My next winter movie is also a documentary – Captain Cook: Obsession and Discovery,
featuring British historian, Vanessa Collingridge. She became intrigued with
Captain James Cook after learning that his wife, Elizabeth, burned all his
letters when she was in her 90s. This sent her on a quest to learn more about
Cook, and the woman who captained their home. Were they hiding some secret?
The documentary traces Cook's roots as a boy on the moors of
Yorkshire, England; to his education, paid for by the Lord of the Manor who
recognized his potential; to his days sailing coal schooners in the North Sea;
to becoming an able seaman in the Royal Navy in London. He served five years in
Quebec, Canada starting in 1756, during the war between Britain and France.
Upon his return home, he married Elizabeth, who was the daughter of a tavern
keeper on the water front. He sought a commission for a ship, even though he
was not a gentleman and lacked money or connections.
He finally obtained his first assignment on the HMS Endeavor in 1768, and began his
three-year journey to view the Transept of Venus, and circumnavigate the
Southern Hemisphere (this is the journey on which our botanists Sir Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander sailed, along with their scientific crew). Cook was a
thorough and precise map maker (sometimes to the distress of his crew), and
used the latest technology to create his charts. Cook made two subsequent
journeys - back to the Southern Hemisphere, and then North to seek the
Northwest Passage. On the journey home from exploring coastal Alaska in 1779, Captain
Cook was killed by natives in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii). Throughout the
film, Collingridge explores the man – the genius and obsession.
I was especially intrigued how Cook embraced the new
navigational technology of his day. He encountered the plane table survey while
serving in Canada, and grasped how triangulation could change navigation. Later
he embraced the chronometer used to identify longitude. Together, these tools
helped Cook create some of the most accurate maps that had ever been made. His
officers continued this legacy as excellent navigators and map makers.
I was also intrigued how many of Cook's attitudes were ahead
of his time. He insisted that his crew eat sauerkraut to avoid scurvy, even if
the science behind it was not yet understood. He led by example and used
psychology, rather than automatically resorting flogging. He appreciated the
indigenous populations they encountered, and was impressed with the Polynesian navigators.
He was disciplined, but understood the human nature of his crew. Collingridge
does not solve the mystery of why Elizabeth burned their letters, but I did
develop an appreciation of her strength, which matched Cook's own. Perhaps they
were both just very private people.
This series may not be for everyone, but I enjoyed watching
it to round out my understanding of the plant explorers of the 1700s and their
world. You can rent or buy the DVD, or see the series on YouTube:
- Captain Cook: Obsession and Discovery - A Likely Lad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4VZi-fhSlQ
- Captain Cook: Obsession and Discovery - Taking Command: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y9-5NZ2AfY
- Captain Cook: Obsession and Discovery - Beyond Speculation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rof6vBMUKu4
- Captain Cook: Obsession and Discovery - Northwest Passage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYrpUMl7-TQ
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