filming took place on the open sea, on replica ships in the water tanks of Baja Studios, and in the Galápagos Islands. The film, which cost US$150 million to make, was a co-production of 20th Century Fox, Miramax Films, Universal Pictures, and Samuel Goldwyn Films, and released on November 14, 2003. The film received critical acclaim and grossed $212 million worldwide. It garnered Weir the BAFTA Award for Best Direction.