Captain Jack (DVD)

Captain Jack (DVD) ... released 11 February, 2002 at Cinema Club / Features of the DVD: PAL, Widescreen / Based loosely on a true story, Captain Jack is an Ealing-style whimsical comedy-drama about the triumph of everyday eccentrics. Captain Jack (Bob Hoskins) is a Whitby boat captain sick of hearing how the he wants to celebrate his predecessor's "discovery" of the Arctic by recreating his voyage on its 200th anniversary. Jack breaks harbour regulations and finds himself on the run from the Coastguard and Navy, accompanied by a crew of landlubbers including sisters played by Anna Massey and Gemma Jones. Sadie Frost is a passionate young stowaway who has her eye on Aussie Peter McDonald, while making up the party is David Troughton. Back on shore there are entertaining supporting roles for Patrick Malahide, Michelle Dotrice and Maureen Lipman, wife of writer Jack Rosenthal. Rosenthal screenplay isn't especially amusing, but he does manage to pack in all the expected feel-good developments, as well as including appropriate Dracula (1979) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) jokes. There's a whale, a pair of polar bears, a storm, lots of bonding and a gruff but warm-hearted sensibility throughout. Another winning piece of entertainment from Yorkshire, the county that gave the world The Full Monty. On the DVD: the only extra is a terribly British trailer, presented non-anamorphically. The main feature however is presented in an excellent 1.77:1 anamorphically enhanced widescreen transfer. The picture is crisp and detailed, with not a blemish anywhere. The stereo sound is everything this kind of film needs without being in anyway spectacular. --Gary S Dalkin