Horatio Hornblower: The Wrong War (1999)

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

Director:

Andrew Grieve

Writers:

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

Stars:

Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Antony Sher

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ioan Gruffudd	...	Lieutenant Horatio Hornblower
Robert Lindsay	...	Captain Sir Edward Pellew
Antony Sher	...	Colonel Moncoutant
Samuel West	...	Major Lord Edrington
John Shrapnel	...	General Charette
Peter Vaughan	...	Admiral Lord Hood
Estelle Skornik	...	Mariette
Jamie Bamber	...	Acting Lieutenant Archie Kennedy
Jonathan Coy	...	Lieutenant Bracegirdle
Colin MacLachlan	...	Master Bowles
Paul Copley	...	Matthews
Sean Gilder	...	Styles
Simon Sherlock	...	Oldroyd
Jean Badin	...	Fauré
Ian Lindsay	...	Collins

Storyline

Hornblower is called to take a company of British troops (which the sailors call lobsters because of their red coats) and a company of French nationalists to France to fight in the revolution. But Hornblower is horrified by the brutality of the French commander as he guillotines everyone in a village that destroyed his former home and his unwillingness to take part in the actual battles. However, when the commander and his men set out to rape and brutalize a young school teacher, Hornblower vows his protection of her.

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Plot Keywords:

year 1797 | brittany | french | invasion | battle | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

In the original novel Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, "The Frogs and the Lobsters" occurs before Hornblower receives his promotion to Lieutenant, or even being ranked Acting-Lieutenant. Furthermore, the novel does not have any love interest for Hornblower.

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Goofs

Right after Hornblower finds the cap of the artillery soldier, when the British are crossing the meadow (1:12:56 mark), the soldier closer to the viewer pulls the trigger of his rifle, but it does not fire. While the flintlock rifle shown in the film was known for misfiring occasionally, particularly when wet, the soldier does not react to his weapon not working, and even acts out the recoil.

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Quotes

Acting Lt. Archie Kennedy: Keep your head or you will lose it!

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Connections

Featured in The Story of the Costume Drama: A Call to Arms (2008)

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Soundtracks

The British Grenadiers
Traditional

User Reviews

Based on the C.S. Forester classics

The last (well, I hope not) in an extremely high-quality series following the travails of the honorable 18th-century naval officer, Horatio Hornblower. Performances and writing are exceptional, and so are the lessons that we (and Horatio) learn in this episode.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

25 April 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Horatio Hornblower: The Wrong War

Filming Locations:

Peniche, Portugal

Company Credits

Production Co:

A+E Networks, Meridian Broadcasting, United Film and Television Productions

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1