The story wasn't about the French ship...it was about the pursuit of the =
French ship...

Actually, in the first two drafts of the script, it's the other way around. The
French ship is ALWAYS in pursuit of them and he only means to use that pursuit
against them. The method of the conflict is so poorly written that they made
changes WHILE shooting to change it and then again so it would be somewhat
clear. These were not minor changes. Bad screenwriting defined.
Peter Wier directed two very fine films in Witness and Fearless, showing that
he could rise above the predictable pandering pomposity of a movie like Dead
Poets Society.

RB