Easy Master and Commander Quiz | 10 Questions | Movies

Answer: Napolean Bonaparte

You've probably heard of Napolean Bonaparte. You might already know he was born on the island of Corsica. You might not know that he changed his name from Napoleone di Buonaparte. At the time of his birth, Corsica belonged to the Republic of Genoa (in Italy). A year later, France gained possession of the island. Napoleone di Buonaparte later changed his name to Napolean Bonaparte, a more French sounding name. He rose to the rank of general in the French Army prior to the Revolution, served the Republic as First Counsel, and in 1804, crowned himself Emperor.

Although Britain had a powerful navy in 1805, France and her allies controlled the majority of continental Europe.

King George III became king of Great Britain in 1760. He died in 1820. He was plagued with mental illness the latter part of his life and, beginning in 1811, the Prince of Wales acted as Regent for the remainder of his father's life. We in the U.S.A. might remember George III best as the man from whom we won our independence.

Admiral Horatio Nelson was Britain's most honored naval officer of the time. He was referenced several times during the movie. Lord Nelson died in October, 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón, generally referred to as Santa Anna, was a Mexican political and military leader. Napoleon proclaimed himself Emperor of France. Santa Anna proclaimed himself "The Napoleon of the West".

Answer: Jack Aubrey

Jack Aubrey was Captain of the British frigate in the movie. The nickname "Lucky Jack" was a result of Captain Aubrey's propensity to be in the right place at the right time, to win battles and, if necessary, narrowly escape disaster. It wasn't all luck, as he was an excellent seaman and an inspirational commander.

Captain Jack Sparrow was another fictional sea captain you might know from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.

Acheron was the name of the French privateer Lucky Jack was sent to stop.

Jackson Scholz, the New York Thunderbolt, was an American Olympic sprinter in the early 1900s. You might remember him racing Harold Abrahams in the movie "Chariots of Fire".

Answer: Jonah, because he brought bad luck to the ship

We would be hard pressed to find a group of people more superstitious than sailors in the age of sail. Poor Mr. Hollom didn't seem to have what it took to be an officer, having failed to pass the test several times. His attempts to get the crew to like him only backfired, resulting in a lack of respect for his authority.

It seemed to the crew that any time anything bad happened on the ship, Mr. Hollom was on watch. Eventually, even Hollom believed the superstition, and took his own life in order to save the ship.

Answer: HMS Surprise

We were told the name of the ship at the beginning of the movie. It was mentioned again at the conclusion of the Captain's pep talk prior to luring the Acheron into their trap. Lucky Jack reminded his crew with a play on words that "Surprise is on our side."

Nelson was the name of the highly revered Admiral who commanded the British fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar was the HMS Victory.

The USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) was a U.S. Navy frigate.

Both the HMS Victory and the USS Constitution are still in service and can be toured in London and Boston, respectively. The Constitution was used by the special effects crew of this movie, as a model for the French Privateer ship, the Acheron.

Answer: His arm

Blakeney's arm had to be amputated due to wounds received in battle. There are many who are under the impression that 19th century surgeons tended to be too quick to amputate rather than try to save an injured limb. However, the theory that germs caused disease didn't take hold until the latter half of that century, and the development of antibiotics was still almost a century away from that. Without a doubt, most amputees would have died from sepsis had the affected limb not been quickly removed.

In a moving scene from the movie, the Captain came to check on the welfare of the midshipman, who was the son of an old friend. The Captain presented Blakeney with a book, a biography of Lord Nelson. The boy opened the book to see a portrait of England's greatest sailor with his empty sleeve pinned to the breast of his coat.

The midshipman in question was played by actor Max Pirkis, whom you might also remember as young Ocatvian from the first season of "Rome", a joint production of HBO and BBC. I could hardly believe he had grown so much in such a short period.

As for losing ones marbles, that's another quiz for another movie.

Answer: They were both from Ireland.

In the movie we learned that the captain invited his friend, the doctor, to become part of the ship's company. We also saw them playing stringed instruments together in the captain's cabin. When the doctor and Lord Blakeney were explaining what a phasmid was, the concept of disguising his ship in a similar fashion appealed to the captain. The disguise enabled him to lure the French ship into a trap.

During an argument, the captain accused the doctor of thinking like an Irishman, to which the doctor replied "I am an Irishman." This implied the captain was not Irish, and nothing was presented in the movie to indicate otherwise.

Answer: Captain Howard

Captain Howard, who commanded the detachment of Marines on the HMS Surprise, was attempting to shoot a bird flying close to the ship. He accidentally shot the doctor, who was trying to get a closer look at the bird.

It was a common practice for marksmen (usually marines) to be stationed in the higher parts of the ship during battle so when two enemy ships closed on one another, the marksmen could fire down onto the decks of the enemy ship. This was how Admiral Nelson was killed at Trafalgar.

Answer: "We do not have time for your ... hobbies, sir!"

Resigned to the fact he was not going to catch the French ship, the captain promised the doctor they would be staying there long enough for him to explore the islands. As soon as they rescued the English whalers and were presented with fresh information, the plans changed. The doctor felt the captain didn't appreciate the significance of the opportunity to explore the islands. He felt the captain broke a promise. To the captain, of course, the military mission should come first.

"England expects that every man will do his duty" was the message sent by Nelson to the fleet prior to the Battle of Trafalgar.

Stephen's reason for wanting to stay didn't involve him meeting a local girl, though that has been the undoing of many a sailor both in fiction and real life.

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" is a memorable line from my favorite movie, "Casablanca".

Answer: The French Captain

The French captain deceived Jack into thinking he was a doctor and that the captain was dead. He then gave Jack the captain's sword, to symbolize the surrender of the ship, stating he was acting on orders given to him by the dying captain. Jack learned later that the French doctor had died before the battle, and the man surrendering the sword must have been the captain.

To Stephen's consternation, the HMS Surprise was once again diverted away from the Galapagos Islands and in pursuit of the Acheron. Though it wasn't explained in the movie, the presence of the French captain on the Acheron could have presented a threat to the unsuspecting British prize crew.

Answer: Best Actress in a Leading Role

Don't you hate it when movie quizzes include questions not related to the plot? However, this question is. The only women in this movie were indigenous people without speaking roles in canoes coming out to meet the ship somewhere in South America. Therefore, one could conclude there were no leading ladies in the cast eligible to be nominated.

"Master and Commander" was released the same year as "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", which won all eleven awards for which it was nominated. "Master and Commander" won two awards, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Cinematography. Lucky for them "Return of the King" wasn't nominated for those awards, too.