Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.

Plot synopsis:
In 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars, British Royal Navy Captain Horatio Hornblower (Gregory Peck) commands the 38-gun frigate HMS Lydia on a lengthy secret mission to Central America. He is to provide arms and support to a megalomaniac named Don Julian Alvarado, who is calling himself "El Supremo" ("The Almighty") (Alec Mango), in his rebellion against Spain, an ally of Britain's enemy France. As Hornblower observes to First Lieutenant Bush (Robert Beatty), "War breeds strange allies".
Upon his arrival, Hornblower is told that a larger, much more powerful Spanish warship, the 60-gun Natividad, has been sighted. When it anchors nearby, Hornblower and his crew board and capture it in a surprise nighttime attack. He then reluctantly hands the ship over to Alvarado to appease the madman, and they go their separate ways.
Later, he encounters a small Spanish vessel and learns that Spain has switched sides, so the Lydia will have to attack the Natividad again. Two passengers transfer to the Lydia (over Hornblower's objections): Lady Barbara Wellesley (Virginia Mayo) and her maid, fleeing a yellow fever epidemic. As Lady Barbara is the (fictitious) sister of the Duke of Wellington (an anachronism, as the title was created in 1814 and he would have been Sir Arthur Wellesley at this time), Hornblower is in no position to refuse her request for passage to England.
Using superior seamanship and masterful tactics, Hornblower sinks the more powerful Natividad, and when the ship's surgeon is killed in the battle, Lady Barbara insists on helping by nursing the wounded. When she later falls gravely ill, Hornblower nurses her back to health. On the voyage back to England, they fall in love. However, when she makes advances (although she is engaged), Hornblower informs her he is married.
After arriving home, Hornblower learns that his wife has died in childbirth, leaving him an infant son. He is given command of the Sutherland, a 74-gun ship of the line captured from the French, and is assigned to a squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Leighton (Denis O'Dea), Lady Barbara's new husband. The squadron's mission is to help enforce the British blockade against Napoleonic France.
At a conference on Leighton's flagship, Hornblower learns that four French ships of the line have broken the blockade. Leighton assumes they will make for the Mediterranean, but Hornblower suggests that they mean to support Napoleon's campaign on the Iberian Peninsula.
Leighton decides to cover both possibilities by detaching one ship to patrol the French coast. When he learns that Hornblower's Sutherland is best suited for this task, having the shallowest draught, he becomes suspicious that Hornblower is after glory and prize money. Leighton therefore expressly forbids Hornblower from taking any independent action if he sights the French.
Hornblower's French-built ship is subsequently mistaken for a friendly vessel by a small French brig, which flies the enemy's recognition signal for the day. After capturing the vessel, Hornblower learns from interrogating its captain that he was transporting army supplies to the four warships for use in Spain. Rather than return to the squadron, Hornblower sends the brig back with a prize crew and the news.
He enters the enemy harbour where the French ships are anchored and guarded by a well-armed fort. By flying a French flag and the recognition signal and taking advantage of the appearance of his ship's French design, Hornblower fools the garrison into believing that the Sutherland is friendly. His gun crews dismast all four enemy ships before French cannon fire forces the British to abandon the Sutherland. Hornblower scuttles his ship in the channel, bottling up the French ships.
As the rest of the British squadron arrives to complete the job, Hornblower and Bush, accompanied by seaman Quist (James Robertson Justice), are taken by carriage to Paris to be tried for piracy. However, they manage to escape en route and make their way to the port of Nantes. Disguised as Dutch officers, they board The Witch of Endor, a captured British ship. They overpower the skeleton crew, free a working party of British prisoners of war to man her, and sail away to freedom.
Hornblower is hailed as a national hero, and learns that Leighton was killed in the battle. Hornblower returns home to visit his young son and finds Lady Barbara there. The two embrace.

Tags: violence, action, historical fiction

Review:
To his credit and well placed among his best work is the sea epic " Captain Horatio Hornblower." This story comes from the fertile and imaginative mind of novelist C.
In this particular movie, we have legendary actor Gregory Peck playing the gallant and dashing swashbuckler aboard His Majestys' ship Lydia, Her secret mission is placed in the mists of the Napoleonic wars, charged to deliver guns and ammunition to a pint-size delusional dictator Don Julian Alvarado (Alec Mango) who greets him as a ally but later becomes a belligerent adversary.
Together, with James Justice as 'Seaman Quist' they spend five years on the high seas, braving hunger, thirst and war time experiences, including saving beautiful Lady Barbara Wellesley (Virginia Mayo).
This film has a great story  (C.S.Forester wrote the script from his novels), solid lead acting from Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo as the romantic interest, super supporting cast, and that beautiful '50s technicolor!
Captain Horatio Hornblower(Gregory Peck) is a stern 19th-century seafarer during the Napoleonic wars.
Peck, in one of his best performances, plays the lead role to perfection in every way, right down to Hornblower's trademark "Ha - h'm."  Mayo is well cast as Lady Barbara (the Duke of Wellington's sister) who manages to get under Hornblower's skin with the help of Cupid's arrows.
This film deftly blends an array of fine performances, excellent camerawork, beautiful scenery, Robert Farnon's spirited musical score, and well- choreographed ship battle sequences into a brilliant work of art that will leave audiences - and fans of Forester's series - wanting to see it again.
This film is not frequently shown in  Spanish television,but even with a clumsy Spanish dubbing-in which our heroic Hornblower changes his voice two times!one can see why it must be considered  a classic of entertainment-Gregory Peck in  his best  years,ships, troubled romance,heroic sacrifice, the very Forester behind, and even a baby!And for me,its an extra pleasure checking a very young Christopher Lee trying to speak Spanish.
This is a breathtaking and handsomely story full of remarkable adventures , being adapted from C.S. Forester novel , a much successful seafaring writer.Set during the Napoleonic wars, this movie takes place from 1807 to 1808.
As British Navy Captain Horatio Hornblower (Gregory Peck) aboard along with the ship Lieutenant William Bush (Robert Beatty) , 2nd Lt. Gerard (as Terence Morgan) , Midshipman Longley (James Kenney) , and Seaman Quist (James Robertson Justice) , all of them have adventures in Central American waters .
This rousing adventure/war movie is packed with action , loving drama with interesting human relations, thrills , and impressive maritime battles.
The naval battle sequences are quite good , the movie is well developed because it gets to know the seamen who are locked aboard the narrow quarters of a three-masted frigate HMS and how they relationship everyday .Groundbreaking special effects with splendid scale-model ships and to save costs, the "Hispaniola" from Treasure island (1950) was re-used and renamed "Lydia .
Support cast is pretty good , such as Robert Beatty , Terence Morgan , Christopher Lee , James Robertson Justice , Stanley Baker , Dennis O'Dea, Michael Goodliffe , Diane Cilento , Alec Mango , Christopher Lee and theatrical movie debut of Jack Watson as Captain Sylvester .Colorful cinematography in Technicolor by Guy Green .
From his starts in the silent cinema Raoul achieved successful films until the 50s and forward , early 60s , when he was less dominant , but is still stayed lots of lusty adventure , stories of comradeship and friendship , and Raoul makes the most of plentiful action scenes .
This is a superior technicolor sea epic with Gregory Peck as a British Fleet captain during the Napoleonic Wars.
Fine sea battle sequences top off this entertaining story of this Captain away from his wife at sea who also meets a beautiful British lady (Virginia Mayo) whom he must return to England in safety..
Keeping that in mind, Gregory Peck makes quite a good Hornblower in a great story, that more takes the action from the books then the doubts of the main character.
