Morning Light is a documentary about a team of young sailors competing in the 2007 Transpacific Yacht Race wherein dozens of boats arranged in divisions according to size compete to see who can make the crossing from Los Angeles to Hawaii fastest. This is a haul of over 2200 miles in a straight line, which course, we are told, cannot even be taken because of a permanent high pressure region in the middle of the Pacific that would bring boats dependent entirely on the wind to a halt. Even in customized ultra-light sailing ships with expert crews, a winning time is usually around ten days. And if somebody gets hurt or sick, or a sail or winch tears or breaks, you better have the equipment and know-how to take care of it yourself, literally a thousand miles from anywhere.
For all those reasons, TransPac is considered the major leagues of yacht racing, comparable with the America's Cup. Roy Disney (Walt's nephew), casting about for something to do with his piles of money, first ran the transit in 1975 and now holds two titles. For this past sailing of the race, in addition to his own entry, Disney decided to sponsor a youth team in the 17 meter class to give them an entree into the sport that he wished he had had 50 years previously. He assembled a team of advisors and coaches, and then invited sailing-interested young adults ages 18-23 from all over the country to apply. They winnowed the results down to 30 candidates whom they flew to Long Beach for in-person tryouts, and finally selected 15 to comprise the team of 11 sailors and four alternates.
The movie opens with the selected few doing sea-rescue and safety training in the waters off Maui, and going on training runs of increasingly greater lengths in their custom made 51-foot racing yacht, Morning Light. There is a survivor-like episode where the teammates select a skipper who in turn selects the other ten people who are actually going to be on the boat with him. The main competition is introduced, a yachting team named Samba Pa Ti sailing on an similarly tricked-out boat but with a crew comprised of professional sailors who, like most of the other teams, average at least 20 years more experience than the "kids" on Morning Light.
Finally departure day arrives and Morning and her competitors head off abreast of a strong westward breeze. Will they go north or south around the high-pressure dead zone, and will they make the decision in time? Will they be competitive in the race, and even, possibly, stare down their elderly antagonists on Samba? Will they even finish the trip with everyone intact? Buy, rent, or otherwise acquire the Blu-ray to find out!
The movie is subtitled 'a true-life documentary', the redundancy of which raises a question. Documentaries have a special interest that no fictional production can match, but just as with reality TV, one is moved to wonder just how "true-life" this production was really allowed to be. The clean-cut Disney influence is in force throughout and the cast is for the most part a well-scrubbed bunch of upper-middle-class-and-up WASPy types taking a break from Harvard, Stanford, and service academies, with the exception of one plucky guy from inner-city Baltimore. Not a hint of impropriety is displayed amongst these college-aged coeds living far from home for weeks, except for one guy spotted with a can of Tecate as he awaits the results of a selection meeting. Judging by this film, "swearing like a sailor" is the most baseless saying ever- the strongest language ever heard is one of the sailors asking if the team is "f'ed" because of a lull, and he then has to repeat himself because no one understands what he said. But then, some degree of experience was required to apply, and who gets involved in yachting to begin with?
Presentation: The Disney backing obviously means they were able to get a high-level production crew, who do a great job capturing the gorgeous scenery abounding at locations like Diamond Head, Molokai, and the vast open sea glimmering like a dragon's hoard in the, well, morning light. There was one member of the camera crew, a sailor himself, who made the voyage on board with them, and he does an excellent job catching the moments of frenzied action on board, as well as the quieter contemplative moments where there is nothing to do but watch the sunset on deck and wait to see if the wind will come up. The Hi-Def 1080p reproduction on the Blu-ray does full justice to the footage gathered. The soundtrack is in crisp Dolby 5.1 HDS and reproduces the hiss of the waves against the hull with fidelity while also making conversations clear even when shouted across the deck in a high wind. A second audio soundtrack was made in French and subtitles are available in both languages and Spanish.
Extras: Just two lengthy ones, both revealing the Disney influence as one of the cast members from Hannah Montana introduces a series of "Stories from the Sea" examining aspects of production and the race in greater detail, and the ESPN-produced "Making the Cut", which was an hour-long special about the selection process that aired on that network in a sterling example of corporate incest, er, synergy.
Overall, a worthwhile disc to check out, though obviously more inviting for sailing enthusiasts or those who simply like the romance of the open sea. ComicsOnline gives Morning Light 3 out of 5 kites unfurled to the wind.
Rated PG, though where the 'P' came from, I don't know. 98 min.
