Best Sailing Movies Ever
And one universally despised
The lists of so-called “Best Sailing Movies” share a lot the same titles. Movies like White Squall, Master and Commander, Captain Ron, Dead Calm, and Kon-Tiki make many lists. As sailors, we know too much to be able to properly enjoy the sailing scenes in many films—cringing at the inaccurate depictions or questioning the sometimes horrible seamanship on display.
Similar to a point I made in my exhaustive critique of children’s sailing toys, it sometimes seems like the writers and directors of sailing movies have little actual understanding of sailboats and the forces involved. This problem of unrealistic depictions in movies isn’t limited to sailboats, of course. As a basketball coach I’ve winced at many scenes of supposed basketball players where it’s obvious they’ve scarcely ever set foot on a basketball court. I imagine this problem is endemic to Hollywood’s portrayal of all specialized topics.
A good example of this phenomenon is the movie All is Lost, which was popular with audiences, but is almost universally despised by sailors. As one sailor wrote, “I yelled at the TV so much!”
Conversely it’s downright thrilling when a movie actually captures sailing or life aboard accurately. Knife in the Water is a fine example, with some fairly realistic (albeit dated) small-boat sailing and cruising scenes. I mean who doesn’t enjoy fresh black radishes when cruising? You bring a pouch of black radishes along and you’re definitely getting invited back for a second cruise.
Another of my favorites is The Riddle of the Sands, based on the Erskine Childers book.
Here’s the whole movie link.
Below is a clip from a foreign version of Riddle of the Sands (I believe) that offers some of the best sailing I’ve seen in a fictional film. Watch as the sailors get through a tack in rough weather while the skipper tries to read the paper chart as the crew works the lead line to check Frisian Island depths. And the crewmembers screaming at each other upon grounding certainly rings true. Salty!
The Mercy, the true story of the bizarre Donald Crowhurst tragedy, is one Hollywood production where the sailing is considered mostly convincing.
Wind is another popular sailing movie where the sailing is generally not a distraction.
How about you? Which movies that feature sailing are your favorites and which ones have you yelling at your TV?
I’ll leave you with the words of Captain Ron as he explains the best way to check if a boat is seaworthy….
Mention your favorite sailing movie in the comments below and we’ll send one lucky reader (chosen at random) one of the new SCA hats.—Eds
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I wish I’d seen All Is Lost on tv so I could have shut it off or at least changed the channel. I saw it in Providence, Rhode Island on a rainy weekday afternoon. When I came out of the Theater, the parking meter that I had fed with quarters had a large sign on it as did the others up and down the street, loudly proclaiming “NO PARKING, EMERGENCY TOW ZONE” that public works had put up while I was inside watching that horrid film. A meter maid had also passed by as I suffered through that poor excuse for a movie and placed a $100 ticket under my windshield wiper. I still had 30 minutes left as I called the local gendarmes to rectify the injustice. They refused and I went to court months later with my numerous copies of photographic evidence. I waited hours to present my case before the judge. He cut my soliloquy short, stating that it was unconstitutional for the ticket to be issued and instructed the clerk to cancel the fine. I asked if I could show him the photographs that I had prepared and printed ( shades of 27 eight by ten color glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one…remember Alice? )using the entire contents my three color ink supply? He strongly suggested that I accept his innocent decree and move on with my stack of pretty pictures. Boy I hate that movie.
I dislike Shogun intensely. Every time the author had the opportunity to make a mistake, he did, in all of his novels. What first turned me off was when the mate said to the captain during the opening storm, "The ship is floundering." when he should have said foundering. It called the rest of his research into question. Tai Pan has the same sort of errors, but I don't know whether it was put on the screen.
Master and Commander is pretty good. I especially liked the effects, such as the creaking of the rudder when they were dining in the cabin. The gudgeons and pintles above the waterline should have been greased but that would have sacrificed the effect.
i was technical advisor on a movie and I tried to get Joaquim Phoenix to row the way a waterman would have. He ignored me. I do not believe the movie was ever released in the US.
My wife and I both work in movies and TV.
Enjoyed the heck out of Wind.