Hornblower: Mutiny (2001)

Hornblower and his comrades come under the command of a revered but obviously mentally unstable captain and eventually must mutiny.

Director:

Andrew Grieve

Writers:

T.R. Bowen (screenplay), C.S. Forester (books)

Stars:

Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, David Warner

Nominated for 7 Primetime Emmys. Another 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ioan Gruffudd	...	Lieutenant Horatio Hornblower
Robert Lindsay	...	Commodore Sir Edward Pellew
David Warner	...	Captain James Sawyer
Nicholas Jones	...	Lieutenant Buckland
Paul McGann	...	Lieutenant Bush
Jamie Bamber	...	Lieutenant Archie Kennedy
Philip Glenister	...	Gunner Hobbs
Paul Copley	...	Matthews
Sean Gilder	...	Styles
David Rintoul	...	Dr. Clive
Terence Corrigan	...	Midshipman Wellard
Gilly Gilchrist	...	Randall
Paul Brightwell	...	Sergeant Whiting
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Moses Rockman	...	Bowman

Storyline

Sir Edward Pellew visits Horatio Hornblower who is jail in Jamaica awaiting his trial on a charge of making a mutiny. His problems began six months earlier when he was appointed Third Lieutenant aboard the HMS Renown under the famous Captain James Sawyer. It soon becomes apparent to several of the officers, including Horatio's friend Archie Kennedy who is aboard ship as Fourth Lieutenant that the Captain is suffering from madness of some sort. He is cruel and sees conspiracies everywhere. Both Horatio and Midshipman Welland prove to be the particular objects of his wrath. The situation is not helped by an inexperience First Lieutenant who does not command the Captain's respect and a newly arrived Second Lieutenant who doesn't seem ready to challenge the Captain in any way.

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Plot Keywords:

ambiguous scene | moral choice | naval mutiny | naval battle | refusing to obey orders | 

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Taglines:

He's Back!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

While sentencing Hornblower to a continuous watch, Captain Sawyer's pupils appear to be mismatched (the right one being wider than the left). This is usually an indicator of brain damage, an early sign of the captain's poor mental health and later breakdown.

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Goofs

At the very beginning of the feature, as the redcoat soldiers are marching into the island fort, briefly visible over the fort bridge are metal poles and a bar link fence clearly placed on the bridge for modern day safety purposes.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Cmmdre. Sir Edward Pellew: So you believe the Captain's behaviour was due to him falling down the hold.
3rd Lt. Horatio Hornblower: That's what seemed to push him over the edge.
Cmmdre. Sir Edward Pellew: That's an interesting choice of words, Mr. Hornblower.
[walks towards Hornblower]
Cmmdre. Sir Edward Pellew: How did the Captain come to fall?

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Connections

Follows Horatio Hornblower: The Duel (1998)

User Reviews

Hierarchy

We meet Hornblower(Gruffudd, with a strong sense of justice, though he doesn't always make the right decisions) in prison - facing the charge of mutiny! With the framing device securely put in place, the rest of this is presented as one long flashback. Him and his men serve under Capt. Sawyer(Warner, who renders the role explosively unpredictable, going back and forth between unflinching determination, and resigning confusion, in his eyes), who they gradually come to doubt the mental well-being of. But the man is a hero! One of the most revered commanders - and his own crew hold him in such high regard.

This is one of the most thrilling entries. With Sir Pellew(Lindsay, tough, but fair) no longer in charge of our heroes, the problem they face is at the top of their own ranks. This explores potential problems with the military where each post has the hands necessary to run it - what if just a few vital ones fail to live up to their responsibility? The filming(barely ever letting slip that this was made for TV), editing, writing, acting, production values(just look at those ships!), richness in detail, realism, all superb. Themes explored include the enemy within, loyalty, rules, leadership, and acceptance.

There is some disturbing, bloody, brutal and violent content in this. I recommend this to fans of drama. 8/10

Details

Official Sites:

A&E Television Networks

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 April 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Horatio Hornblower: The Mutiny

Filming Locations:

South Devon, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1