I agree with most of the comments: story, acting, directing, cinematography - everything is extraordinary in this wonderful movie. One thing that I should add is that it is not often that an adaptation turns out richer, deeper and simply more exciting than the book it is based on. With Longitude it is exactly the case. I first read Dava Sobel's Longitude for my History of Science class many years ago. Albeit little dull at times, overall I liked it, it was a nice piece and time well spent. It was a story of the life-time work and struggle of John Harrison, the inventor of the first precise marine chronometer which allowed to solve the problem of finding longitude at sea. The movie however is much more complex and profound. What makes the it richer than the book is that there is not one but two parallel story lines. There is that of Harrison and there is also the story of Rupert Gould, the man who restored Harrison's machines in the first half of the 20th century, almost 200 hundred years after their creation. In the book, Gould is mentioned only accidentally in one of the last chapters. In the movie however, Gould is one of the two protagonists. As we learn from the Behind the Scenes, this was the idea of the director Charles Sturridge. A most brilliant idea, I should say.

All great stories deal with conflict and overcoming difficulties. The vast majority of films that are produced thesedays feature heros who triumph based on who is a bigger bad ass or has got the biggest guns or bombs. Here is a film that has virtually no 'action' other than a few cannons fired and a lashing or two during the parts at sea, but is filled with the sort of tension and drama that keeps the viewer constantly involved.If you enjoy intelligent movies, then you should definitely seek this film out. It sounds dreadfully boring if you read the plot summary, but it isn't. It is wonderfully written and produced and contains much light humor as well, making it truly entertaining.One film that it reminded me of is "Master and Commander" because of the similar scenes of the British navy and the theme of the struggle of science and progress in the face of war and politics with intelligence and perseverance winning out in the end.The interwoven story of Rupert Gould is just as interesting and provides an artistic counterpoint to the main story. Again, we have the story of a man who continues with his work in spite of numerous obstacles of the most serious magnitude because he knows that the world will be a better place as a result of that work.The film is long and you should wait until you have enough time to sit down and watch it through to the end because once you begin you will have difficulty turning it off.

Being a big fan of Dava Sobel's bestselling book, I wondered how this intricate and, on the face of it, not particularly exciting story would translate to the screen.For the most part, director Sturridge has succeeded and with a sterling cast headed by Michael Gambon, Ian Hart, et al, really brought the race to resolve the longitude problem to brilliant life.Unfortunately, for me, the overall effect was disastrously marred by the framework narrative involving Jeremy Irons, which did not really add to the central drama. Every time Irons with his haughty-taughty constipated look appeared, I found myself counting the minutes until we were back in the thick of the real action and the real story involving Gambon.Nevertheless, this was a really accomplished production. Maybe when they repeat it or release it on video they could whittle it down to the bare necessities of the story and leave Irons on the cutting room floor.7/10

*Possible spoilers follow*I had the pleasure of viewing Longitude on A & E last night after finding my self intrigued by the ads they had run during the day. Prior to seeing it, I must confess that I had been ignorant of the struggles of John Harrison or Dava Sobel's chronicle of them. Even though I was initially dismayed that the film appeared to be a British costume drama I decided to give it a chance. I am thankful I did, because I was absolutely engrossed after no more than thirty minutes. The overall premise is man's quest to determine an accurate method of determining his longitude to navigate the seas more safely. This hook is presented right at the beginning of the film and the title of the film is explained. As we will see later in the film, this problem is not easily solved. In this day and age of satellite GPS we find it amazing that such a great effort was undertaken to obtain information we take for granted on a daily basis. What makes the film work is that we experience this epic quest from two extremely intense personal struggles. Michael Gambon does not become John Harrison...Gambon IS Harrison! In this life, I will be privileged to view another performance as convincing as Gambon's. The net effect of this is to communicate Harrison's passion for solving the longitude problem and create great empathy within the viewer. However, what truly elevates "Longitude" as a film is the segues to and from the struggles of Rupert Gould, a brilliant man who became obsessed with the restoration and preservation of the Harrison chronometers in the first half of this century. Jeremy Irons' portrayal of Gould is nearly a match of Gambon's. Gould is presented as a kindred spirit to Harrison, and the interweave of both men's tales is deftly handled. Their triumphs and failures are layered upon one another, and this only serves to heighten the emotion evoked by the film. Believe me, emotion is evoked in spades as we see Harrison and Gould question their capabilities as engineers and scientists, whether or not the pursuit of their dreams is worth the opposition of the establishment, and if those same dreams are worth the sacrifice of their interpersonal relationships. There are several moving moments between Harrison and his faithful son William who is also magnificently played by Ian Hart. These personal struggles and triumphs are what drive the film and make the story of the solution to the longitude problem so compelling. "Longitude" is an utterly magnificent achievement of filmed entertainment that enlightens and moves the viewer with its epic yet intimate portrayal of a man attempting to solve a problem we find simple today but was considered the greatest scientific quandary of its time.