The Fragments of the Midnight Mind
The entrance of imagination and history in few steps away from the vestibule of labyrinth delving into displeasure, value, love, and above all else, freedom.
A Film Review
THE PERFECT STORM
Introduction: Trivia
Cast of Characters & Director
Summary
Review
Reaction
Lessons Learned
References
I. INTRODUCTION: Trivia
The heartrending true story of a merging tropical storm crushing the Andrea Gail and its group off the shore of Gloucester, Massachusetts was first distributed as a top rated book by Sebastian Junger. It then became a hit movie 19 years ago as of recently, featuring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly, and Diane Lane. Here are some of the things you might not know in the film The Perfect Storm:
- Hurricane Grace first surfaced in the waters southwest of Bermuda. The occuring winds increased up to 85 mph, but the raging hurricane seemed to have a brief history. That system was absorbed by a large North Atlantic storm in a span of four days. Those storms are not unusual, however this one was hindered from its typical west to east course, and it started to float southwestward off the bank of Nova Scotia. The tempest retained the course of “Grace” while a surge of colder air moved eastbound through Canada.
- None of the fish in the movie were real. The director of the movie, Wolfgang Petersen is an animal rights supporter. Not a single fish you have seen in the movie was real. The fish carcasses were rubber and the live ones used were robotic.
- Only one character in the movie was made up. Irene “Big Red” Johnson played by actress, Rusty Schwimmer, was just a pure invention in the whole movie.
- George Clooney, known as Billy Tyne, wanted to play Bobby. Director Petersen soon then convinced Clooney to play the role of the 37-year-old captain because he was in the perfect age.
- Christopher McDonald said the name of the movie multiple times just to get it right. The director of the film ensured that McDonald, who played the meteorologist Todd Gross, would say his line perfectly.
- The film composer of the movie was the same as with Titanic. The film composer, James Horner also worked and bagged an Oscar on another ship disaster film, Titanic. Unfortunately, he died in a plane crash last 2015.
- Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Linda Greenlaw) promised not to do another film involving water. After a traumatic experience in the film The Abyss (1989), Manstrantonio swore not to play roles water-related. Luckily, all of her scenes in this film were land-based, so Petersen was able to convince her to come onboard.
- Half of the cast and crew got seasick. In order to create the illusion of being at sea, the crew built the galley set on a rocking platform. The cast and crew had to deal with going out on the water during Tropical Storm Floyd and using water devices on set: water tanks, wave machines, and water cannons which highly caused seasickness. Mark Wahlberg (Bobby Brown) vomited once and Karen Allen (Mellissa Brown) thought she might drown.
- The boat in the film caught on fire. Legal Sea Foods, a restaurant located in Massachusetts, purchased the ship named Lady Grace—used in the movie as the Andrea Gail. It was in Gloucester for a while as a floating monument to fishermen who lost their lives at sea. Sooner, it was sold to a commercial fishing company then ravaged by fire.
- Surviving families sued the production. In 2000, other family members, particularly, the families of Billy Tyne and Dale Murphy sued Time Warner and the other production organizations in Florida Supreme Court. The court allowed summary judgment to the respondents in 2002. The offended parties requested. Thus, the Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit could not decide on the most proficient method to interpret a key Florida rule. The case was sent or “guaranteed” to the Florida Supreme Court to determine that constrained inquiry.
II. CAST OF CHARACTERS & DIRECTOR
George Clooney as Captain Frank William “Billy” Tyne Jr.
a valorous, resolute, and headstrong captain of Andrea Gail, a commercial swordfishing boat owned by Bob Brown, who persuaded his crew to undertake one last fishing trek before the season ends to compensate ongoing poor catches. He is divorced with two daughters to care for.
Mark Wahlberg as Robert “Bobby” Shatford
a flax-brown haired with a sinewy build that has seen a ton of work. He is the least experienced crew of the Andrea Gail. Bobby is the son of Ethel Shatford; a native of Gloucester, Massachusettes; the proprietor of the Crow’s Nest; and a sweetheart to Chris Cotter.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Linda Greenlaw
an intelligent captain of Hannah Boden, who maintains a friendly rivalry to Billy. She is concerned to Billy and his crew considering the risky weather that is going out. She is the last to speak to the Andrea Gail.