Raoul Walsh shows how an excellent adventure movie has to be made: Take two Hollywood stars (Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo), send them to Eng- land, take British character actors for the supporting roles (Robert Beatty, James Robertson Justice) and take finally a good English stunt team.
For me it is one of the best adventure movies at all, with excellent battle sequences, visual effects and a good cinematography by Oscar-winner (for GREAT EXPECTATIONS, 1946)Guy Green (1913-2005).
In the very best traditions of the British Royal Navy, this is a story of a Captain, Horatio Hornblower and square rigged Warships (Ships of the Line) fighting at the time of Napoleon.
The film encompasses a truly delightful love story between Virginia Mayo and Gregory Peck (Hornblower) who are thrown together not by their choosing.
An all-time classic, an absolute must: the battleship scenes, the gentle and intelligent Horatio (Gregory Peck in one of his most endearing characters), the love story, the costumes, the ships.
So don't expect much characterisation or romance, rather you'll get plenty of excitement, camaraderie, duty and danger.There is a touch of romance to be sure, in the person of the lovely Virginia Mayo, an admiral's intended bride, who coincidentally ends up on Hornblower's boat and soon enough in his arms, but even here, you sense Walsh is just paying lip-service to the plot device devoting about ten minutes screen time to it and then abruptly providing a rushed and contrived but completely expected finish between the two of them.Better then to consider the remainder, a largely rip-roaring tale of the heroic but humble Hornblower's exploits in the Napoleonic Wars as he dispenses with firstly the Spanish and then the French in quick succession, against all the odds naturally.Walsh demonstrates his age-old flair for battle sequences and crowd scenes, the only let-down being some of the model-work of the ships which occasionally comes across as unconvincing.
The acting is fine, Peck excellent as the title character although hardly the most physical of leads, with good support from a largely British crew,Stanley Baker and James Robertson Justice prominent amongst them.
Though it’s been a staple on Italian TV ever since childhood, for some reason I never got around to watching this seafaring epic – given its popular source material (C.S. Forester penned a series of novels about this fictional British naval hero), not to mention the imposing director and star (Gregory Peck) credentials.
However, it takes care as well (albeit less successfully) to promote his human side – not merely through the all-too-predictable romantic complications involving the Virginia Mayo character, but the Captain’s rather silly idiosyncrasy of clearing his throat whenever he finds himself at a disadvantage!CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER, therefore, is an incident-packed and generally entertaining ride – albeit longish at nearly two hours; for the record, Walsh and Peck would collaborate on another adventure film with the same milieu – THE WORLD IN HIS ARMS (1952) – while the star had one of his most atypical and challenging roles in the best cinematic adaptation of an equally famed seafaring source, Herman Melville’s MOBY DICK (1956)….
"Hornblower" is a great adventures movie where so many things happen that it's hard to believe the film "only " lasts two hours.It has everything that kind of movie demands: -action: the naval battles are among the best you can see in a movie.-humour: Peck's face when he learns he has handed over an "allies" ship to his "new" enemy is worth the price of admission.-and above all,emotion;two scenes are unforgettable: the first one takes place on the ship:the middie is dying and Lady Wellesley kisses him farewell the way his mother did when he sailed away;the second is the scene of the letter Hornblower's wife wrote just before her death: as the officer finds his house empty , a voice-over reads the whole message ."Captain Horatio Hornblower" is the perfect show for the whole family on a Xmas evening.
No doubt the relationship Captain Hornblower (Gregory Peck) and Lady Barbara Wellesley (Virginia Mayo) have is beautiful and important for the movie, but I just can't forget citing the great ship battles we see in this movie.
Turns out there is more than meets the eye to such a straightforward mission, and it leads to an exciting story, the kind that used to make moviegoing so rewarding.Was never a fan of Gregory Peck but here he plays Hornblower as depicted in the book by C.S. Forester and does a very capable job.
This sea/war adventure is loosely based on three S.S.Forrester's novels (Beat to Quarters, Ship of the Line and Flying Colours) which for some inexplicable reason were united in one movie.
