Whether it's for the relaxing sounds of the sea or the peaceful blue skies, there is something about setting a story on a water way that adds a certain dimension to a story. Sailing movies have been around for years, and everybody has their favorite. Ask five people to list their top five, and you will end up with a list of 25 different features.
"Das Boot, " a German WWII series released in 1981 tells the claustrophobic tale of wartime life inside a submarine. Available in the original German with English subtitles, as well as an English language version, the film held viewers gripped for weeks. Made 20 years later but in a tale from a different century was "Master and Commander, " starring Russell Crowe in 2003. The British captain, played by Crowe, pursues a French warship in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars.
Accidental misadventures are also popular. "White Squall" told the tale of a group of teenage boys on their maiden voyage. They got more than they bargained for by fighting for their lives in the storm of a lifetime. "Adrift, " on the other hand, is an equally harrowing story about a group of 30-somethings who manage to strand themselves off their boat when they dipped into the sea to cool off. Unfortunately, whoever drew up the chore rota for the day forgot to delegate someone to make sure they could get back on the boat. Now who was going to feed the crying baby on board?
The "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie franchise, starring Johnny Depp, is one of the most successful series' of maritime movies. These films were produced by the architect of numerous hit crime series', Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, not to mention hit films, "Top Gun, " "The Rock, " and "Con Air, " among many others.
Fishermen are often the stars of maritime movies. Of these, two come immediately to mind. "Moby Dick" the tale of one man's obsession with a whale, starred Gregory Peck. Directed by John Huston, it was released in 1956. "The Old Man and the Sea, " dramatized the Ernest Hemingway novel and was made twice. The original starred Spencer Tracy in 1958; in 1999, it was remade with Anthony Quinn in the starring role.
"All is Lost, " is a harrowing 2013 film starring Robert Redford. The film has no dialogue, which is hardly surprising. Redford has enough on his plate colliding with a shipping container in furiously stormy seas without having to make idle chit chat.
Equally nerve-shattering to "All is Lost, " is "Dead Calm, " a romantic tale gone horribly wrong. Sam Neill and Nicole Kidman set out on the cruise of a lifetime which changes tack considerably when they take on the shipwrecked psychopath, sailor Billy Zane.
The sea provides a dramatic backdrop for all sorts of situations, from love stories to psychological thrillers and war films. The confined spaces of a boat make prime real estate for developing characters, often pitting them against each other for seriously compelling drama.
"Das Boot, " a German WWII series released in 1981 tells the claustrophobic tale of wartime life inside a submarine. Available in the original German with English subtitles, as well as an English language version, the film held viewers gripped for weeks. Made 20 years later but in a tale from a different century was "Master and Commander, " starring Russell Crowe in 2003. The British captain, played by Crowe, pursues a French warship in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars.
Accidental misadventures are also popular. "White Squall" told the tale of a group of teenage boys on their maiden voyage. They got more than they bargained for by fighting for their lives in the storm of a lifetime. "Adrift, " on the other hand, is an equally harrowing story about a group of 30-somethings who manage to strand themselves off their boat when they dipped into the sea to cool off. Unfortunately, whoever drew up the chore rota for the day forgot to delegate someone to make sure they could get back on the boat. Now who was going to feed the crying baby on board?
The "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie franchise, starring Johnny Depp, is one of the most successful series' of maritime movies. These films were produced by the architect of numerous hit crime series', Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, not to mention hit films, "Top Gun, " "The Rock, " and "Con Air, " among many others.
Fishermen are often the stars of maritime movies. Of these, two come immediately to mind. "Moby Dick" the tale of one man's obsession with a whale, starred Gregory Peck. Directed by John Huston, it was released in 1956. "The Old Man and the Sea, " dramatized the Ernest Hemingway novel and was made twice. The original starred Spencer Tracy in 1958; in 1999, it was remade with Anthony Quinn in the starring role.
"All is Lost, " is a harrowing 2013 film starring Robert Redford. The film has no dialogue, which is hardly surprising. Redford has enough on his plate colliding with a shipping container in furiously stormy seas without having to make idle chit chat.
Equally nerve-shattering to "All is Lost, " is "Dead Calm, " a romantic tale gone horribly wrong. Sam Neill and Nicole Kidman set out on the cruise of a lifetime which changes tack considerably when they take on the shipwrecked psychopath, sailor Billy Zane.
The sea provides a dramatic backdrop for all sorts of situations, from love stories to psychological thrillers and war films. The confined spaces of a boat make prime real estate for developing characters, often pitting them against each other for seriously compelling drama.
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