![Hornblower - The Complete Collection [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81fqPc3yBrL.jpg)
Digitally re-mastered for the very first time. Epic award-winning films based on C.S. Forester’s classic adventure stories. Set during the 18th century Napoleonic Wars, Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd), a young and shy midshipman, rises through the ranks to become an admiral, braving bloody engagements at sea and close quarter encounters with passionate ladies every bit as tenacious as his treacherous foes. Episodes include:The Even ChanceThe Examination For LieutenantThe Duchess And The DevilThe Frogs And The LobstersMutinyRetributionLoyaltyDutyStarring Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, John Woodvine & Cherie Lunghi The Even Chance Horatio Hornblower, a new midshipman joins the British Royal Navy, and his immediate problems stem from his seasickness and a shipmate, Simpson, a bully whose own failings make him jealous of the new recruit. The antagonism leads to a duel with tragic results.The Examination For Lieutenant Hornblower is now a member of the crew under Captain Pellew on HMS Indefatigable, and Britain is at war. Trying to study for the forthcoming examination to become a Lieutenant, Hornblower must face deadly problems and come through with his life--if he can.The Duchess And The Devil Lieutenant Horatio Hornblower is sailing home in a captured ship, La Rêve, carrying secret papers and escorting a duchess, when they themselves are taken prisoner by the Spanish. How can he escape with his top secret charge, the other prisoners, and above all, a duchess whose behaviour is becoming increasingly suspicious?The Frogs And The Lobsters When Hornblower is charged with taking some British Redcoats (the Lobsters) and French nationalists (the frogs) over the English Channel to assist in the fightback against the French Revolution, he is overcome with horror at the brutality of their behaviour, and must defend the honour of a young French woman.Mutiny Hornblower is 4th junior Lieutenant aboard the 4-gun frigate HMS Renown, en route to a secret location. Her captain, Sawyer, is a war hero, but he is also dangerously unstable. Hornblower becomes aware that action of some kind has to be taken but he and the other officers are only too aware of the consequences. Anything they do would be construed as a mutinous action and be punishable by death. Dr Clive, the surgeon, is equally worried and cannot be brought to declare the captain unfit for service. But Sawyer is informed that his officers are planning mutiny, he flies into a rage, and hunts them down, only to end up severely incapacitated. The Renown is left without a captain, or any clear idea of what its destination or mission are.Retribution With Sawyer dead, Buckland takes control of the ship, but he is not up to the task, and decides to sail to Jamaica, despite the failure of the mission to capture the Spanish fort on Samana Bay. Hornblower suggests another plan of attack which goes well, although Buckland takes all the credit for the raid's success. But the Spanish capitulation isn't all it seems, and Hornblower will have to come to Buckland's rescue once more before they reach Jamaica.Loyalty 1803 Portsmouth. We find Hornblower reduced to the rank of lieutenant as a result of the peace treaty with France. He is forced to earn his living at the card tables and lodges with Mrs Mason. A chance encounter with Lieutenant Bush reignites their friendship and indeed, it is Bush who first notices Hornblower has an admirer: Mrs Mason's daughter, Maria. Soon, Admiral Pellew promotes Hornblower to Commander of the Hotspur, his mission--to strike a pre-emptive blow against a French fleet. But there is a traitor in his camp--a very surprising traitor.Duty Hornblower is filled with trepidation on his wedding day, but he has given his word - how could he dishonour his bride Maria and live with himself? Admiral Pellew gives Hornblower little time to ponder his new state of matrimony as he sends him off immediately to search for the missing sloop Grasshopper, captained by their old friend, Bracegirdle. En route, Hornblower rescues two strangers caught in a storm off the coast of France, but he is less than convinced by their explanations. The ultimate revelation of their identity is both shocking and dangerous to all concerned.
S**E
No complaints
Arrived quickly and in good condition. Good storyline.
J**S
Excellent But Hardly Hornblower
It is great pity that no more of these fine adaptations of C S Forester's seafaring novels are being made because they are simply too expensive - a great pity but hardly a great surprise: indeed, the only surprise is that such sumptuous productions were ever possible on television budgets. They are triumphs of high production values: every penny can be seen there on the screen - in the splendid location work, in the meticulously authentic costumes, in the use of ships, in the details of everyday life at sea and on land, and in the casting, which had great strength in depth. They bear honourable comparison with the magnificent film version of Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander, which had the advantage of a huge Hollywood budget. If they could be viewed in their own right, as the tales of a generic Nelsonian-era naval officer, they would certainly deserve five stars. The problem is that, having used the Hornblower name, they open themselves to the criticism that the television Hornblower is not the Hornblower of the novels. The whole point of Forester's hero is that he is a particularly lonely, emotionally-guarded man in an emotionally-guarded environment. Some studio executive doubtless pointed out that key demographics of the target audience might have difficulty "relating" to such a character. So we have Hornblower and even Pellew emoting all over the place, and given a surrogate father-son relationship which, although acted with great skill, undermines Forester's entire concept. That said, some of the adaptations do improve on the books. The best is the second season two-parter, which expands the novel Lieutenant Hornblower into a clever tribute to The Caine Mutiny, and which boasts two brilliant guest performances: David Warner as a heroic captain losing his mind; and Philip Glenister as a warrant officer who is at first reminiscent of the satanic Master-at-Arms Claggart in Billy Budd but is gradually revealed as far more complex. As with so many Region 2 sets, there are none of the extras that seem to be found more often in Region 1 collections - which is doubly regrettable in this case because a "How They Made It" documentary would have been particularly interesting for this production.
M**S
ROUSING FARE, GREATLY ENJOYED
C.S. Forester's tales of Horatio Hornblower are here transferred magnificently to the small screen, Ioan Gruffudd excellent as the young naval officer movingly determined to do his duty. Well meaning and idealistic, he forever has to adapt to circumstances - not only posed by weather and war, but by violent bullies, and superior officers who are reckless, dithery or unhinged. Fortunately his worth is soon recognized by Captain Pellew (Robert Lindsay), he to advise and discreetly to champion his cause.The series was shown between 1998 and 2003, this box set a fine souvenir of the acclaimed eight feature-length episodes. (No bonuses, alas.)It proves one of those happy occasions when talents have converged. Fine scripts. Great acting. Dramatic sequences both on land and sea, no holding back as battles rage, storms buffet, certain favourite characters are lost. Most viewers will completely identify with Horatio. When he suffers (which he does a lot), so do they. When he succeeds (which he does a lot too), they share his triumph.So many full-blooded characters! So many surprises, betrayals, unexpected alliances, changes of fortune! So much will linger long in the mind, especially those who posed particular problems. Examples? Certainly Dorian Healy in the very first episode, genuinely chilling as bully Simpson determined to bring Horatio down. Certainly David Warner as paranoid Captain Sawyer - humiliations and savage punishments liberally bestowed for the slightest offence, real or imagined. Then there is Antony Sher as an aristocrat returning to France to settle old scores, a guillotine part of his luggage....Too gung-ho and politically incorrect by modern standards? Not for fans who instead hail so much to admire, aspects of the Napoleonic Wars brought so vividly to the screen.Despite all the praise, the series was axed as too expensive. Interestingly, though, it could still be revived with Ioan Gruffudd as its star (should he so wish). The novels trace Horatio's progress to the pinnacle of his career, there thus plenty of material for further thoroughly entertaining adventures.
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