TV MovieDramaHistory

Longitude

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

Release Date : 2000-01-02

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Granada ProductionsA+E Studios

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : John Harrison

Original Name : Michael Gambon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rupert Gould

Original Name : Jeremy Irons

Gender : Male

Character Name : William Harrison (Adult)

Original Name : Ian Hart

Gender : Male

Character Name : John Campbell

Original Name : Andrew Scott

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lord Sandwich

Original Name : Bill Nighy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Elizabeth Harrison

Original Name : Gemma Jones

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sir Edmund Halley

Original Name : John Wood

Gender : Male

Character Name : Muriel Gould

Original Name : Anna Chancellor

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lord Morton

Original Name : Brian Cox

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nevil Maskelyne

Original Name : Samuel West

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Bliss

Original Name : Ian McNeice

Gender : Male

Character Name : Adm. Sir Cloudsley Shovell

Original Name : Jonathan Coy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Capt. Ainsley

Original Name : Christopher Hodsol

Gender : Male

Character Name : William Harrison (Young)

Original Name : Liam Jennings

Gender : Male

Character Name : George Graham

Original Name : Peter Vaughan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sir Charles Pelham

Original Name : Nigel Davenport

Gender : Male

Character Name : Christopher Irwin

Original Name : Tim McInnerny

Gender : Male

Character Name : Capt. Proctor

Original Name : John Standing

Gender : Male

Character Name : Army Doctor

Original Name : Peter Cartwright

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sir Kenelm Digby

Original Name : Stephen Fry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Capt. Bourke

Original Name : Daragh O'Malley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lt. Draper

Original Name : Cliff Parisi

Gender : Male

Character Name : Waddington, Gould's solicitor

Original Name : Michael Cochrane

Gender : Male

Character Name : Halley's Secretary

Original Name : Tobias Menzies

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lt. Seward

Original Name : Charles Edwards

Gender : Male

Character Name : Capt. Lindsay

Original Name : Pip Torrens

Gender : Male

Character Name : Edmund Burke

Original Name : T. P. McKenna

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dodo Gould

Original Name : Barbara Leigh-Hunt

Gender : Female

Character Name : John Jefferies

Original Name : Peter-Hugo Daly

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Greene

Original Name : John Normington

Gender : Male

Character Name : King George

Original Name : Nicholas Rowe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Capt. Man

Original Name : Roger Lloyd Pack

Gender : Male

Character Name : Roger Wills

Original Name : Trevor Cooper

Gender : Male

Character Name : Grace Ingram

Original Name : Lucy Akhurst

Gender : Female

Character Name : Surgeon

Original Name : Peter Penry-Jones

Gender : Male

Character Name : Whiston

Original Name : Mark Tandy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Queen Charlotte

Original Name : Heike Makatsch

Gender : Female

Character Name : Arthur Mason

Original Name : William Thomas

Gender : Male

Reviews

Peter McGinn

@narrator56

2021-06-23

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.