Product Details

• Actors: Ioan Gruffudd
• Directors: Andrew Grieve
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 8
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A&E Home Video (New REleaset)
• DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008
• Run Time: 800 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0018C705M
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,421 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

From midshipman to commander, experience the thrilling escapades of the ultimate high-seas hero with the HORATIO HORNBLOWER COLLECTOR'S EDITION, an eight-volume treasure chest of sweeping naval adventure and lavish historical drama.

Joining the British Royal Navy at the outset of the Napoleonic Wars, the enterprising Horatio Hornblower rises quickly from raw recruit to seasoned sailor, charting a course from the West Indies to the coast of Africa in the name of the Crown. Along the way he encounters roiling sea battles, mutiny, plague and love, but always proves himself equal to the task. Gorgeously filmed and richly produced, A&E's Emmy®-winning adaptations of C.S. Forester's classic novels star Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four, Black Hawk Down) and a stellar supporting cast that includes Robert Lindsay (Wimbledon), Jamie Bamber (Band of Brothers) and Paul Copley (Queer as Folk).

The HORATIO HORNBLOWER COLLECTOR'S EDITION contains all eight feature-length Hornblower films (with many a bonus material below deck):

The Duel, The Fire Ships, The Duchess and the Devil, The Wrong War, The Mutiny, Retribution, Loyalty, Duty

DVD Features: Exclusive Interview with Ioan Gruffudd; Filmmaker Commentary on Loyalty and Duty ; 3 Bonus Programs: England s Royal Warships, Sail 2000: Aboard the Eagle, and The Making of Horatio Hornblower ; About C.S. Forester; Nautical Terms and Definitions; Interactive 3D Naval Cannon; Guide to Royal Warships; C.S. Forester Biography; Cast and Crew Biographies; Photo Gallery; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, incredible, entertaining..., September 18, 2008

By	J. Salzenstein "Style Editor" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Given the title and subject matter- seaman- you might think that this is the latest release from Falcon (and I'm sure that they or another adult studio has certainly released their version of these classics). You'd be wrong. Horatio Hornblower is instead an epic story of honor, loyalty, and duty. Featuring bloody battles, incredible adventures, and a cast of characters as good as any ever imagined, it's no wonder that this Emmy Award-winning series got raves from critics and the general public alike.

Based on the novels by C.S. Forester, A&E's Horatio Hornblower was a made-for-TV series that ran from 1998-2003. The eight individual films that make up this Collector's Edition chronicle the unlikely rise of young Horatio from lowly midshipman to powerful commander, during the early years of the Napoleonic Wars. The stories are engaging and entertaining, the production grand and lavish, and the overall result brilliant.

Nothing was spared in making these films and they're worth watching for the visuals alone. (It's also interesting to note that no computer generated effects were used, which makes the intensity of the battles that much more exciting to watch.) That being said, the story lines are also enthralling, the characters fully developed, and the performances powerful all around. This is a series that will keep anyone engaged; from small children to grandparents.

Each film (or "episode") runs about an hour and a half, and each can stand independent of the others. Having said that, if you're going to watch them all, why not watch them in order and add that much more to the experience? The underlying theme to all episodes is strong personal ethics, against all odds, and while that may sound frighteningly preachy, I assure you that the films are not.

These films/episodes have been released previously a number of times, both individually and in sets, including a Collector's Edition that was released in 2005. If you own the 2005 set, do not buy this new set; as far as I can tell, other than extremely minor changes to the packaging, this is the same product.

Included films/episodes are :: The Duel, The Fire Ships, The Duchess and the Devil, The Wrong War, The Mutiny, Retribution, Loyalty, and Duty.

SPECIAL FEATURES

As if eight films spanning more than 13 hours weren't enough, the special features and extras are also copious. Two of the episodes (Loyalty and Duty) feature accompanying Filmmaker Commentary, which offers an incredibly thought-provoking and historically interesting look into the making of the series, the background, and the adaptation from page to screen. An Exclusive Interview with star Ioan Gruffudd is just as spellbinding (and with the latter you get the extra bonus of his incredibly good looks!).

Three Bonus Programs (England's Royal Warships, Sail 2000: Aboard the Eagle, and The Making of Horatio Hornblower) give an exclusive look at English ships from the past to the present, with fascinating descriptions and documentary footage on how these amazing machines are manned and run, as well as the incredible feats they're capable of. If this isn't enough for you, check out the Guide to Royal Warships, Nautical Terms and Definitions, and Interactive 3-D Naval Cannon, and you'll be a master seaman in no time!

For those interested in more background on the original author, a featurette entitled About C.S. Forester is especially interesting, as is the C.S. Forester Biography.

Cast and Crew Biographies are also included, as is a Photo Gallery.

The special features presented with this set are indeed incredible, although I wouldn't recommend sitting down and watching them all at once. In fact, it's best absorbed (and more interesting) if you watch one film/episode and one (or part of one) special feature, then take some time to digest and reflect upon them before moving on to another helping.

Final answer :: If you've not seen them, this is an extremely entertaining and wonderfully produced series, not to mention an incredibly good buy. If you own the previously released Collector's Edition however, skip this.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seminal!, November 26, 2008

By	Robert S. Staub "RSS" (ALBUQUERQUE, NM USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

These DVD's are the finest presentation of any kind that I have ever seen.
To start, the acting is near perfect from the leads to the smaller roles. In addition, the classic C.S. Forester novels have been faithfully adhered to. In closing, the atmosphere, the feel of the sea and the age of fighting sail is perfectly rendered. There have been great sea movies done over the decades; Damn the Defiant, Master and Commander, Horatio Hornblower [Gregory Peck.] These 8 movies, this collector's edition is at the pinnacle. If you love great film making, and you love the sea, this will be the best $31.50 you will ever ever spend.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The entire swash-buckling film series appears on 8 DVDs in this collector's edition, November 16, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

The entire swash-buckling film series appears on 8 DVDs in this collector's edition of HORATIO HORNBLOWER, following the sailor from midshipman to commander and offering many high-seas adventures. In having all eight films connected in one DVD package, viewers enjoy an unbroken series in this Emmy-winning adaptation of the classic novels of C.S. Forester. Also included in the DVD presentation: an interview with star Ioan Gruffudd, filmmaker commentary, 3 bonus related sailing programs and an expose on the making of Hornblower, and more information on both the novels and the films they inspired. DVD libraries will find it a top pick.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch