Captain Cook: Obsession and Discovery is a docudrama which premiered in 2007.
This film is produced by three companies (Film Australia, Cook Films, and Fern Productions) and presented by Vanessa Collingridge.
There are four episodes.
Here are the headlines:
# 1. A Likely Lad
# 2. Taking Command
# 3. Beyond Speculation
# 4. Northwest Passage
Each episode runs for ca. 50 minutes. The total run time is ca. 200 minutes or 3 hours and 20 minutes.
[A short version of this film was aired on BBC in 2009. The four episodes were edited down to one episode of 57 minutes. The title is Captain Cook: The Man behind the Legend.
Obviously, many important and interesting details found in the original version are not mentioned in this short version of the film.]
Vanessa Collingridge (who was born in 1968) studied geography at Oxford University. After graduating from Hertford College, she worked as a television broadcaster and an author.
This film is based on her book Captain Cook: Obsession and Betrayal in the New World published by Ebury Press (Hardcover 2002) (Paperback 2003).
James Cook was born in 1728 and died in 1779.
Who was he?
The answer depends on the person who responds.
As Vanessa says at the beginning of the first episode:
“For some he is a hero, for others he is a villain.”
This film follows his life from the beginning to the end. Many facts and opinions are presented here. Some are presented by Vanessa, others by experts who are interviewed.
Once you have seen the film, you can make up your own mind about this man. Whether you think he is a hero or a villain, or both, there is no doubt that he was (and still is) an important person in the global history of the modern world, because he was an extraordinary navigator and cartographer.
The experts
As stated above, several experts are interviewed in this film. Some appear many times, while others appear only once or twice. Here are the names in the order of appearance:
The first group
** Cliff Thornton, President, Captain Cook Society
** Sophie Forgan, Captain Cook Memorial Museum, Whitby, UK
** Huw Lewis-Jones, University of Cambridge
** Andrew Lambert, King’s College, London
** Phillip Clayton Gore, UK Hydrographic Office
** Victor Suthren, naval historian, Canada
The second group
** John Gascoigne, University of New South Wales
** Steve Cafferty, Natural History Museum, UK
** Peter Stanley, National Museum of Australia
** Penelope Edmunds, University of Melbourne
** Robert Clancy, University of Newcastle, Australia
** Barney Tupara, lawyer, Gisborne, New Zealand
The third group
** Victor Walker, New Zealand
** John Maynard, Wollotuka School of Aboriginal Studies
** Eric Deeral, Cooktown, Australia
** John Robson, University of Waikato, New Zealand
** Ray & Teri Williams, Muchalath First Nation, Canada
** Gordon Kanakanui Kahawai Leslie, Hawaii
James Cook was born in Yorkshire. As a young man he joined the Royal British Navy. Before long, he was a ship’s master and later, he was promoted to be a captain in charge of three naval expeditions.
As a member of the Royal British Navy, James Cook sailed all over the world. In the beginning of his career, he spent several years in Canada (1758-1763).
This is where he developed his talent for making maps. He became a cartographer. Back in England, these talents were noted by his superiors and they allowed him to rise through the ranks.
At that time, most officers were given a high rank because of their family name; because they belonged to the aristocracy. But Cook came from a poor family; he was promoted because of his merits. This is the reason why he was appointed to lead three naval expeditions:
# 1 = 1768-1771
# 2 = 1772-1775
# 3 = 1776-1780
Cook was killed in Hawaii in 1779 during the third and final expedition.
He was unable to complete this expedition. The crew and his ship returned to England in 1780.
As stated above, this is a docudrama. There is a combination of three elements.
The first element: Vanessa is alone, Vanessa is with an expert, or an expert is alone.
The second element: there are images, perhaps a ship sailing the ocean, while Vanessa is speaking (but not seen). I think this is known as voice-over.
The third element: modern reconstruction of scenes from the 18th century. Modern actors perform a scene, but they do not talk, they merely show us what happened.
Cook sailed all over the world. In order to find out who he was, Vanessa must do the same. She begins by going to Yorkshire where he was born and grew up. Later she travels the world in order to follow his movements across the globe.
She goes to Canada, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, and Hawaii; everywhere she pinpoints the exact spot where Cook landed, and she meets with a local expert who can offer some useful information and, in some cases, an opinion about Cook.
Many topics are covered in this film. I cannot mention all of them here, but I can offer a few examples:
# 1. Family
From time to time, we hear about James Cook’s family. He was married to Elizabeth Batts (1742-1835); together they had six children. Husband and wife did not spend much time together, because James was often away for several years.
