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Colonial Air Force posted:I did notice, however, that the Surprise in the film seems to have a poopdeck, and that will now forever annoy me. Are you sure? The Rose, which was used as Surprise definitely doesn't have one:     The quarterdeck is too short for the real Surprise, since it would actually extend to half the ship and include the capstan, but otherwise it seems fine. Decius fucked around with this message at 08:28 on Jan 5, 2015 |
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Jan 5, 2015 08:18
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Ah, that's what it is. It's that shortness I think that throws it off. But it did seem like Jack was rather high up when he called out that sailor for not saluting.
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Jan 5, 2015 14:33
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Camera angles are a hell of a thing.
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Jan 5, 2015 15:43
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Arglebargle III posted:Camera angles are a hell of a thing. Yeah:  Frodo and Gandalf travel together in a cart, and Frodo appears dwarfed by Gandalf.  In reality, the bench is split, and Frodo is sitting a few feet behind Gandalf – Gandalf’s body hides the split in the bench.
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Jan 5, 2015 15:47
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I just watched that scene (because of course I have this with me) and it's the editing that makes Jack seem tall. The wide shot has Nagel walking forward with Jack in the background talking with Tom at the binnacle. Russel Crowe is clearly elevated only like ~14 inches above Nagel as in the picture of Rose because he is standing on that very same quarterdeck. After Nagel shoulder-checks Hollum (with Jack in the background noticing) the scene cuts to a low angle medium-close shot of Jack yelling. You can't see Nagel or either deck level. Nothing changed except the camera's position and angle, but the editing and angle combine to make Jack (Russell Crowe) look a lot taller all of a sudden. And not by accident either; Jack suddenly asserting his authority and the camera suddenly making him look a lot taller than the crew is probably not a coincidence. Directing!
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Jan 5, 2015 17:40
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Also appropriate because there are probably a half dozen times (at least) in the books when Stephen comments on how Jack seems to grow bigger when he's pissed.
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Jan 5, 2015 19:22
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I've just finished The Mauritius Command and started on Desolation Island - Does anyone else find reading through this series is like watching a really gripping TV series where you're always thinking "just one more episode" and then suddenly it's like 5AM? I got loads of books for Christmas and in the Kindle 12 days sale that I fear may go untouched for quite a while longer because each time I finish one of these books I can't stop myself jumping right into the next one.
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Jan 7, 2015 16:55
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For Hornblower, although I know I'll be a little disappointed reading them after I've already finished Aubrey-Maturin, should I read them in chronological order, or published order?
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Jan 7, 2015 17:56
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Colonial Air Force posted:For Hornblower, although I know I'll be a little disappointed reading them after I've already finished Aubrey-Maturin, should I read them in chronological order, or published order? It's always the best to read in the published order.
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Jan 7, 2015 17:59
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Always read a series in published order.
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Jan 7, 2015 17:59
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The answer to that, for any series, is always "published." Prequels depend on knowledge of the "later" events to give them context.
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Jan 7, 2015 18:03
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Maybe, but I found reading Sharpe actually was better in chronological, even if there were some oddities in the short stories.
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Jan 7, 2015 18:09
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Colonial Air Force posted:Maybe, but I found reading Sharpe actually was better in chronological, even if there were some oddities in the short stories. Yeah, Sharpe is fairly unusual in that Cornwell seems to have plotted Sharpe's career out in fairly granular detail out before writing the first book -- it seems to have been plotted from the start as a 20 book or so series, he just jumped around a bit to write the most sellable books first.
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Jan 7, 2015 18:11
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Published order it is, then.
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Jan 7, 2015 18:22
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Owlkill posted:I've just finished The Mauritius Command and started on Desolation Island - Does anyone else find reading through this series is like watching a really gripping TV series where you're always thinking "just one more episode" and then suddenly it's like 5AM? I got loads of books for Christmas and in the Kindle 12 days sale that I fear may go untouched for quite a while longer because each time I finish one of these books I can't stop myself jumping right into the next one. Well, I just wanted to reread HMS Surprise (since it is for me the quintessential book of the series) mid-2014 and ended up reading the whole series again for the fourth or fifth time. So yes, for me is exactly the case - once I've started I can't really end, because reading any other books in the meantime just leaves me with an empty feeling, regardless how good they are.
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Jan 8, 2015 07:21
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Well I just finished the series. Quite bittersweet for me. Though the characters get their happy ending more or less. Too bad Stephen never got back home to that pretty young naturalizing widow. I'm already thinking about reading it again. Favorite books: Master and Commander The Mauritius Campaign The Fortunes of War Desolation Island The Nutmeg of Consolation I feel like I should read some Jane Austen before I tackle Pride and Prejudice and Boats again. Arglebargle III fucked around with this message at 02:39 on Jan 16, 2015 |
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Jan 16, 2015 02:35
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Arglebargle III posted:Well I just finished the series. Quite bittersweet for me. Though the characters get their happy ending more or less. Too bad Stephen never got back home to that pretty young naturalizing widow. Did you read the couple of unfinished chapters of the next book too?
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Jan 16, 2015 02:48
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Arglebargle III posted:Well I just finished the series. Quite bittersweet for me. Though the characters get their happy ending more or less. Too bad Stephen never got back home to that pretty young naturalizing widow. The Fortune of War and The Surgeon's Mate are probably my favorite of the series that aren't Master and Commander itself. I keep forgetting how funny Sense and Sensibility and Sailors can be when it's not being heart-rendingly sad or aggravating. Speaking of funny, I caught this throwaway line in Surgeon's mate today that I don't recall ever catching before. When Stephen's at the Institute, after speaking about the Solitarire, he sees his German romance language expert friend and, "Stephen tore himself away from a rather sterile conversation about chlorine". Genius.
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Jan 16, 2015 02:49
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Arglebargle III posted:I feel like I should read some Jane Austen before I tackle Pride and Prejudice and Boats again. I've been pondering trying some Austen. I'm worried it's just 29th century romance novels though. Are they about things other than "a woman needs a husband" or "a man needs a wife"?
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Jan 16, 2015 02:52
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Colonial Air Force posted:I've been pondering trying some Austen. I'm worried it's just 29th century romance novels though. Are they about things other than "a woman needs a husband" or "a man needs a wife"? http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3662001
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Jan 16, 2015 02:58
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Good timing, then.
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Jan 16, 2015 03:14
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Do you think you'll finish that read through? I enjoyed what you'd written.
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Jan 16, 2015 06:10
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None of those threads ever go much beyond a page or so.
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Jan 16, 2015 06:32
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builds character posted:Do you think you'll finish that read through? I enjoyed what you'd written. It's on my to-do list. Unfortunately it's a *lot* of work to do each chapter. I really do want to finish it up at some point though. Still, even as it is, it gives people enough background to get their teeth into the book as a whole.
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Jan 16, 2015 06:38
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Just came upon one of my favourite funny scenes in the whole series: "The Thirteen-gun Salute", setting is after a dinner at the Sultan's palace   
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Jan 16, 2015 12:24
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Arglebargle III posted:I feel like I should read some Jane Austen before I tackle Pride and Prejudice and Boats again. Read Emma. It's one of my faves. Rich sheltered women being passive aggressive to each other and freaking out about gypsies. It took me far too long to realize Clueless was a remake of Emma.
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Jan 16, 2015 17:16
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Raskolnikov2089 posted:Read Emma. It's one of my faves. Rich sheltered women being passive aggressive to each other and freaking out about gypsies. My favorite Austen is actually Northanger Abbey, just because it's so hilarious if you've read a lot of other gothic fiction. I think the two biggest barriers to reading Austen are 1) people need a lot of exposure to the setting and time period to understand the context of everything, and 2) you have to be a sharp reader with a really good eye for multiple layers of meaning to fully appreciate her prose; her jokes are incredibly dry and you'll miss two-thirds of it if you aren't looking carefully. But any reader of Patrick O'Brian has both those things.
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Jan 16, 2015 17:29
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:My favorite Austen is actually Northanger Abbey, just because it's so hilarious if you've read a lot of other gothic fiction. I think the two biggest barriers to reading Austen are I've said it before but I *only* came to enjoy and appreciate Jane Austen because Patrick O'Brian made me a better reader. Same thing with Dickens, who I had no idea was so hilarious (thanks for nothing high school english).
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Jan 16, 2015 18:04
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:My favorite Austen is actually Northanger Abbey, just because it's so hilarious if you've read a lot of other gothic fiction. I think the two biggest barriers to reading Austen are Part of the joy of reading that passage quoted above is that by the time Jack has opened his mouth in the second paragraph you know they are going to be talking about two different things. I'm actually amazed that O'Brian resorted to explaining the joke and didn't just have them both wander off confused. Maturin wondering if Jack has been a pederast this whole time and Jack wondering if Maturin has come to appreciate the, 'Music of the Spheres'. Speaking of which, what animal's haunch was Jack eating at the Sultan's feast? He thinks it's venison but it's no bigger than a hares. Maybe a mouse deer?
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Jan 16, 2015 19:01
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Murgos posted:Part of the joy of reading that passage quoted above is that by the time Jack has opened his mouth in the second paragraph you know they are going to be talking about two different things. I'm actually amazed that O'Brian resorted to explaining the joke and didn't just have them both wander off confused. They know each other too well (although Jack seems perpetually hopeful that Stephen will pick up calculus/trig, astronomy, or sailing) for that. Stephen for sure knows Jack's all about the ladies, given how many times Jack cheats on Sophie, not just times we know about but times that are implied.
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Jan 16, 2015 21:21
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I'm reading the series for the first time thanks in part to this thread. I just finished Desolation Island and holy crap, that section in the storm with the Waakzaamheid. That is some incredible writing right there. I'm completely hooked and the stories have rekindled my interest in building model boats. I am trying to finish the one I started years ago so I can justify getting a model of something from the books. They do make a model of the Surprise...
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Feb 16, 2015 20:30
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'My god, oh my god' 'six hundred men'. Gives me chills every time, loving terrific.
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Feb 16, 2015 22:57
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Genghis Cohen posted:'My god, oh my god' 'six hundred men'. Listen to Patrick Tull read it. One of his best performances in my opinion.
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Feb 17, 2015 03:01
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Did the Admiralty ever pay out for that ship? I remember Aubrey arguing with some official, (a civilian and a scrub to boot) who said as it couldn't be verified no prize money was due.
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Feb 17, 2015 15:14
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BeigeJacket posted:Did the Admiralty ever pay out for that ship? I remember Aubrey arguing with some official, (a civilian and a scrub to boot) who said as it couldn't be verified no prize money was due. Not as far as I remember. Later on, many years later it's even used to discredit him and cheat him out of a "sure" baronetcy by the hidden enemies of Maturin and himself in Whitehall and in Royal circles (to avoid spoiling stuff) around/before The Yellow Admiral.
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Feb 17, 2015 15:39
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BeigeJacket posted:Did the Admiralty ever pay out for that ship? I remember Aubrey arguing with some official, (a civilian and a scrub to boot) who said as it couldn't be verified no prize money was due. That guy didn't even understand what the 40s were. I hated him so much. Almost as much as the Leopard. gently caress that ship. The Americans didn't even have their cannons on deck! I remember Jack thinks to himself something along the lines of "what a disaster for the service" when they mention the Leopard-Chesapeake Affair but seriously, go read up on it. The British captain had zero reason to fire a broadside into Chesapeake and he fired three. He killed three people in order to get four deserters, three of whom later turned out to be American citizens. The British government had to give up the three men and pay reparations, all but admitting that Captain Humphreys had been in the wrong. Humphreys never commanded a ship again. It was a disaster for the Royal Navy's reputation. Captain Barron of the Chesapeake was also court-martialled and convicted for putting to sea in such an unprepared state. A clusterfuck all around.
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Feb 18, 2015 19:00
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ItalicSquirrels posted:Listen to Patrick Tull read it. One of his best performances in my opinion. Agreed. It's right up there with his reading of the introduction of Sam Panda. I always tear up at the part where they both look in the shaving mirror together looking for themselves in the other. That, and Bless you, Sam
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Feb 19, 2015 14:38
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Rewatching Master and Commander and I couldn't help but chuckle as Killick's only desire was to protect the Captain's silver plate. Nice bit of fan service.
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Feb 22, 2015 18:04
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I'll be honest, I flew through the first book in the series (being the most well known) I'm about 1/4 of the way through the 2nd, and the pacing has made me not want to pick it back up in over a month. I think it being all about the social niceties of the period is totally killing my men fighting on floating fortresses vibe
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Feb 22, 2015 18:19
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Sappo569 posted:I'll be honest, I flew through the first book in the series (being the most well known) The land parts will get very much better once you have gotten to know and love the characters that are prominent there.
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Feb 22, 2015 18:25
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