Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Ivan Goff (screenplay) &
Ben Roberts (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 April 1951 (UK)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

Tagline:

Wherever adventure beckons, you'll find Captain Horatio Hornblower!

Plot:

During the Napoleonic wars, a British naval captain has adventures in Central American waters.

Plot Keywords:

Napoleonic Wars | Frigate | Megalomaniac | British Navy | Fortress

Cast

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	...	Entenza

Also Known As:

Captain Horatio Hornblower (USA)

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-16 | UK:U | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Patric Doonan replaced Raymond Sherry.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the Lydia's battle with the Natividad, the main topgallant staysail (top sail, middle mast) on the Lydia vanishes early in the battle. We can tell because the sail in front of it on the foremast is shot down. Later in the battle, the Natividad fires at the rigging, and then the main topgallant staysail is shot down. Also in the later shot the top sail on the foremast briefly reappears. Then still later, both sails reappear for a shot of the Lydia sailing, and then they disappear again as the Lydia closes in to destroy the Natividad.

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...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Monkees: Hitting the High Seas (#2.12)" (1967)

A Serene Noble Epic, Masterfully Told

I don't know that much about the story of Captain Horatio Hornblower, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of this version. I saw it because I was interested in its director Raoul Walsh, who creates another of his roaring and high-spirited masterworks with this serene, honest, swiftly-paced adventure of the 19th-century British Fleet Captain, from the celebrated three novels by C. F. Forester. Walsh depicts Hornblower, fantastically incarnated by Gregory Peck, as a modest man characterized by a sense of duty and honor. Peck is perfect for the role. Aided by stunning Technicolor scenery and marvellous score, this simple epic on the high seas navigates through several battles in Spain, France, and South America. Walsh's staging of the battle scenes is flawless. But I was really impressed by the romantic moments by Hornblower and Virginia Mayo's Lady Barbara Wellesley. Their love scenes are wonderfully gentle and moving without being forcefully sentimental.

"Captain Horatio Hornblower" is a great timeless classic from a master director.