Longitude Movie Review 2000

In 1714, England's Parliament offered a large reward to anyone who could discover a way to accurately measure longitude at sea to prevent nautical disasters. Carpenter John Harrison (Gambon) decided on a mechanical solution in the form of a clock (now known as the marine chronometer) and strove to have his ideas excepted (for 40 years). His story is paralleled with that of shellshocked ex-WWI soldier Rupert Gould (Irons), who discovered Harrison's neglected originals and became equally obsessed with restoring them to working order. The performances carry the somewhat diffuse plot. Based on the book by Dava Sobel.

Distribution

A&E Home Video, PO Box 2284, South Burlington, VT 05407, Toll-free: 888-423-1212, Fax: (802)864-9846, Email: homevideo@aetv.com, URL: http://www.aetv.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 200 minutes.
Originally from British.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Period Piece: 18th Century, Period Piece: 1920s, True Stories, Inventors & Inventions, Sail Away

Screenplay

Charles Sturridge

Cast

Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon, Anna Chancellor, Ian Hart, Peter Vaughan, Gemma Jones, John Wood, Stephen Fry, Alec McCowen, Frank Finlay, John Standing, Samuel West, Bill Nighy, Brian Cox, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Clive Francis, Daragh O'Malley, Tim (McInnerny) McInnery, Nicholas (Nick) Rowe

Cinematography

Peter Hannan

Director

Charles Sturridge

Music

Geoffrey Burgon