Bangor Studio/Membership Department
63 Texas Ave.
Bangor, ME 04401

Lewiston Studio
1450 Lisbon St.
Lewiston, ME 04240

Portland Studio
323 Marginal Way
Portland, ME 04101

Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529
© 2025 Maine Public
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scroll down to see all available streams.
Delivery of the June 2025 issue of Experience Magazine will be late this month. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The Sounds of Realism in 'Master and Commander'

Russell Crowe stars as Jack Aubrey, a captain in the British Navy, in <I>Master and Commander</I>, a film adaptation of the seafaring novels by Patrick O'Brian.
/
Russell Crowe stars as Jack Aubrey, a captain in the British Navy, in Master and Commander, a film adaptation of the seafaring novels by Patrick O'Brian.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World sails into movie theaters Friday. Like the Patrick O'Brian books on which it is based, the film strives to recreate naval life during the Napoleonic era as authentically as possible, paying close attention to everything from uniforms, flags, ships and armaments, to perhaps the most challenging element: the sound of it all.

To create a rich sonic world of naval warfare and high seas chases, sound designer Richard King and director Peter Weir spent months in a silent pursuit: reading O'Brian's novels for inspiration. The late author penned 20 historical adventures centered around Captain Jack Aubrey and ship's surgeon and naturalist Stephen Maturin. King says none of the sound effects in the film, which stars Russell Crowe, were prepackaged.

NPR's Michele Norris talks with King.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.