Perhaps my all-time favorite movie

This Napoleanic era British Royal Navy yarn presents a wealth of action, loyalty, bravery, a glimpse of self-doubt, and even romance.

Captain Hornblower, played exceptionally well by Gregory Peck, is a competent, intensely loyal and obedient British naval officer. He is a master teacher to junior officers and a leader of his men. We get a glimpse, though, of self-doubt that he carries with him (note the scenes where he writes in his diary).

During the film he carries out an ultra-secret mission for the admiralty. In the course of that assignment Hornblower finds himself obliged to conduct a running ship to ship battle protrayed via top-notch movie footage.

During the months it takes for Horblower's ship to return to Portsmouth, romance is nipped in the bud because of Hornblower's great integrity. The temptation is there, presented by the beautiful Virginia Mayo, but Hornblower doesn't buckle.

Early successes bring advancement and notariety to Hornblower as the movie progresses.

If you are inclined at all toward great tales of the sea and the men who sailed them, this movie will provide you with a grand adventure. Top notch, 5 stars all the way.

An old film but conveys the Hornblower spirit...

After starting on Patrick O'Brian, I have also discovered Horatio Hornblower first with the first A&E episode "The Duel" (Ion Gruffyd, Robert Lindsay), and now with the 1951 movie "Captain Hornblower" starring Gregory Peck. I have *not* read the Hornblower books yet, so my review is from the perspective of someone new to naval fiction and naval movies.

Gregory Peck is one of my favorite actors, which makes this film an easy choice to watch (for me, at least). However, the character of Hornblower (with his trademark Hmm..mmm) and the events covered by the movie are probably closer to the original series than the recent A&E series. [At least, judging from Parkinson's biography covering the same ground as the novels, this would appear to be the case]. If you are a Hornblower purist, you will probably prefer the Gregory Peck movie version for this reason, even though the battle scenes are more sustained and far more exciting in the A&E versions (judging from The Duel).

Captain Hornblower condenses two (or is it three?) books into one - the book in which he is posted on direct orders from the Admiralty, and must round Cape Horn to reach a Spanish rebel, Don Julian Alvorado on the other side of Nicaragua. This feat of seamanship is well-portrayed, with the movie starting at the point where the ship has been at sea for months and has been becalmed. Hornblower takes a wild gamble in assuring the crew and his officers that the wind will pick up that night and that they will sight land within the next day. Amazingly, he pulls this off. In private, his journals reflect his fears and uncertainty, thus allowing us a glimpse at the private Hornblower.

The first part of the movie focuses on Hornblower's difficult decisions during this secret mission (when he cannot confide in any of his officers, including his second-in-command Lt Bush). He must decide whether to trust Don Julian Alvorado (who is clearly a madman), whether to attack a much larger Spanish frigate with twice the gunpower, and what to do when political events overtake this little expedition.

What is not made clear (at least when I watched the film for the first time) is that Hornblower had really no choice but to go along with Alvorado (or El Supremo) as he likes to call himself. Spain is allied with Napoleonic France, and Hornblower must re-provision his ship. The nearest British port of call is St Helena - on the other side of South America. Hornblower was not simply following Admiralty orders, he was also taking a risk to keep his crew alive.

There are several battles, including one major battle when Hornblower's ship loses one of its mast and is nearly wrecked. Fortunately, brilliant seamanship on his part allows him the upper hand.

During this first part, Hornblower also develops a love interest in Lady Barbara Wellesley (a fictional character, although she is supposedly the sister of the future Duke of Wellington). She is engaged to an admiral Sir Rodney Leighton, but she prefers Hornblower. He was reluctant to have her aboard at first, but had no choice (she was fleeing yellow fever, it would have been professional suicide to leave her behind, with her connections). Unfortunately for Hornblower, he must reveal the truth after Lady Barbara declares her love for him. He is married. The rest of the voyage is strained, with both anxious to return to Britain as soon as possible.

The second part of the movie begins with Hornblower's return to the British Isles, only to learn that he is a widower and has an infant son. From there, he is placed under the command of Leighton (now Lady Barbara's husband). Admiral Leighton disapproves of Hornblower's independence, but our hero's quick thinking and independent ways pay off in a crucial action against some French ships that have escaped the blockade.

In the third part of the movie, Hornblower is taken prisoner along with his lieutenant, and is to be sent to Paris to be tried and executed for piracy (sailing under French colors). Of course, he escapes eventually and returns home to discover that Lady Barbara has been widowed.

This is a quick summary of the movie, which hardly does justice to many of its finer points. There are some deviations from the book (the story was adapted, by the way, by Forester himself). For example, Sir Percy Leighton becomes Sir Rodney Leighton. [He is of a different social background in the books than in the movie]. Lady Barbara is not engaged to be married at the beginning of the voyage, and she appears proud and haughty to Hornblower. And of course, the collapsing of the three books into one movie means that certain details must be omitted (thus Lt Bush recovers remarkably quickly, or so it would seem). The pace of the adaptation is however just right - the story continues to sustain the viewer's interest.

The sea battles are well-depicted, and the story was filmed in real ships (of the period, I think) and mostly at sea. However, the battles are less bloody than in the A&E version (perhaps a nod to 1950s sensibilities), and the ships are certainly cleaner than expected. I thought that the ships would be closer together when they engaged in battle.

Despite these minor caveats, this film was delightful to watch. I would recommend this movie strongly to anyone interested in this period (the Napoleonic wars), or anyone interested in nautical fiction. The A&E series covers the very early career of the very young Hornblower, when he is still a midshipman and then makes lieutenant. (At the rate the producers are going, it will take a while before they reach the same events covered by this movie). Even if they do cover this period, watch this movie, if only for Gregory Peck's portrayal of Hornblower as as as Forester's own adaptation of his novels for the screen.

Come Blow Your Horn

I confess I love this film far more than it deserves. The idea of casting Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo as a red-hot English couple is too much, and I'll bet this film got a cold reception in the UK. Get around that idiosyncrasy, though, and it's a great time. Director Raoul Walsh was one of Hollywood's most dependable directors for more than thirty years and "Hornblower" is one of his great moments. No American moviemaker ever topped him at keeping his story in motion and pacing it for the audience's enjoyment. After shooting up a Latin American maniac and then an assortment of French fighting ships during the Napoleanic wars, Hornblower staggers back to England to claim the aristocratic Mayo, both of their spouses having thoughtfully died. All the acting is a little over the top, but then so was the period.