Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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93 of 96 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Stories of the Royal Navy, April 4, 2003
These, of course, are adaptations of C.S. Forrester's wonderful book series on the adventures of Horatio Hornblower. (The first four movies are based on the book "Mr. Midshipman Hornblower" and the last two on "Lieutenant Hornblower"). And while they obviously cannot be faithful to the books in every repsect, they still prove to be excellent films. The stories are wonderful, tracing the heroic exploits of a young midshipman in the Royal Navy as he matures into a very competent officer. These movies are not only in great in terms of story, but also production. We are told during one the DVD extras that the films were made using a combination of full-size vessels as well as scale models. Only once (out of countless shots) could I tell a shot employed a model. The casting is also outstanding. From Hornblower to Captain Pellew and to Hornblower's men, everyone gives a great performance, making you believe that they are indeed the characters they are portraying. Ioan Gruffudd is particularly good in that he has expertly captured the complexity of the Hornblower character. (And incidently, some other reviewer mentioned something about him as the next James Bond - check out some of his publicity pics on online, and I think they might be right...!). Of course, despite the persistent arguing of others, we know that these are NOT based on the life events of any one person. While, he interacts with a few historic figures (e.g. Captain Pellew), the Horatio Hornblower character is fictional. (Yes, I am aware of the Hornblower biography written by C. N. Parkinson, but it is supposed to be all in fun!). If you like Napoleonic battles, or are into Naval films, or perhaps would like to see some films about the growth and maturing of an honorable man, these films are for you!
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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just fabulous!, October 20, 2002
Although the Horatio Hornblower DVDs derive from an A&E "made for television" miniseries, all of the episodes are of movie quality. The acting is just great, the stories are wonderful, and each one stands very well on its own, although the episodes are best if watched sequentially. The sets and effects are very well done.
For those who don't know, the Horatio Hornblower series of books was written by British author C.S. Forrester, and deals with the career of a fictional British naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. The series is somewhat faithful to the books, but significantly departs from the books in a number of places. But this is all to the good--purists (such as myself) will not be offended by this.
This is a "must have" for anyone who likes war movies. Each episode contains a solid storyline and chronicles Hornblower's growing leadership abilities. These are tails of adventure, leadership, hardship, and war. Very little gratuitous violence--young children and adults alike will enjoy this series.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beat to Quarters!, June 1, 2004
Before Patrick O'Brian (who is justly due all accolades) there was the Hornblower series by C.S. Forrester, which has screamed for big screen treatment for decades. Before A&E tackeled the series, the best we have had is the old B&W Gregory Peck version caled "Captain Horatio Hornblower" which merges several of the middle books (the oldest ones) together. It was a good movie, but standard Hollywood stuff.The A&E series starts with Book 1 "Midshipman Hornblower" and works up from there. The charcterizations are good and the screenplays, while taking inevitable liberties, are more or less faithful, especially in the characters of Hornblower and Bush. (My favorite was "Lieutenant Hornblower", Forrester's most complex novel in which Hornblower is caught up in a mutiny against a paranoid captain, and then has to extemporize an assault on a Spanish fort. The A&E series is at its best in this story, and keeps us guessing, as does the book, whether the ambitious Hornblower pitched his captain down the larbord stairs to save his neck and that of his fellow officers.) Ioan Gruffudd (not a household name, although he had a small part in Titanic) is a supurb young Hornblower. There is strong support by the Kennedy and Bush characters, as well as Captain Pellew. There will be inevitable comparisons with "Master and Commander," which I deem unfair. By the time "Master" begins, Cameron Crowe's Jack Aubrey is already a seasoned captain. In "Hornblower", we see Gruffudd's Hornblower evolve into his rank, making mistakes and learning. The Aubrey-Maturin novels are more complex, but Hornblower is one of the finest characters ever developed in the genre, and the success of the A&E series is how this is captured. The A&E series was not a theatrical release and is not nearly as big on scale or special effects. None of ships actually used in the Hornblower series are particularly large, and do not match their historical counterparts. Recommendations: I loved both the Foerrester and O'Brian series, and re-red them from time to time. They are like Port and Madiera, each have their use.
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