Customer Reviews

To the Ends of the Earth

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This DVD provides a fairly faithful look at William Golding's famous trilogy about a voyage from England to Australia in the early 19th Century. It follows another voyage as well--the passage into adulthood of Edmund Talbot who, thanks to the influence of his wealthy godfather, is going to Sydney Cove to take up a position in government. What Edmund learns about the rough and ready crew of the ship, the hardships of ordinary life and his own ability to cope in trying situations is fascinating. To me the performance of Jared Harris as Captain Anderson particularly stands out as making this film well worth seeing. His blustering exertion of a captain's prerogatives combined with his obsequious concern for how he'll be described in Edmund's diary are priceless.

A truly rich cast of actors at their craft with suberb attention to the details of the trials of sea travel... and what quiet but powerful touches of humour! Having read many of the the O'Brians, Popes, Kents and Forresters, I really did appreciate the many true pictures and sounds of earlier British navy voyages. I, frankly, have never seen a better production for television. My wife watched this with me (she without the same reading list) and she most thoroughly enjoyed the series as well. I'll bet both of us will soon read Goulding's trilogy.

I saw this on Netflix because Benedict Cumberbatch was in it, but was rewarded with a well acted and historically accurate story. It is fiction of course, but it successfully conveys what people had to endure during voyages in the late age of sail. There are some previous reviewers who've said that the film is boring (I assume they mean tedious), but that's the point. These journeys were long, tedious, and risky. You have to go into watching this knowing that it's a "people in a box" story where psychology provides the drama, and not a typical adventure with a lot of action. Worth a view for anyone interested in history (and/or benaddicts. Also great for Jared Harris fans).

What a disappointment. DO NOT PURCHASE THIS! A great cast of actors, but an empty story. I haven't read the book so I'm not sure if its the screenplay or the story itself.

I found this movie boring and forced myself to sit through the entire procedure. If I could return and get my money back I would. Don't buy!