Finally, the main character, captain of the Royal Navy Horatio Hornblower has lost all of his charms and instead the excellent development of his character in the novels we got only terribly weak love story and repeated "Ha-hmm" line.
Captain Horatio Hornblower RN is a 1951 tale of, well, the exploits of an impossibly perfect captain and his ship during the Napoleonic War era of big sail and cannons.By the standards of 1951, it was an exciting, technologically advanced, swashbuckler.
Gregory Peck does a great job as Hornblower and thankfully doesn't try to fool us with a British accent.The major problem with this film is that it has yet to be released on DVD!
I love Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo and Tall ships.How could I NOT love this flick.Well made and doesn't seem dated by todays special effects.I haven't seen the Art and Entertainment series but how can it surpass this film?You get the British fighting the Spanish/Rebels/French all in one.Don't miss it!!!.
(BTW, O'briens writing is BORING in comparison to Forester...I don't REALLY care about his characters like I do Hornblower....O'Brien seems to write another book to make another buck...just better than other's like Alexander Kent's Bolitho novels) Master and Commander was quite frankly MUCH better than the Book!One scene to look for is Peck standing alone on his quarterdeck as Barbara leaves...he says nothing but conveys so much about his character through his brilliant ability..
And just leave it up to director Raoul Walsh to make a good entertaining swashbuckler!The movie has a great adventurous historic story, about life on the sea.
you can complain all you want about holes in the story, inconsistencies in continuity or lack of adherence to the novel.but you cannot complain about the stunning cinematography, ships and sea battles.Hornblower is a great piece of entertainment.the sea battles alone with the cunning and agility of the British ship's contests against its foes are worth the price of admission.Peck makes the character very likable and you won't be sorry for tuning into this tale.do not pass this by!.
The film is adaptation of the C.S. Foresters first novel in the Hornblower series "The Happy Return", in the USA this was titled "Beat To Quarters" with a little added plot from a "Ship of The Line" (not three novels as other reviewers have stated).
The story is about throwing together of Hornblower a Captain of middle class background and Lady Barbara, sister of Duke of Wellington, well played by Virginia Mayo, I regret however that her accent does not bear up to scrutiny very well.
First, let me make clear that I did not approve of Virginia Mayo as Lady Barbara - she is too pretty and not at all aristocratic.Given that, the film shows us the big action sequences of "Lieutanant Hornblower", the book where the South American action takes place and some other books whose titles I don't recall.
In 1951 when this film was made, they were able to show us some convincing naval battles and the effect is very good.Gregory Peck is at his best as a Leader of Men.
An adaptation of the books from C S Forester.It cast Gregory Peck as the steely, calm and cerebral Horatio Hornblower aboard His Majesty's ship, 'Lydia.'The film is a combination of swashbuckling high seas adventure, a study of leadership and romance as Hornblower meets Lady Barbara Wellesley, the sister of the Duke of Wellington.
Although directed by Raoul Walsh and adapted by C.S. Forester from his own work, "Captain Horatio Hornblower" will disappoint most who are familiar with the BBC series that starred Ioan Gruffudd.
"Captain Horatio Hornblower" becomes rousing entertainment, especially for younger viewers and those who love films from a less cynical time when sailors were chaste and loyal, women were pale and pure, villains wore mustaches and spoke with accents, and heroes looked like Gregory Peck..
During the first half of the film, Captain Hornblower is commanding a British ship off the coast of Central America, where he tangles with a local ruler who has declared independence from Spain and made himself dictator.
Gregory Peck plays the title character, a British naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars.
Recurring characters from the Hornblower novels appear here such as the Duke of Wellington's fictional sister Lady Barbara Wellesley played by Virginia Mayo and members of Hornblowers crew played by Robert Beatty, James Robertson Justice, and Terence Morgan among others.
