Horatio Hornblower 3
(2003)
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Horatio Hornblower 3
(2003)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Ioan Gruffudd | ... | ||
| Robert Lindsay | ... | ||
| Paul McGann | ... | ||
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Lorcan Cranitch | ... | |
| Tony Haygarth | ... | ||
| Julia Sawalha | ... | ||
| Barbara Flynn | ... |
Mrs. Mason
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| Paul Copley | ... | ||
| Sean Gilder | ... | ||
| Greg Wise | ... | ||
| Ian McElhinney | ... | ||
| Christian Coulson | ... |
Midshipman John 'Jack' Hammond
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| Ron Cook | ... | ||
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Jonathan Forbes | ... | |
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Jim McManus | ... |
Pawnbroker
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The war with France has been over for a year and Horatio Hornblower finds himself on land. With his ship, the Retribution, laid up and his promotion to Commander rescinded as a result, he finds himself a poor Lieutenant in a peace time navy. He has taken to playing cards to make a living. Luck presents itself in the form Sir Edward Pellew, his mentor and former commanding officer. Horatio soon finds himself again promoted to Commander and in charge of a sloop, the HMS Hotspur. He recruits his old shipmate Lt. Bush as his first officer, along with Matthews and Stiles. His task is to transport a French officer to the coast but once ashore, Horatio discovers the French amassing an invasion force. Once again at war, the men of the Hotspur are tasked to lead an advance force against a shore battery ahead of the British fleet. Hornblower soon realizes he has a traitor among his crew. In his personal life, he has to deal with the lovely Maria, his landlady's daughter who has taken quite a ... Written by garykmcd
This was completely harmless and unbelievable, but a pleasant enough way to pass a Sunday evening. I've not seen all the previous Hornblowers, but I would not rate this as highly as the earlier ones from the late 80's. The series has improved greatly with the addition of Paul McGann as Bush, Hornblower's friend and second in command. Paul McGann is always watchable in anything and has a gorgeous voice to match. He is wonderful to listen to while Gruffudd is true eyecandy.
Julia Sawalha was a poor choice as Hornblower's wife. She is 5 years older than Gruffudd and looks every bit of it. (Perhaps she is supposed to be older than him?) Nonetheless, I found it disappointing that Hornblower marries so unhappily. It would have been nice to have seen a bit of romance and passion there. But perhaps the true relationship of this series is between Hornblower and Bush.
So pleasant enough, but don't go expecting too much and certainly don't expect authentic American and French accents!