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 With his ship, the Retribution, laid up and his promotion to Commander rescinded as a result, he finds himself a poor Lieutenant in a peace time navy.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

When Hornblower, with his men, is locked in the stocks, he urges them to break free by saying "Two, six, heave". This is a British Royal Navy phrase used to coordinate seamen's pulling.

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Goofs

Admiral Pellew reminds Hornblower that; "In time of war a captain may not sleep out of his ship". The statement is only partially correct. This rule applied only to the Channel Fleet (of which Pellew is the commander in the story).

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Quotes

Styles: How do you make coffee?
Matthews: Do I look like a cook? You and your big mouth!

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Connections

Follows Hornblower: Mutiny (2001)

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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