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Rating:  - Must See for all
Absolutely 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. Buy it, rent it, but don't miss it!
Rating:  - Well Worth Your Time
This 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.
However this film attempts an expansion of Sobel's book that I'm not sure was quite warranted or that works. There is no full-length Director's Commentary on these DVD's. There is only a relatively short "Making Of" bonus feature. In that extra, it's revealed that the producers/director thought that they would bore modern audiences if they stuck to Sobel's almost exclusively 18th century narrative. They thought they had to introduce a more contemporary dramatic line that modern audiences could identify with better. So they layered Harrison's story with the story of Rupert Gould, the Englishman who in the 1930's undertook the task of restoring Harrison's clocks.
The two men's stories are closely interwoven and indeed do have a lot in common. Both men became fixated on the minute workings of clocks - to the exclusion of most human relations. Both let their projects grow to engulf their whole lives. Both were continuously balked by the English Maritime bureaucracy.
The movie often cuts so quickly from one narrative to the other that it is almost like watching split-screen action. The intention is perhaps to imitate the two armatures that extend from Harrison's counterbalance mechanism as these armatures nod towards each other, then separate in courtly, symmetrical minuet - over and over. However, the effect is more often simply disruptive and distracting.
At least, it was jarring to me for the first 45 minutes or so. After that, I became a little more accustomed to the quick volley between Harrison and Gould. Still, I think Sobel's account of Harrison would have been able to stand on its own and be amply relevant to modern audiences. There were so many interesting episodes in the book that had to be omitted here in order to make room for the stereopticon duet involving Gould's life. However enough remains. There are swashbuckling sea adventures, intrigue in periwigged counsel chambers, and glowing scenes around the hearth.
The occasional jaggedness of the interjection of Gould's story is a minor flaw in what is overall a wonderful cinematic achievement. "Longitude" is a prime example of how a film can be truly educational and entertaining at the same time. It's a movie suitable for all ages - and all times.
Rating: - Excellent,but "R" rated
This 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 all over the U.S. in classrooms. I suspect that it's use will be much more limited now. How sad for this excellent film!
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 example to emphasize this problem. I use them when lecturing about this subject.
Rating: - Longitude
I 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 the unfair bureaucratic system of the times was sad and yet his determination paid off for the benefit of others.He was certain that despite the many failures he had, that he was right and his chronometer which is now on display at Greenwich in London saved the lives of many shipmen and prevented ships from being lost at sea or running aground. I have tried to teach my sons that any job worth doing is worth doing well and that perseverance in any job which is worthwhile will pay off. I am proud John Harrison was my relative. Janet Watson
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