Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters (1999) (TV)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Andrew Grieve

Writers:

C.S. Forester (novels)
Chris Ould (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 April 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | War

Plot:

Lt. Hornblower and his mates are sent to accompany a doomed royalist invasion of revolutionary France.

Plot Keywords:

Invasion | Guillotine | Bridge | Schoolteacher | Navy

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Ioan Gruffudd	...	Horatio Hornblower
Robert Lindsay	...	Capt. Sir Edward Pellew
Antony Sher	...	Colonel Moncoutant
John Shrapnel	...	General Charette
Samuel West	...	Major Edrington
Peter Vaughan	...	Admiral Lord Hood
Jean Badin	...	Fauré
Jamie Bamber	...	Acting Lt. Archie Kennedy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Copley	...	Matthews
Jonathan Coy	...	Lt. Bracegirdle
Sean Gilder	...	Styles
Ian Lindsay	...	Collins
Colin MacLachlan	...	Master Bowles
Simon Sherlock	...	Oldroyd
Estelle Skornik	...	Mariette

Also Known As:

Horatio Hornblower: The Wrong War (USA)

Runtime:

Brazil:100 min

Country:

UK

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Singapore:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Peniche, Portugal

Company:

Meridian Broadcasting

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Early in the movie Captain Pellew and Lieutenant Hornblower board their ship's boat to return to the ship. Pellew boards the boat before Hornblower. This is contrary to naval customs of the day (and present). The senior officer always boarded a boat last (and left it first).

Quotes:

Major Edrington: [Watching as Hornblower struggles to mount a horse] Now I see why you chose the Navy.

Movie Connections:

Follows Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The British Grenadiers

TV at its finest

The entire Hornblower series is flat-out terrific, filling in a void in the swashbuckling genre. This episode, "The Frogs and the Lobsters" -- called "The Wrong War" here in the States -- is not the best of the series (there's stiff competition at that), but it's still an outstanding episode and a fitting end (for now) to the saga. Everything in the series looks right, even down to the little details; and besides being extraordinarily entertaining the "Hornblowers" smartly deal with themes like honor and integrity in a way that is thought-provoking and never quaint. Well-deserving of its emmy award for Best Miniseries. As Captain Pellew, the brilliant Robert Lindsay deserved a supporting actor nom as well.