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:

The sun never sets on his world of adventure.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Captain Hornblower and his companions reach the town of Nantes, they board a British captured vessel called the "Witch of Endor". The name comes from a Biblical character, but only appears in the Jewish version as such, in the Christian version she is known as "the woman that hath a familiar spirit in En-dor".

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Goofs

The date on the first captain's log entry is a date in September that is only correct for the year 1808. During action in October, Hornblower says the Lydia has been at sea for eight months, which would mean it departed England in February 1808. However, the introduction of the film states that the voyage began in 1807.

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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

Featured in The Man Behind the Gun (1953)

User Reviews

Only in technicolor can you get a sky like that!

This film has a great story (C.S.Forester wrote the script from his novels), solid lead acting from Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo as the romantic interest, super supporting cast, and that beautiful '50s technicolor! Push the pause button on this film anywhere; the cinematography is lush, gaudy and gorgeous! I don't know how historically accurate the battle scenes are, but they kept me glued. (Questions I had during the battle scene: doesn't it hurt when a mast falls on you? How do they clean up after the battle?) I don't know a yardarm from a topsail, but Gregory Peck convinced me he knew every time he'd squint up at the top of the mast, or yell out "clear for action!" I was a sucker for Midshipman Langley and Lady Wellsely's exchange after the battle but El Supremo's makeup man should have been whipped with the cat'o'nine tails! The ending was "way too" convenient: Let's hope A & E's rendition is a winner!

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