When James Cook was killed in Hawaii in 1779, the news about his death did not reach Elizabeth until the following year. She remained a widow for the rest of her life. When she died in 1835, she was more than 90 years old. She outlived all her children.
# 2. Maps
For obvious reasons, we hear about maps all the time. Old maps made before Cook are compared with maps made by Cook and with modern satellite photos. Cook’s maps are much better than the old maps and almost as good as modern satellite photos.
# 3. Longitude
In connection with the second expedition, we hear about the problems regarding longitude. How to find your east-west position when you are at sea and there is no land in sight. The brilliant English clock-maker John Harrison (1793-1776) is mentioned.
On his second expedition, Cook carried one of Harrison’s clocks with him in order to test its reliability. At first, Cook was skeptical. Having tested it, he had to change his mind: the clock was performing very well.
# 4. Care and concern
Cook was very concerned with the safety and health of his men. For obvious reasons, this topic is mentioned frequently. Before an expedition, he would check the ship, the equipment, and the provisions that were needed.
During an expedition, he would do all he could to protect the lives of his men. Scurvy was a serious problem at the time. Cook had his crew eat sauerkraut to prevent the outbreak of scurvy. This food was not delicious, but it worked.
# 5. Character
Who is James Cook? A hero or a villain? It seems there are two sides to his personality.
The good side was dominant in the early years of his career. He was meticulous with his work as a cartographer. As a captain he was demanding but fair. His crew obeyed him, because they respected him. Whenever there was a problem, he would often find a diplomatic solution.
The bad side began to appear and to dominate towards the end of his life. He had frequent mood swings. As captain, he was impatient and inconsistent. Whenever there was a problem, he would often resort to violence. Now his crew obeyed him, because they feared him.
The positive and the negative
As a presenter, Vanessa is very professional. She is committed, dedicated and enthusiastic. Her presentation is supported by the numerous experts which appear from to time. It does not hurt that the camerawork is excellent.
Vanessa gives us the facts, the positive as well as the negative. While she is fascinated with Cook, she is not trying to portray him as a saint while sweeping inconvenient evidence under the carpet.
As far as I can see, this film has only two minor flaws:
# 1. Vanessa speaks a peculiar English dialect. Whenever she mentions the name of the main character, she does say not COOK, she says KERK!
Obviously, this name is mentioned about a hundred times. I do not understand why no member of the film crew told her to correct her pronunciation of this name.
# 2. Vanessa has discovered an ancestor, who claimed that Australia was not discovered by Cook but by the Portuguese. This distant relative is not relevant.
Why not?
Because this is a film about James Cook and the role he played
in the history of the modern world. This is not a film about Vanessa and her
ancestors. Fortunately, this irrelevant topic is only mentioned once.
Conclusion
James Cook was a man of his times. He worked for the British Royal Navy and served the interests of this navy. He was not only an explorer who wanted to learn about the new world. He was also looking for new territory which he could claim for Britain.
When he claimed New Zealand and New South Wales for Britain, his government called him a hero.
The indigenous populations in these lands paid the price. For them, he was a villain.
This controversy is explained very well in the film.
As a cartographer, as a navigator, Cook must be described as extraordinary, no matter what we think about him as an explorer.
In this film, Vanessa and the experts present a solid and comprehensive portrait of James Cook. For this reason, it is highly recommended.
If you are interested in the history of the modern world - in particular the question of cartography, navigation and exploration - this film is definitely something for you.
PS # 1. For more information about John Harrison and his clocks, see the docudrama Longitude (released on DVD in 2007) and the book Finding Longitude (2014).
PS # 2. Obviously, there are many books about James Cook and his expeditions. Here are a few examples:
The Life of Captain James Cook
by John Cawte Beaglehole
First published 1974, reprinted 1992
This author lived 1901-1971. The manuscript was prepared for publication by his son Tim. The book was published posthumously.
Captain James Cook: A Biography
by Richard Hough
First published 1994, reprinted 2003
This author lived 1922-1999
Captain Cook: Voyager between Worlds
by John Gascoigne
(Hardcover 2007)
(Paperback 2008).
The author is one of the experts in the film
Cook: From Sailor to Legend
by Rob Mundle
(Hardcover 2013)
(Paperback 2014)
*****
Captain Cook:
Obsession and Betrayal
in the New World
by Vanessa Collingridge
(Hardcover 2002)
(Paperback 2003)
*****
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