Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)

During the Napoleonic wars, a British Navy Captain has adventures in Central American waters.

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Ivan Goff (screenplay), Ben Roberts (screenplay)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregory Peck	...	Capt. Horatio Hornblower R.N
Virginia Mayo	...	Lady Barbara Wellesley
Robert Beatty	...	Lt. William Bush
Moultrie Kelsall	...	Lt. Crystal (as M. Kelsall)
Terence Morgan	...	2nd Lt. Gerard (as T. Morgan)
James Kenney	...	Midshipman Longley
James Robertson Justice	...	Seaman Quist (as James R. Justice)
Denis O'Dea	...	RAdm. Sir Rodney Leighton
Richard Hearne	...	Polwheal (Hornblower's Batman)
Michael Dolan	...	Surgeon Gundarson
Stanley Baker	...	Mr. Harrison (Bosun)
Alan Tilvern	...	Hernandez
Alec Mango	...	El Supremo (Don Julian Alvarado)
Christopher Lee	...	Spanish Captain
John Witty	...	Capt. Entenza

Storyline

In 1807, Captain Horatio Hornblower leads his ship the HMS Lydia on a perilous voyage around Cape Horn and into the Pacific. The men, even his officers, don't know exactly where he is leading them. England is at war with Napoleon and everyone wonders why they have been sent so far from the action. They eventually arrive on the Pacific coast of Central America where the HMS Lydia has been sent to arm Don Julian Alvarado, who is planning an attack against France's Spanish allies on the North American continent. The hope is that Alvarado's forces will require the French to divert some of their military resources to North American defense in the aid of their Spanish allies. He arrives to learn that a Spanish Galleon is en route and he no sooner captures it and hands it over to Alvarado that he learns the Spanish are now England's allies and he must take it from Alvarado. He also gets a very comely passenger in the form of Lady Barbara Wellesley, sister of the Duke of Wellington. The ...

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Plot Keywords:

napoleonic wars | horatio hornblower | year 1807 | naval battle | 1800s | 

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Taglines:

A great picturization of C.S. Forester's famous novel of romance and adventure!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

To save costs, the "Hispaniola" from Treasure Island (1950) was re-used and renamed "Lydia", but now the ship was rocked instead of the horizon, this caused many problems due to the combined weight of ship's crew and equipment.

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Goofs

During the battle between the Lydia and the Natividad, on the Natividad, the railing between the upper and lower deck, where Alvarado is standing, loses and regains a drapery of ropes as the battle continues.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: In the year Eighteen Hundred and Seven, a small ship of the Royal Navy set sail from England for a secret destination. With five million French and Spanish soldiers poised on the Continent under Napolean, nothing could save England from invasion except her 300 ships. HMS Lydia was soon far beyond battle-charged Europe. Under the most secret of sealed orders, she sailed for southern waters, fought her way around the Horn... headed north again into the Pacific. For seven months, she ...

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Connections

Edited into The Story of Mankind (1957)

User Reviews

A Serene Noble Epic, Masterfully Told

I don't know that much about the story of Captain Horatio Hornblower, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of this version. I saw it because I was interested in its director Raoul Walsh, who creates another of his roaring and high-spirited masterworks with this serene, honest, swiftly-paced adventure of the 19th-century British Fleet Captain, from the celebrated three novels by C. F. Forester. Walsh depicts Hornblower, fantastically incarnated by Gregory Peck, as a modest man characterized by a sense of duty and honor. Peck is perfect for the role. Aided by stunning Technicolor scenery and marvellous score, this simple epic on the high seas navigates through several battles in Spain, France, and South America. Walsh's staging of the battle scenes is flawless. But I was really impressed by the romantic moments by Hornblower and Virginia Mayo's Lady Barbara Wellesley. Their love scenes are wonderfully gentle and moving without being forcefully sentimental.

"Captain Horatio Hornblower" is a great timeless classic from a master director.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

10 April 1951 (UK)

Also Known As:

Captain Horatio Hornblower

Filming Locations:

Mediterranean Sea

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1