Horatio Hornblower 3 (2003)

Hornblower is given a dangerous mission to deliver an emigre French nobleman to a secret rendezvous near Brest while coping with enemy agents in his own ranks.

Director:

Andrew Grieve

Writers:

C.S. Forester (novel), Niall Leonard (screenplay)

Stars:

Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Paul McGann

Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ioan Gruffudd	...	Commander Horatio Hornblower
Robert Lindsay	...	Admiral Sir Edward Pellew
Paul McGann	...	Lieutenant Bush
Greg Wise	...	Major Côtard
Lorcan Cranitch	...	Wolfe
Tony Haygarth	...	Master Prowse
Julia Sawalha	...	Maria Mason
Barbara Flynn	...	Mrs. Mason
Paul Copley	...	Matthews
Sean Gilder	...	Styles
Ian McElhinney	...	Captain Hammond
Christian Coulson	...	Midshipman Jack Hammond
Ron Cook	...	Steward James Doughty
Jonathan Forbes	...	Midshipman Charles Orrock
Jim McManus	...	Pawnbroker

Storyline

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 With his ship, the Retribution, laid up and his promotion to Commander rescinded as a result, he finds himself a poor Lieutenant in a peace time navy.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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

landlady | horatio hornblower | sword | traitor | nephew | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | War

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 December 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Horatio Hornblower 3

Filming Locations:

Erme Estuary, Mothercombe, Devon, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

A&E Network, Meridian Broadcasting, United Film and Television Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tony Haygarth (Master Prowse) starred as Marshal Pot-au-Feu in Sharpe's Enemy (1994) and Sir Willoughby Parfitt in Sharpe's Justice (1997) also set during the Napoleonic Wars.

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Goofs

A Radar reflector can be seen tied in the halyard above the national colors of the Hotspur.

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Quotes

Commander Horatio Hornblower: [Speaking of the loyalty of Irish sailors to the British Crown] It is better to earn loyalty than to demand it.
Admiral Sir Edward Pellew: When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Commander Horatio Hornblower: Sir?
Admiral Sir Edward Pellew: Hmmm. You know, Hornbloer, it is very hard for a father to see his children grow up.
Commander Horatio Hornblower: I'm not sure I understand you, sir.
Admiral Sir Edward Pellew: I dare say, you will.

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Connections

Follows Horatio Hornblower: The Duel (1998)

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Soundtracks

God Save the King
Traditional

User Reviews

Who do you support... and how?

Peace has broken out. Of course, it's not certain it'll last. Not every Frenchman appreciates Napoleon, however - Major Côtard(Wise, solid as a pampered nobleman) will need transport, to meet with other friendlies, in his homeland. Hornblower(Gruffudd, driven by a sense of justice, yet not always virtuous) gets command(one of his first - he was granted the honor near the end of the war; in fact, he's had trouble making rent in his time on land) of the small ship charged with the task, and he brings in Bush(McGann, strict but not without sympathy). But some things don't seem to go as expected - could there be an enemy among the sparse crew?

This goes into themes of friendship, trust, discipline, and, yes, loyalty - what side one chooses, how that comes into play. It enters into the side plot, as well - our titular lead is in love with the daughter of his landlady, and the feeling is mutual. However, can he genuinely help her, and in what way? Explored again are negatives and positives of the navy, society and the like, of the period. Filming(seldom betraying that this was made for TV), editing, script, dialog, acting, humor, action, tension, all are compelling.

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