1492 - Conquest Of Paradise (Dir. Ridley Scott 1992): Gerard Depardieu plays Christopher Columbus in Ridley Scotts film about the humble explorer who chanced upon a new world while searching for an ocean route to Asia. Columbus faced much hardship on his daunting nautical voyage and once the fanfare of his discovery died down he was left to die in obscurity. This was one of three films about Columbus to hit the screens in 1992 the 500th anniversary of the original voyage. Master And Commander (Dir. Peter Weir 2003): Russell Crowe is Lucky Jack Aubrey the Navy's greatest fighting captain and Paul Bettany is ship's doctor Stephen Maturin. The ship the Surprise is suddenly attacked by a superior enemy. With the Surprise badly damaged and much of his crew injured Aubrey - the ""Master"" of the Surprise and ""Commander"" of his men - is torn between duty and friendship as he sets sail in a high-stakes chase across two oceans to the far side of the world to intercept and capture their foe. It's a mission that can decide the fate of a nation - or destroy Lucky Jack and his crew. The film is based on the narrative outline of the tenth book in Patrick O'Brien's legendary ""Aubrey/Maturin"" series of high seas novels about the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars.