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Longitude

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7.3/10 • 29

2000-01-023h 18m

TV MovieDramaHistory

Parallel stories: 18th century Harrison builds the marine chronometer for safe navigation at sea; 20th century Gould is obsessed with restoring it.

Directors
Charles Sturridge
Writters
Charles Sturridge
Editors
Peter Coulson

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Michael Gambon

    Michael Gambon

    John Harrison

  2. Jeremy Irons

    Jeremy Irons

    Rupert Gould

  3. Ian Hart

    Ian Hart

    William Harrison (Adult)

  4. Andrew Scott

    Andrew Scott

    John Campbell

  5. Bill Nighy

    Bill Nighy

    Lord Sandwich

  6. Gemma Jones

    Gemma Jones

    Elizabeth Harrison

  7. John Wood

    John Wood

    Sir Edmund Halley

  8. Anna Chancellor

    Anna Chancellor

    Muriel Gould

  9. Brian Cox

    Brian Cox

    Lord Morton

Reviews1

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Peter McGinn Avatar

Peter McGinn

Apr 2, 2020

7/10

I had known about this 3-hour long, two part made-for-tv movie for a long time, but it took me a while to get around to watching it. It is very well done, so that even though the dual plots move slowly and with a lot of detail, it kept my interest throughout. It is hard to believe what John Harrison went through all those years working on his clock to be used by sailors to help them know where they are even on the open sea. If Harrison had worked for decades in the hard sciences during a later era, I dare say he would have received a Nobel prize, for it seemed the monetary prize he was seeking from the hopelessly bureaucratic award committee gave him a rougher time than the Nobel committee and fellow scientists ever would have. In the other story thread that took place many years later, the Jeremy Irons character was on a similar Quixotic epic quest, and his marriage suffers even more. I found his plot slightly less interesting, if only because it seemed like the damage to his personal life was more self-inflicted, like perhaps he wouldn't have been a great husband in the best of times. One minor critique I have is that the stories could have paid more attention to the wives. We more or less lose sight of them after we are deep into the story, though they both make guest appearances here and there. I can't say I will be tempted to watch Longitude again in the future, but the writing and acting is strong enough for me to recommend it.

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd)inventorjamaicatime18th centurysailing shipgreenwich londonbritish sailorwatchmakerlongitudechronometertransit of venusroyal society