Hornblower
Hornblower
Set during the 18th century Napoleonic Wars, Horatio Hornblower, a young and shy midshipman, rises through the ranks to become an admiral.
匚卂尺ㄥ reviewedMarch 3, 2025
C.S. Forester's tales of Horatio Hornblower are here transferred magnificently to the small screen, Ioan Gruffudd excellent as the young naval officer movingly determined to do his duty. Well meaning and idealistic, he forever has to adapt to circumstances - not only posed by weather and war, but by violent bullies, and superior officers who are reckless, dithery or unhinged. Fortunately his worth is soon recognized by Captain Pellew (Robert Lindsay), he to advise and discreetly to champion his cause.
The series was shown between 1998 and 2003, this box set a fine souvenir of the acclaimed eight feature-length episodes. (No bonuses, alas.)
It proves one of those happy occasions when talents have converged. Fine scripts. Great acting. Dramatic sequences both on land and sea, no holding back as battles rage, storms buffet, certain favourite characters are lost. Most viewers will completely identify with Horatio. When he suffers (which he does a lot), so do they. When he succeeds (which he does a lot too), they share his triumph.
So many full-blooded characters! So many surprises, betrayals, unexpected alliances, changes of fortune! So much will linger long in the mind, especially those who posed particular problems. Examples? Certainly Dorian Healy in the very first episode, genuinely chilling as bully Simpson determined to bring Horatio down. Certainly David Warner as paranoid Captain Sawyer - humiliations and savage punishments liberally bestowed for the slightest offence, real or imagined. Then there is Antony Sher as an aristocrat returning to France to settle old scores, a guillotine part of his luggage....
Too gung-ho and politically incorrect by modern standards? Not for fans who instead hail so much to admire, aspects of the Napoleonic Wars brought so vividly to the screen.
Despite all the praise, the series was axed as too expensive. Interestingly, though, it could still be revived with Ioan Gruffudd as its star (should he so wish). The novels trace Horatio's progress to the pinnacle of his career, there thus plenty of material for further thoroughly entertaining adventures.