Galápagos, Ecuador

The movie MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD is the first feature film to be filmed on the Galápagos Islands. Its unique nature, which differs per island, also plays a role in the film.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 1:04:56

The story is set in 1805 during the Napoleonic wars. When the British ship HMS Surprise is attacked by the much larger French privateer Acheron, Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) seeks revenge and starts the chase. This voyage takes the ship via Cape Horn to the Galápagos Islands. Some survivors of a British whaler that was destroyed by the Acheron are found here.

Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), the ship's doctor, is surprised by the unique animals they see and is granted permission to explore the island.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 1:35:54

While collecting species, he notes that some animals use camouflage to hide from predators. This gives him the idea to disguise the Surprise as a whaling ship in order to lure the Archeron, which the doctor had discovered on the other side of the island. The scheme is succesfull, when the French want to attack the ship they are surprised by the cannons of the Surprise and the Archeron is being disabled.

Filming started on 17 June and ended on 11 November 2002. In addition to scenes being filmed in the studio and on a reproduction of a 18th-century ship, locations in Baja California, Mexico, were used to represent Galápagos. Because of the highly fragile ecosystem not all scenes could be filmed here.

Bartolomé, Galápagos, 9 July 2018

The volcanic islands have been part of Ecuador since 1832 and received the status of national park in 1959. There are 13 larger islands, some of which are inhabited, and more than 100 smaller islands. Tourism is an important source of income but a visit can only be made with a guide. Upon arrival at the airport of the island of Baltra, each visitor has to pay an entry fee of US $ 100. We opted for a boat tour and visited a total of eleven islands.

In the film it appears as if the crew of the Surprise lands on one island. In reality, these are three islands: Bartholomé, Pinta and (probably) Santa Cruz. Bartolomé is a small island that lies off the coast of greater Santiago. It is named after the British naval officer Sir Bartholomew James Sulivan who sailed with the Beagle at the time of Charles Darwin's journey.

Lonesome George, Santa Cruz,
Galápagos, 12 July 2018

Pinta is the most northern major island and is not accessible for tourists. The island is best known for the Pinta Island tortoise the has been extinced since 2012. The last animal was appropriately named Lonesome George. After his death, probably at age 102, the giant turtoise was preserved by taxidermists and is now on display at the Charles Darwin Research Station on the island Santa Cruz, in a cooled room with low light. It has since been discovered that there is a small number of turtles on the island Isabela that is genetically closely related to the Pinta turtoise. A new program has been developed to breed a new population for Pinta.

In the movie, the Galápagos Islands are first seen when the ship passes Bartolomé. At this island a volcanic cone rises from the sea, called Pinnacle Rock. The island of Santiago can be seen in the background. Wooden stairs lead to the top at an altitude of 375 feet (114 meters) from where there is a beautiful view of Pinnacle Rock.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 1:03:13

Bartolomé, Galápagos, 9 July 2018

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 1:03:20

Bartolomé, Galápagos, 9 July 2018

With their binoculars, the crew of the Surprise sees animals they have never seen before, including blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and the Sally Lightfoot crab. These red-blue crabs are said to be named after a Caribbean dancer because of their ability to jump from rock to rock.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 1:03:28

Blue-footed boobies, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, 15 July 2018

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 1:03:32

Marine iguana and Sally Lightfoot crab,
Santiago, Galápagos, 11 July 2018

Once on land, more animal species are discovered. The animals on the Galápagos Islands have no fear of humans and can be approached very closely, in this scene the galápagos sea lion. Another observation from Dr. Maturin and his assistants is that some iguanas can swim. These marine iguanas are found only on Galápagos and are predominantly black, although their color varies from island to island.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 1:36:14

Galápagos sea lions, Española, Galápagos, 13 July 2018

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 1:36:24

Marine iguana, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, 12 July 2018

Because giant tortoises no longer live on Bartholomé and Pinta, the scene in which Dr. Maturin measures multiple specimens must have been filmed elsewhere. I assume at the Charles Darwin Research Station on the island Santa Cruz where research is being done and breeding programs have been set up to prevent extinction. The Charles Darwin Foundation is also thanked in the ends credits. There are ten different species of the giant tortoise left, each belonging to an island. Five species are extinct.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 1:37:11

Giant tortoises, Charles Darwin Research Station,
Santa Cruz, Galápagos, 12 July 2018

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 1:37:14

Giant tortoises, Charles Darwin Research Station,
Santa Cruz, Galápagos, 12 July 2018

The scenes during which the island is being explored and Dr, Maturin discovers de Acheron are mainly shot on Bartolomé. Visitors are not allowed to leave the path, for that reason the third photo differs slightly from the camera angle as seen on the third screenshot.