Hornblower: Loyalty (2003) (TV)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Andrew Grieve

Writers:

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

Release Date:

2 December 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | War

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Cowardice | Landlady | Nephew | Horatio Hornblower | Emigre

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Horatio Hornblower 3 (USA)
Hornblower and the Hotspur (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Singapore:PG | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

Meridian Broadcasting

Trivia:

The white and blue print gown Julia Sawalha (Maria) wears to church is the same costume worn by a gust at the Easter Ball in "Wives and Daughters" (1999).

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): 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).

Quotes:

Commander Horatio Hornblower: For a long time now no one ashore cared much whether I lived or died.
Maria Mason: I care, Horatio. My heart leaps when I hear your footsteps on the stairs and when I hear your voice.

Movie Connections:

Follows Hornblower: Retribution (2001) (TV)

Soundtrack:

God Save the King

Good, but is it Hornblower? Read the books!

By now this series has attracted its own set of fans, so the issue of how faithful it remains to the Forester stories may be moot. Still, I've always been puzzled by one element of the credits -- the show never seems to say which of "the novels of C.S. Forester" a particular movie is based on. LOYALTY and DUTY are loosely based on HORNBLOWER AND THE HOTSPUR, the tale of Hornblower's first command. Gruffudd, though a good enough actor and quite charming, seems to miss what was always the key element of Forester's Hornblower -- his constant self-doubt and crushing insecurity. The power of the novels comes from Hornblower's inability to see his own heroism and greatness for it is. He might be a hero to the world; to himself he was always the gangling Midshipman who was "seasick at Spithead." Julia Sawahla, on the other hand, is a perfect choice for Maria. A comment objected to her seeming "dowdy" -- that is precisely the point. Hornblower's unhappy marriage and unrewarding personal life were always intended to contrast with his glory on the sea. The show is fine -- the books are true classics. If you like the show, be sure to read the book.