 |
|
|
Apparel Baby Beauty Books Classical Music DVD Electronics Gourmet Food Jewelry Kitchen & Housewares Magazines Music Musical Instruments Office Products Outdoor Living PC Hardware Personal Health Care Photo Software Sporting Goods Tools & Hardware Toys VHS VideoGames |
starring: Jonathan Coy, Christopher Hodsol, Jeremy Irons, Peter Cartwright, Gemma Jones directed by: Charles Sturridge Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9780767027663 Format: Box set, Color, NTSC ISBN: 0767027663 Label: A&E Home Video Manufacturer: A&E Home Video Number Of Items: 4 Publisher: A&E Home Video Release Date: August 29, 2000 Running Time: 200 minutes Sales Rank: 20268 Studio: A&E Home Video Related Items:
Editorial Review: Amazon.com essential video: Gracefully adapted from Dava Sobel's extraordinary bestseller, the four-part TV production of Longitude combines drama, history, and science into a stimulating, painstakingly authentic account of personal triumph and joyous discovery. Equally impressive is the way writer-director Charles Sturridge has crafted parallel stories that complement each other with enriching perspective. The first story involves the successful 40-year effort of 18th-century clockmaker John Harrison (Michael Gambon) to solve the elusive problem of measuring longitude at sea. In 1714 the British Parliament had offered a generous reward to anyone who solved the problem, and Harrison devoted his life to that solution. The second story, some 200 years later, involves the effort of shell-shocked British Navy veteran Rupert Gould (Jeremy Irons) to restore the glorious clocks that Harrison had built. Like Harrison, Gould is the most admirable type of obsessive, but, also like Harrison, he risks his marriage to accomplish his difficult task. Thousands of sailors perished at sea before Harrison's triumph changed history, but Longitude demonstrates that Harrison's glory was slow to arrive--and his prize money even slower. A fascinating study of 18th-century British politics and clashing egos in the arena of science, the film is both epic and intimate in consequence, and Sturridge's magnificent script inspires Gambon and Irons to do some of the best work of their outstanding careers. The ever-reliable Ian Hart appears in Part 3 as Harrison's now-adult son and apprentice, and Longitude approaches its dramatic climax with the exhilarating tension of a first-rate thriller. Rallying after sickness to prove the integrity of their marvelous seafaring chronometers, the Harrisons still had to fight for official recognition, and Gould's restoration of the Harrison clockworks provides a fitting coda to this exceptional story about the thrill of discovery and the tenacity of remarkable men. --Jeff Shannon Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Must See for allAbsolutely wonderful - first class acting and incredibly informative. My teen daughters, were as engrossed as their father and me. Top notch and recommend to all high school and up who have an interest in science, geography, history or any number of other subjects that this movie based on a book covers. Having seen the actual clock in Greenwich many times, it made the viewing even more delicious and interesting. I certainly would not rate it R, there was nothing remotely distasteful in this movie. ... Read More Rating:  - Well Worth Your TimeThis is a visually stunning 2-disc dramatization of Dava Sobel's book about 18th century struggles to produce an accurate, seaworthy clock that would enable sailors to know their location by knowing precisely what time it was. The acting is superb; the settings and production values are magnificent. This film does a worthy job of telling the story of John Harrison's 50-year battle to be granted the prize promised by the English Crown to the man who could produce a reliable timepiece. ... Read More Rating: - Excellent,but "R" ratedThis movie is excellently cast, directed and filmed. However, it went from a film that could have been used for educational purposes to one you hide from your young children by the insertion of two scenes of women's bare breasts that were totally unnecessary! That was my only disappointment. As a teacher, you always look for excellent resources that can be used in the classroom. If those two totally unnecessary scenes had been done differently (which they easily could), this film could have been used ... Read More Rating: - Human nature against New inventions.As a veteran Airman ( I used to be a Combat Pilot for over 40 years ) and today the President of an Avionics Development and Production Company, I was exposed time and again to bureaucratic friction which works against any new invention. During my life time ( I am now 65 years old ) I have learnt that this phenomenom repeats itself through mankind history. It seams that the only thing that has changed is technology, while human nature remained the same. The film "Longitude" and book are both a good ... Read More Rating: - LongitudeI had seen this video before purchasing my copy. I must admit that I have a vested interest in this movie because the main character John Harrison, rural clockmaker and maker of the chronometer which was used by the British Navy to plot Longitude is my 6th Grandfather!!!! My sister, a geneologist had only recently come to research this fact and told us about it. It is a classic tale of how a person's perseverance can affect the lives of many. The fact that he had to spend 40 years of his life fighting ... Read More |
