Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)

best movie i've ever seen.

The acting in this movie is really good.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

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. Unfortunately, Hornblower had just captured a better Spanish warship and turned it over to a near crazy South American dictator rebel self dubbed El Supremo (Alec Mango), who had an alliance with England to attack Spain's colonies from the Pacific. But the Captain's superior tactical knowledge and seamanship enables Hornblower and his well trained crew to defeat El Supremo and sink the ship.On the voyage home, the Lady gets "the fever" (initially thought to be yellow fever, but actually breaks within 72 hours meaning it was merely swamp fever); the Captain alone cares for her, nursing her back to health, so the stage is set for their romantic entanglement, which is also complicated by the fact that he's married, in addition to her engagement. However, when Hornblower returns home, he learns that his wife died giving birth to a son. Two weeks later, he reads about Lady Barbara's wedding to the Irish Rear Admiral.But another opportunity presents itself to allow Hornblower to disobey his orders (from O'Dea's character) and perform heroically. Using a re-commissioned French warship, Hornblower and his crew use the subterfuge of a phony flag designation (another similarity) to get close enough to destroy three enemy ships in a protected harbor before their ship is sunk in its channel. After being captured by shore troops, he and his injured Lieutenant Bush (Robert Beatty), along with a strong and loyal seaman named Quist (James R. Justice), escape while being transported as prisoners to Paris. In a small boat, the three of them navigate a stream to the Loire river to a sea port where, thanks to Hornblower's ability to speak the language, they pose as Dutch sailors, free some of their countrymen prisoners to be crewmen, and commandeer a British frigate thought lost, the 'Witch of Endor', to sail home to England. He learns that his Rear Admiral died in battle. So, when Hornblower gets home again to see his son, Barbara (dressed nothing like a recent widow) is there and the two can be together.

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. Although marked as a "coming man" from his first midshipman's post,his progress was only grudgingly conceded by the upper - class Admiralty Sea Lords.To end up as he did - an Admiral - was a truly remarkable achievement. Being in charge of one of His Majesty's ships was not a job for a bleeding heart.The majority of the crew would have been press - ganged and were - to say the least - unwilling sailors.In order to maintain discipline it was necessary to employ the carrot and stick;and if the stick was threatened it had to be applied. Thus,at the beginning of the film a seaman is flogged because a young and inexperienced officer had threatened him with a flogging and Hornblower,although he finds the punishment abhorrent,points out to his junior that if he watches the flogging he may not be so cavalier in using it as a threat in future. Engaged on a secret mission from The Admiralty HMS "Lydia" is ordered to give aid and assistance to a megalomaniac dictator - an ally in the war against Napoleon.Hornblower captures a Spanish ship and hands it over to this madman only to subsequently discover that Spain has in fact changed sides and the captured ship will be used against the British navy. At the same time he is forced to take as a passenger the sister of the Duke of Wellington and return her to England. The consequences of both these actions turn his comfortable world upside down. I saw the movie when I was 12 years old and thoroughly enjoyed it as a rousing sea adventure.60 years on I can still enjoy for the same reason,but also as a study of an honourable man trying to act in an honourable fashion as fate moves the goalposts around him.A typical Gregory Peck role,in fact.I can only remain thankful that Mr E.Flynn was too drunk to play it.It certainly would have ended up a totally different movie.

I viewed this recently. I thought I had never seen this before but some scenes I did remember that I must have seen as a boy. I recalled I was hearing Peck speaking French as an English naval officer but there were no subtitles.Raoul Walsh presented Peck as the stern but wise commander actually not too far different than the character Greg played in the then recent TWELE O'CLOCK HIGH. This was also a beautifully mounted color film that was not the normal case for this time period. Great scenery and action sequences.However, there is a lack of depth in the characters. The tribal king who revolts against Spain is an one note character. Peck is cordial but barely hides his contempt for such a man. When he frees Virginia Mayo who was held captive with Spanish officers, he gives a loud clearing of his throat that becomes a running gag throughout.He has two officers who wager on his exact words which make a bit one note as well. The joke just isn't that funny enough.I'm really not spoiling anything by letting people know that he will be victorious and win Mayo's heart in the end in spite of the fact both are married to others when they first meet.Peck also has an unusual sword fight that also retained in my memory as a boy. He wins only by sheer luck and hopes he will never use his sword for such purpose again.Perhaps it is as a boy one should watch this. However, the implied superiority of the white man and more specific the English man I did find a bit insidious. But generally, more pluses than minuses in this one.

I don't think the good citizens of the United Kingdom with their proud tradition of sea power could complain too much about the American leads in a film about one of their popular fictional heroes. You can't get too much more heroic than Gregory Peck on screen and he certainly does fit C.S. Forrester's conception of Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N.In fact even recently with Russell Crowe's Master and Commander kind of reinvigorating this genre of literature, I still kind of like what Gregory Peck did with the role. The age of Napoleon where Great Britain stood for a time very much alone against his domination of Europe was another their finest hours. The film is taken from two of the Hornblower novels and sad to say the film's weakness is that the first part of it is much the superior of the second. Personally I think they should have padded out the first part and dealt with it alone. 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. There's also a very touching performance by young James Kenney as the midshipman on board the HMS Lydia.The first part of the film deals with Hornblower sailing the Lydia to the western coast of Central America in secret to reach a potential rebel ally against Spain which has joined with France. Hornblower makes contact with Don Julian Alvarado, the self-styled El Supremo. 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. Now he has to undo what he did.If you don't see Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N. for any other reason, than see it for Alec Mango's over the top performance as the psychotic El Supremo. It's a piece of scenery chewing for the ages and it fits with the character. You take your allies in war where you find them and Spain was not the first or the last country that ever switched sides during a conflict.The second half concerns Peck and the crew in action off the Bay of Biscay and the vessel Lydia runs aground. Peck and the crew are taken prisoner and the rest of the film concerns with their escape. 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.