Pretty good sailing movies.
I agree with the selection of 'Wind' as a great sailing movie. I categorize a 'good sailing movie' by its attention to accuracy and completeness of sailing details whilst still not getting too bogged-down in the esoteric. 'Wind' has everything, including a low-key cast more focused on the story line than their own stardom. An example of a good sailing movie but with an awful plot line is 'Message in a Bottle.' You can take or leave Costner, but his character's devotion to his boat is authentic and credible, and the actor really did the sailing himself. The sappy, tragically romantic Hemingwayesque ending makes me want to vomit on 'Papa's' grave. There is another one called 'Midnight Crossing' including Faye Dunaway as the cheated-upon, half-blind wife of a true scoundrel played by Daniel Travanti. The plot is pretty implausible but relies upon the limitations (and assets) of the confines of a yacht at sea. 'Dove' is wonderful, but we have to remember that the film deviates from reality so credibly that most people mistake the film for the true story. Graham's boat was a 1960 Lapworth 24, not a Ranger 23 designed 6 years after he departed Long Beach. He did not set fire to the interior out of desperation, he just cast himself adrift. And we all know he changed boats in the BVI-- because of fears the plywood deck of the Lapworth 24 would collapse in a storm. Even so, as if 1995 the original Dove was still at Tortola where he left it. As a last thought, I thought 'Far Side of the World' was absolutely awful. There was no progress on the plot and no ending. Give me A-and-E's accurate and well-acted 'Horatio Hornblower' series (and know that my late father relished each and every one of those books) any time! JC 2
I still haven't been able to find out where he got that on the web