Plot
In the perilous waters of the 18th century, British fleets were at the mercy of the unyielding sea and the capricious stars. A navigational error, originating from inaccurate longitude estimation, led to disaster off the Scilly Isles, prompting Parliament to set a bounty of twenty thousand pounds sterling. This enticing prize was for anyone who could accurately determine longitude at sea - a puzzle yet to be solved, and the key to unlocking safer maritime voyages from Europe to the West Indies and the Americas.
Enter John Harrison (Sir Michael Gambon), a humble carpenter with a passion for clock-making. He embarks on a quest to construct a maritime clock - a chronometer - precise enough to hold the rhythm of Greenwich time against the untamed sway of the ocean. His ingenious solution lies in comparing this steadfast timepiece to the local time gleaned from the sun's position, thereby calculating the elusive longitude.
But Harrison's journey is far from smooth sailing. His remarkable timepieces, wonders of their age, face the skepticism of the Board of Longitude. The reward looms tantalisingly out of reach as he battles bias, requiring multiple experiments and countless years before his groundbreaking achievement is finally acknowledged.
Parallel to this tale of determination unfolds the story of Rupert Gould (Jeremy Irons), a man living in the aftermath of World War I. He stumbles upon some of Harrison's original timepieces, setting in motion a hobby that rapidly spirals into a consuming obsession. The restoration of these historical masterpieces becomes a race against time itself, threatening to shatter Gould's life even as it resurrects the forgotten legacy of a carpenter-turned-clockmaker.
In its heart, "Longitude" is an enthralling chronicle of human resilience, relentless pursuit of precision, and the timeless dance between man, sea, and stars. It echoes with the ticking of a clock, a pulse that spans centuries, binding two men in their shared obsession with the enigmatic mystery of measuring time and space.
Where to watch Longitude?
Longitude is a drama movie featuring Jonathan Coy.