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Article: A Gripping Yarn Adrift at Sea on A&E; 'Longitude' Encompasses Too Long a Tale
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- July 8, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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John Harrison's bitter victory is such a crackling good yarn that
not even the dunderheads of television movieland can ruin it.
Though God knows they tried.
Unless you're a sailor, you may not know about Harrison. He was a
small-town carpenter in 18th-century England. He was also a wizard.
He devised a cunning little mound of machinery that first made it
possible for sailors a thousand miles from shore to know their
position.
"Longitude," a tricked-up version of the story made for A&E
Network, airs tomorrow at 8 p.m. The ponderous four-hour movie is
based on the jewel-like, 176-page book "Longitude: The True Story of
a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His
Time," by ...