Diane Lane as Christina “Chris” Cotter
an attractive woman in her early forties with rust-blonde hair and narrow face. She is the sweetheart and inevitably turned into Bobby’s loving fiancé. She had a terrible inclination towards Bobby’s trip and does not want him to go on this expedition.
John C. Reilly as Dale “Murph” Murphy
a huge grizzly bear of a guy with thin whiskers, and a crew member of Andrea Gail. He is a veteran angler who is divorced with a son named Dale. He has a rough relationship with fellow crew member David “Sully” Sullivan that was soon settled during the excursion.
William Fichtner as David “Sully” Sullivan
a 28-year-old crew member of the Andrea Gail as for his late-season voyage. He supplanted one of the fishermen who backed out. He had a quarrel with Murph, fueled in part by Sully’s involvement with Murph’s ex-wife however as the plot unfurls. In the long run, they became companions. He has that antagonistic vibe set apart by malice.
John Hawkes as Michael “Bugsy” Moran
a go-getter, long-haired, wild and chatty crew member of Andrea Gail. He had a growing relationship with a divorced woman at the Crow’s Nest on the eve of the trip, yet, portentously never emerged.
Allen Payne as Alfred Pierre
an immense and kind Jamaican crew member of Andrea Gail. Before, he was reluctant and was not actually clear if he will join the trip. But soon, after coordinating his way, he joined the crew members and despite his apathetic persona, he was one of the appreciated group staff of the vessel.
Michael Ironside as Bob Brown
the owner of both Andrea Gail and Hannah Boden. He had an uneasy connection with Billy, albeit he appears to harbor a profound situated recognition of Tyne’s abilities at fishing, he by and by pressures Tyne over the last’s ongoing powerlessness to get bigger hauls.
Bob Gunton as Alexander McAnally III
an old, self-centered owner of Mistral, the yacht caught in the storm.
Karen Allen as Melissa Brown
a crew member of Mistral.
Cherry Jones as Edie Bailey
a crew member of Mistral.
Janet Wright as Ethel Shatford
the mother of Bobby
Christopher McDonald as Todd Gross
a meteorologist working for the WNEV-TV
Dash Mihok as Sergeant Jeremy Mitchell
a pararescueman on the New York Air National Guard rescue helicopter.
Wolfgang Petersen
a German film director, film producer and screenwriter. He is best known for making movies that can be best portrayed as part action or disaster movies. Aside from The Perfect Storm (2000), his other films include The Never Ending Story (1984), Enemy Mine (1985), In the Line of Fire (1993), Outbreak (1995), Air Force One (1997), Troy (2004) and Poseidon (2006).
III. SUMMARY
Returning back to the port of Gloucester, Massachusetts with an inadequate catch, Billy Tyne, captain of Andrea Gail—a commercial swordfishing boat—convinced his team to go along with him for one increasingly late-season fishing redemption. The crew takes off past their typical fishing grounds on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, where ferocious hurricanes were notoriously dangerous that time. Each day of their voyage is no ordinary. At first ineffective, they decided to head to the Flemish Cap, where they left their jinx onto the rogue waves that engulfed them, sooner, their luck extraordinarily improved.
After a few days of good hauls, Andrea Gail once again tamed herself some misfortune as her ice machine broke; the best way to sell their catch before it spoils is to rush back to the shore. Subsequent to debating whether to sail through the storm or to wait until it’s gone, the crew decided to face the tempest—the infamous “perfect storm”. Be that as it may, the Andrea Gail is confronting a combination of furious weather fronts and wrathful hurricane, which the crew belittles. Captain Billy Tyne and the crew knew the risk, even with the fact that they cannot survive in the frightful beast. Even clutching onto hope will not let them fly and escape the peril. Soon after, the Andrea Gail disappeared from the face of the earth, leaving behind loved ones mourning the loss, and a stunned Gloucester. In the long run, it marked the history and remained a story for everyone to remember not only the men of the Gail, but all fishermen of all time—for those who are lost and finds their way back home.
IV. REVIEW
“The Perfect Storm” is a film directed by Wolfgang Petersen based on the 1997 true-life bestseller by Sebastian Junger. It is an exemplification of a film that catalyzes audience to float over its thrilling scenes. It unfolds the story of the six-man crew of the swordfishing vessel Andrea Gail who headed off east past their usual fishing grounds, the Grand Banks, all the way to the Flemish Cap one more time after returning to the shore with poor hauls which then brewed maelstrom of bad weather conditions behind them, developing a hurricane headed out to sea that created an atrocious monster. It is a film which started with a premonition; a slow and calm set-up and turned into a white-knuckle ride into a bizarre weather system.
The film was at its best when it introduced the crew of the Andrea Gail, which it did most of the time. It did a good job in presenting the cast and unfurling their characteristics as the story evolves. However, the character interaction which seemed ineffective and impuissant was the petulant quarrel of Murph and Sully. When I watched the film for the first time, I never thought what they were arguing about. Some passages were too unnecessary and does not hit or tick most audience while watching.
The unfortunate events with these six valorous men defying the rough seas in the midst of the fearsome storm manifested some of the movie’s most nail-biting scenes. However, some parts of film gone astray from its original plot. Featuring the Coast Guard saving the three crew members of the Mistral is quite shaky and less compelling since we are not infused with these characters. Some of its scenes could have been cut in order to continue the flow of the story. They build or add much tension but mostly irrelevant.
George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio flaunted their outstanding skills in acting in spite of their weak dialogues—wherein, some of the adlibs are cheesy, yet, undeniably exceptional. We knew and learned only some of the character’s external signs and characteristics; we don’t know much of what makes them tick since the film is not about the people, but about the storm. The actors and actresses presented a chromatic touch who have shown their acting skills spontaneously. In any case, every one of them are killing it which makes the film progressively commendable and deserving to watch.
The cinematography lead by Oscar-winning John Seale was extraordinary. Considering the equipments and technological gadgets back in the 2000s, the film, making use of impressive visuals, gave a sense of jaw-dropping power to a tremendous sea. With enormous swells that dwarfed huge boats and became a labyrinth where there is no place to escape, the ocean looked like a parlous place which glued audience to focus and believe. Camera angling such as aerial shots and tracking shots were executed magnificently.
The music by James Horner has been vital and made a significant change in showing the mood of the film, yet, it is not that striking since most of the time, it was overshadowed by other elements and aspects. There are times when unnecessary sounds play as the characters are talking, making it inaudible for those who are watching especially if without subtitles. The demonstration of lighting—which also contributed highly on the mood and tone of the film—and framing was arranged and done shrewdly. The result was breathtaking as raging seas were made beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
Additionally, the screenplay of William Wittliff was brought to another horizon by Petersen’s direction. Petersen’s prowess in directing has made an astonishing masterpiece, however, as the plot continued to its climax, everything became surreal, which made it more fantastical that drove the film to lack reality. Since this is based on a true story, the credibility of the story was ruined and its history might be twisted into a mistaken idea. It lacks a compelling enthusiastic core, in any case, we cannot deny that its action sequences made a genuine, awe-inspiring spectacle.
V. REACTION
“The Perfect Storm” is an interesting story but not the best disaster movie I have watched so far. It is worth watching but only once. The movie started out slow, apparently, to build the plot and the characters, while moderate may be okay in most cases, yet, it slithers slower than a snail. It is a two-hour film and I nearly nodded off during the first 30 minutes of the film.
The movie was exciting, wherein, most of us anticipated on Andrea Gail’s fate; taut thrilling since it spins around a man-against-nature string based on actual events; and breathtaking that would make us swoon over the gigantic waves, however, a sense of reality was too essential and it was sorely lacking. As much as we wanted to stay glued on our seats, amazed by the enthralling effects and visuals applied on the big screen, it is fundamental for the movie to epitomize a sense of authenticity whether it be to make one’s history progressively conspicuous or to make somebody’s point of view of life improve that can absolutely take advantage thyself, yet in addition the general public that would take much life realizations.
The frenzy of suspenseful effects of the computer generated imagery (CGI) indicated that the motion picture was too enthusiastic on spending plan which it can come upon into the way of prominent utilization. A few scenes were too strange that it really left us hanging to our discernment whether such things could really occur or exist. Because of this, it blocks us to associate it with reality, unlike most films which organizes the pith of having the option to associate, play with our hearts and make us feel like we are part of the movie. Hence, realistic scenes should be taken care of into thought to make the watchers feel an alternate sort of fulfillment in the wake of watching a film.
The wholesomeness of the movie was expertly crafted that could evoke our senses, catch our cognizance, and fascinate our feelings but it needs an element of catalyst that would have caused a revelation that would make “The Perfect Storm” perfect.
VI. LESSONS LEARNED
“For those of us left behind, the vast unmarked grave which is home for those lost at sea is no consolation. It can’t be visited, there is no headstone on which to rest a bunch of flowers. The only place we can revisit them, is in our hearts, or in our dreams.”
Linda Greenlaw
There is nothing more terrible and upsetting in this world than waiting. It leads us to expect and build up fantasies. It could put us on pause while we consciously stop ourselves from doing anything else. Even if we are impatient enough, we still had to wait because what if they show up? What if they will look for us? These are some reasons why the first things we learned as social beings are saying hi and goodbye. When someone exists in our life and forgets to say goodbye, we are left waiting, regardless if we are logical enough to accept that they are gone. Most of the time, we just want to know if it is the end or the start. It is hard to explain since we are not entirely sure of ourselves. They left without us knowing, they disappeared in the face of the earth, and they left us hanging. When they were gone, we had to adjust to a life that we were no longer a part of. We had never lived in a world where they did not exist. And when that time would come, as sad as that thought may be, we will not think of them everyday, yet, we will never forget who they were, what they meant to us and what they taught us. We always hope that we can do their memory justice and grateful for all the small pieces of their memories we get to carry on.
The sun has gone down in this part of our lives, but everything is not yet over. We may suffer from lack of dreams and that is what begets our courage. For that reason, we will not say goodbye now. Simply we say, “Goodnight”.
“Individually, we are one drop.
Ryunosuke Satoro
Together, we are an ocean.”
What we can truly grasp in this film and enthrall our brains is the unity of the fishermen, the nature of being a genuine group where the captain is capably mindful of his job and his crewmen know how to do orders. They fill in as one and offer similar objectives which are to get greater hauls, procure enough cash and spend time with their loved ones. On the off chance that we put this instinctive aspect without hesitation in our every day life, collaborating and helping each other particularly the individuals who are in need simply like how Sully gives Murph a lending hand in spite of their hostile relationship, we could have quietness and compatibility in our community just like a huge sea formed from a single drop.
“Pride is the mother of arrogance.”
Toba Beta
If there is one thing in the movie that would restrain us from being done, it is when the fishermen insisted to proceed with their trip in spite of the enormity drawing closer behind them. They ignored their own welfare for the sake of organizing their compensation and income though they are knowledgeable enough of the risk they are getting. The headstrong captain preferred to live on the edge and not take the advice of authoritative figures and others outside the parameters of the aforementioned boat which then brought their last expedition. Pride is an eminent trait but too much of it will cause arrogance—and this is where we become reckless, the face of misfortune.
VII. REFERENCES
Berardinelli, J. (2000). The Perfect Storm Film Review. Retrieved December 20, 2019 from http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/p/perfect_storm.html
Bradshaw, P. (2000). The Perfect Storm. Retrieved December 20, 2019 from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/jul/28/georgeclooney
Cormier, R. (2015). 15 Things You Might Not Know About The Perfect Storm. Retrieved from https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65602/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-perfect-storm
Ebert, R. (n.d.). The Perfect Storm (2000). Retrieved December 19, 2019 from https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-perfect-storm-2000
Fandango Media, LLC and its subsidiary companies, (2018). The Perfect Storm 2000. Retrieved December 19, 2019 from https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/perfect_storm/
Quinlen, T. (n.d.). Movie Review The Perfect Storm. Retrieved December 19, 2019 from https://christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2000/theperfectstorm.html
Smithouser B. (n.d.). “The Perfect Storm” Movie Review. Retrieved December 19, 2019 from https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/perfectstorm/
The Big Screen Cinema Guide (2000). The Perfect Storm. Retrieved December 20, 2019 from https://www.bigscreen.com/ReaderReview.php?movie=PerfectStorm
The Perfect Storm Quotes. (n.d.). Quotes.net. Retrieved December 20, 2019, from https://www.quotes.net/movies/the_perfect_storm_quotes_13765.
The Fragments of the Midnight Mind 