The passion for sailing is inherent in the human soul, since since the most remote times of antiquity man has used this means to cross the sea and travel, discover, explore. Navigation, therefore, is part of our culture even if we are not fully aware of it; its references flow within us as something that naturally belongs to us. Who has never sailed, at school, on the boat of Odysseus through the Mediterranean experiencing incredible adventures and visiting breathtaking places? The sea is a fundamental element for the life and cultural references of the human being, traveling on it is an essential instinct.
From books to movies, images of sea trips
Thanks to the films, the power of sea images becomes tangible and no longer just left to the imagination of the reader. The sea takes shape and color in a decisive way and sailing it becomes an uncontrollable desire. Although lately there are more and more productions of films and docu films based on real experiences of navigation, mostly solo related to participation in races of international fame: among these are:
- Coyote, who tells the story of Mike Plant perhaps the most famous solo sailor ever
- The mystery of Donald C, with Colin Firth, narrating the attempt of amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst to win the prestigious Golden Globe Race solo race that involves circumnavigating the globe without stopover and without assistance.
- All is lost - All is lost, a 2013 film starring only Robert Redford who describes almost without words the life of a man alone with his boat and the sea that surrounds him.
The great sailing ships that have made the history of sailing films
However, it is the great action films that have shaped our minds with the most intense images of the relationship between man and sailing. Legendary films such as Master & Commander - The Sea’s Edge, released in 2003 and starring a capital Russel Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey. The challenges and the breathtaking fighting between the frigate of the Royal British Navy Surprise and the French privateer Acheron are perhaps among the most beautiful shots shot on the seas with many sails in the wind. The plot takes place during the Napoleonic Wars, in the early nineteenth century.
The same setting of only a younger century concerns, instead, the most famous saga in the world for seafaring and pirate enterprises: We are obviously talking about the 5 films so far dedicated to the famous Pirates of the Caribbean with the magnificent trio of the protagonists consisting of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Deep) Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley).
Probably there is no person who has not seen, albeit in passing, at least one of the films with the famous vessel of the Black Pearl and its vicissitudes around the five seas (and not only). Let yourself be captivated again by the passion for the waves lifted by the hulls when they cut the waters and get ready to sail again for a cruise all to yourself.