Hornblower captures a Spanish ship of the line and gives it to his new ally.Then he learns that Spain has switched sides in the Napoleonic War while he's been at sea and now this heavily armed vessel is in the hands of a real psycho.
These are in fact two different Hornblower stories and the first is much the superior of the second.Of course another viewer might feel differently and the film is recommended for all of you who like a good sea yarn..
Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo, the two leads, are the only two American actors in this movie, the rest is made of an entirely British supporting cast, which certainly helps since it's based on an English naval hero.
Once back in England, Hornblower finds that his wife has died, but not before giving birth to a son, but with a war happening, he's soon off on another mission; that is to take a fortress and a harbor full enemy ships (and the battle sequence that erupts for this scene is truly a spectacle - thee overall best of it's kind I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of the vintage swashbuckler films).
C.S. Forester adapted his own novel for this British military ship adventure drama that takes place during the Napoleonic wars, which was directed by Raoul Walsh; Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts, and Aeneas MacKenzie wrote the screenplay.
Gregory Peck plays the title role (R.N. stands for Royal Navy) in this Technicolor movie which could have been the model for Peter Weir's 2003 action drama Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
Other similarities include the point blank, broadside to broadside gun ship battles, action that includes significant (more than is usually shown) cannon damage complete with falling masts, a captain that's a more than capable navigator who's misunderstood by his crew initially, but otherwise beloved, and at least one youthful officer in training aboard.Unlike the more recent film about the type of warfare waged in that era, this one's middle third is a mushy romance between the titled Captain (who has an annoying habit of clearing his throat for attention) and Lady Barbara Wellesley (Virginia Mayo), who's engaged to a Rear Admiral played by Denis O'Dea; she boards Hornblower's aged ship (another similarity to Weir's film), the Lydia, after he learns that Spain is now his country's ally in the war against France.
Horatio Hornblower was a very complex man and although it isn't actually necessary to know his life story to enjoy Mr R.Walsh's fine film,Mr G.Peck's excellent performance is even more impressive when you appreciate how he has grasped the small print - as it were - behind his character.Whether or not Mr Peck was familiar with the canon I do not know,but behind Hornblower's facade of confidence was a wariness befitting a relatively poor man in a navy run principally by very rich men.Unless he was actually engaged in running a ship,a Captain in good old King George's day was put on half - pay,a financial burden men like Hornblower could not afford to bear for long.
This is an adventure movie.The Lydia arrives back in England where Hornblower is treated as a hero and given a ship of the line to command.
This leads to an exciting sea battle between the British ship Lydia and the captured Spanish ship El Nitivda where El Supremo and his motley crew are blown away and end up at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean!It's when Honblower runs into, and later saves her life, Lady Barbara, Virginia Mayo, the sister of the Duke of Wellington that things get somewhat complicated for him.
It's there that Hornblower got the "good news" about Admiral Leighton's death and was now free to marry Lady Barbara, who didn't seem that distraught about losing her future husband, and live happily after after with her as both his wife and step-mother to his new born son.P.S Captain Hornblower almost blew it all by giving El Supremo the captured Spanish war ship that he later turned on the British Navy.
Iron men in wooden ships, with Gregory Peck as Captain Horatio Hornblower.
"Make sail, men!" cries Horatio Hornblower, "We're on our way to England!" But before we arrive at this point in the movie we've taken part in a rousing boy's own adventure of the naval wars pitting the Royal Navy against Napoleon.
We're with Captain Hornblower (Gregory Peck) on the 38-gun frigate H.M.S. Lydia as he deals with a Central American megalomaniac who calls himself El Supremo, then battles and beats -- twice -- the 60-gun Spanish ship- of-the-line Natividad.
Captain Horatio Hornblower, the movie, is an audience-pleasing romantic adventure where the battles are packed with lots of action but little gore, and that's not a bad thing.
Gregory Peck is terrific as the captain, Virginia Mayo is great as the lovely Lady Barbara.