Yesterday I was talking to a friend about the incredible story of John Harrison, the carpenter and clockmaker who literally single handedly paved the way for modern navigation at sea. He was the one who built the first chronometers which were accurate and rugged enough to make timekeeping – necessary for celestial navigation – possible. Up to this point, seafarers were only able to determine latitude. Longitude was still a huge problem.
The crazy and exciting story behind John Harrison´s chronometers is for me one of the greatest tales, full of hope, ingenuity, history, adventure and the unstoppable will of humans. It´s also a tragedy. Dava Sobel´s book “Longitude”, which I have read and reviewed already earned a top spot in my book-shelf. So, as we were talking about this the other day, I said to my friend: “They should make a proper movie about this!”, and he replied: “Well, apparently, they did!” Turns out that “Longitude” indeed has been picturized already.
One of the greatest stories of seafaring and navigation
Back in the year 2000 this story has been turned into a two-part mini-series in an English-American joint production. The film is also called “Longitude”. I was stunned at first because I frequently become desperate searching for new material to watch on Netflix, Prime and even YouTube. It´s funny I never discovered this flick. Back at home I instantly checked it and as it turns out: You can watch “Longitude” for free either on YouTube (with loads and loads of commercial breaks!) and streaming – in much better quality – on Prime Video. And I did.
First I was amazed to see Jeremy Irons. This renowned actor has a track record of being very picky when it comes to roles to play. This was an excellent choice. And by that the big difference that sets the film apart from the book by Dava Sobel. Jeremy Irons does not play John Harrison himself (a part that has been taken over by a fantastic Michael Gambon (who later turned into Dumbledore). Irons plays another crucial factor in this crazy and unbelievable story about Harrisons clocks: Michael Gould.
In this, “Longitude”, the movie, intertwines two timelines: Of course the is John Harrison´s story about how he built the H1, H2 and other clocks and his tragic, hard and bitter fight against the Admiralty and aristocratic establishment of England in the late 18th Century. And then – new to me and not less gripping – the story of a man called Michael Gould who again, very tragically, sacrificed his private life and a joyful marriage for re-discovering and painstakingly refurbishing Harrison´s clocks in the turmoil of the ending World War I and a starting World War II. Amazing!
What I loved about that film. And maybe disliked a bit.
This new layer, a complete new timeline and the events unfolding makes watching the movie so rewarding, even if you already have read the book. It brings on a whole new level and excitement – and also adds to the underlying tragic and sacrifices that have been made to make navigation at sea safer, even feasible. Irons masterfully portrays a deeply hurt man, just being released out of hospital after returning from the horrors of war. A slightly autistic, troubled but so determined man. A perfect role for a character actor like irons! By weaving together the two timelines, both highly historic, the movie almost gets a Nolan-esque touch, I´d say, albeit it´s effects, especially the shots of sailing ships on the high seas, are of inferior quality due to the limited budget a TV-series usually has. But that´s no harm to the joy of watching it. On the contrary, I´d say.
We are so saturated by overly perfect CGI and ridiculous camara-flights that it was a true relief to watch a movie made the “old fashioned” way: Steady, classic camera positions, time for exposition and dialogue and most of it all, time to introduce and develop a character. I mean, made in the year 2000 may sound like “recently”, but it´s not: The grainy picture quality (which also explains the low quality of the stills shown in this article), a 4:3 aspect ratio and emphasis on dialogue rather than on effects and showmanship makes it clear, that “made 25 years ago” really means a quarter of a Century! I loved it!
Apart from that, the only thing I find a bit stressful was the runtime of almost three and a half hours. Yes, it´s a two-parter and you can easily make a break, but the story is so gripping on the one hand that you cannot just pause it and watch the next part a day later or so. But watching it in one piece is kind of stressful: Not really appropriate for my kids, whom I´d love to show this film to. The story has everything: Ships, adventure, sailing and excitement – but stretched over such a long runtime, the often detailed (but necessary) dialogues may become tiresome.
A great adventure, a film worth watching
But die-hard fans will condone this one downside. So if you are looking for a nice movie to watch over the weekend, maybe during the dark winter months, “Longitude” by Peter Jones is definitely worth watching! The cast is brilliant (not only Jeremy Irons!), but also the narrator who is none other than Richard Dreyfuss – and I am sure, you will experience a heartwarming reminiscence of your childhood, when watching TV as a whole family was a big event.
Great sets, costumes, the wonderful English accent and so much tough sailor´s talk – all this makes “Longitude”, the movie, a flick worth watching. And by the way, you will learn a lot of stuff regarding stellar navigation, clockmaking and English society in the late 18th and early 20th Centuries. Definitely a recommendation:
My overall assessment of “Longitude” is 9 out of 10 points
Related articles you might find interesting:
Stellar navigation DIY: First steps and how it´s going
Reading Dava Sobel´s “Longitude” – a book review
The one other unbelievable story: Donald Crowhurst. Book and Movie reviews.