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
John Sheahan	...	Irishman
Neil Conrich	...	Bailiff
Simon Delaney	...	French Midshipman

Directed by
Andrew Grieve

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
C.S. Forester		novel "Horatio and the Hotspur"
Niall Leonard		screenplay

Produced by
Andrew Benson	....	producer
Michele Buck	....	executive producer: Granada/LWT
Liz Bunton	....	line producer
Delia Fine	....	executive producer: A&E Network
Emilio Nunez	....	supervising producer: A&E Network

Original Music by
John E. Keane		(as John Keane)

Cinematography by
Chris O'Dell

Film Editing by
Keith Palmer

Casting by
Susie Parriss

Production Design by
Rob Harris

Art Direction by
Stephen Campbell
Paul Cross
Peter Wenham

Set Decoration by
Tina Jones

Costume Design by
John Mollo

Makeup Department
Suzan Broad	....	hair designer
Suzan Broad	....	makeup designer
Maureen Hannaford-Naisbitt	....	makeup artist
Joe Hopker	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Gail Kennett	....	executive in charge of production
Louise Rowe	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sarah Dibsdall	....	second assistant director
Nathan Holmes	....	third assistant director
Radford Neville	....	first assistant director
Morgan Peto	....	assistant director
Lance Roehrig	....	first assistant director
Lance Roehrig	....	second unit director

Art Department
Dave Channon	....	construction manager
Garry Dawson	....	stand-by props
Kevin Day	....	stand-by prop
Katie Lee	....	props buyer

Sound Department
James Bain	....	boom operator
James Bain	....	sound maintenance
Rudi Buckle	....	sound mixer
Rudi Buckle	....	sound recordist
Enzo Cannatella	....	sound effects editor
Michael Crouch	....	supervising sound editor
Colin Martin	....	dubbing mixer
Dave Sloss	....	foley recordist
Mark Verner	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Alex Gurucharri	....	special effects
Tom Harris	....	special effects
Jeremy Lovett	....	senior technician: model unit
Jared Manley	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Phil Attfield	....	digital effects supervisor
Robin Beard	....	digital effects artist
Neil Cunningham	....	visual effects supervisor
Tom Hocking	....	digital compositor: men-from-mars
Viv Jim	....	digital compositor: Men From Mars

Stunts
Jeff Hewitt-Davis	....	stunt arranger

Camera and Electrical Department
Christian Abomnes	....	first assistant camera
Christian Abomnes	....	focus puller
Martin Cox	....	electrician
Paul Donachie	....	camera operator
James Foster	....	second assistant camera
Vince Goddard	....	gaffer
Gwilym Hoosen-Owen	....	electrician
Karl Morgan	....	camera operator
Nigel Permane	....	first assistant camera: model unit
Nigel Stone	....	director of photography: model unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Alan Flyng	....	costume supervisor
Alan Flyng	....	wardrobe master
Barbara Rutter	....	assistant costume designer
Barbara Rutter	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Simon Harris	....	assistant film editor
Vincent Narduzzo	....	telecine colorist (as Vince Narduzzo)
Shane Warden	....	editor: video tape

Other crew
Peter Foster	....	runner
Linda Gibson	....	script supervisor
Will Gould	....	script editor
George Griffiths	....	location manager
Martin Gutteridge	....	director: model unit
Ryan Harrington	....	production coordinator
Sasha Harris	....	production coordinator
Pat Karam	....	location manager
Steve Morphew	....	stand-in: Ioan Gruffudd
Louise O'Malley	....	production accountant
Douglas M. Ray	....	contact: London
Natalie Rogers	....	assistant to producer
Kerry Smith	....	assistant accountant
Derek Wax	....	script executive
Marlea Willis	....	senior unit publicist: A&E Network

Production Companies

• Meridian Broadcasting
• United Film and Television Productions

Distributors

• A&E Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• A&E Home Video (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• A&E Television Networks (2003) (USA) (TV)
• Cinema Club (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Cinema Club (2003) (UK) (VHS)
• ITV DVD (2006) (UK) (DVD)
• Independent Television (ITV) (2003) (UK) (TV)

Other Companies

• Celtic/Picture Palace  series developed by
• International Stunt Company, The  stunt services and rentals

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.