CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER R.N.

'''Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.''' (released in the U.S. without the "R.N.") is a 1951 naval adventure film. It was directed by Raoul Walsh and stars Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, and Robert Beatty.
It was based upon three of the Horatio Hornblower novels of C. S. Forester, ''The Happy Return'' (''Beat to Quarters'' in the United States), ''A Ship of the Line'', and ''Flying Colours''. Forester shared writing credits; the film was faithful to his novels and features an occasionally introspective tone unusual for an old-fashioned swashbuckler.

Contents

Plot

Background and production

Cast

Other versions

Notes

External links

Plot

'Opening Narration': ''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 Napoleon, 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... headed north again into the Pacific. For seven months, she stayed out of sight of land. Becalmed finally, her weary crew toiled at the oars in the vain hope of towing her into a wind. They thirsted and hungered and wondered where she was going, what they would do when they got there... if she got there. These were things known only to one man.''

That man is Captain Horatio Hornblower (Gregory Peck). His mission is to provide arms and support to the megalomaniac calling himself "El Supremo" or "The Almighty" (Alec Mango) in his rebellion against Spain, an ally of Britain's enemy France during the Napoleonic Wars.
Upon his arrival, the Englishman is told that a larger, much more powerful Spanish warship, the 50-gun ''Natividad'', has been sighted. When it anchors nearby, Hornblower and his crew board and capture it in a surprise night-time attack. He then reluctantly hands the ship over to El Supremo to appease the madman and they go their separate ways.
Later, he encounters a small Spanish vessel with a pair of troublesome passengers. First, a Spanish official informs him (and provides proof) that Spain has switched sides. Then Lady Barbara Wellesley (Virginia Mayo) "requests" passage back to England for her and her maid. Due to a deadly epidemic raging ashore and her influential relations (she is the fictitious sister of Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington), Hornblower is in no position to refuse, even though he has to find and sink the ''Natividad''. Using masterful tactics, he accomplishes his mission.

On the voyage back to England, Lady Barbara falls ill (of what Hornblower mistakenly believes is yellow fever) and is nursed back to health by him. They spend many enjoyable nights talking and playing whist, and fall in love, but he rejects her advances as he is married, to her embarrassment.
After arriving home, he learns that his wife Maria has died. Hornblower is given command of the ''Sutherland'', a powerful ship of the line captured from the French, and is assigned to a squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Sir Rodney Leighton (Denis O'Dea), Lady Barbara's pompous new husband. The squadron's mission is to enforce the British blockade against Napoleonic France.
On his way to rendezvous with the squadron, Hornblower's French-built ship is mistaken for a friendly vessel by a French boat, making for its easy capture. He learns the enemy's recognition signal for the day and that four French ships of the line have slipped the blockade and are heading to Spain, carrying troops and supplies to the French armies there.

Without orders, Hornblower decides on his own initiative to attempt to find and sink the ships. He locates them anchored in a harbor guarded by a well-armed fort. By flying a French flag and the recognition signal and taking advantage of the appearance of his ship, he fools the French into believing he is one of them, enters the harbor unhindered and sinks or damages all four ships. The French fort then opens fire, and Hornblower, First Lieutenant Bush (Robert Beatty), and the rest of the crew are forced to abandon ship.
The rest of the British squadron arrives shortly afterwards to complete the job; Leighton is killed in the resulting battle. Hornblower and Bush, accompanied by seaman Quist (James Robertson Justice), are taken by carriage to Paris to be tried on the trumped-up charge of spying. They manage to escape en route and make their way to a port. Disguised as Dutch officers, they board ''The Witch of Endor'', a captured British ship, overpower the skeleton crew, free a working party of British prisoners of war to man her, and sail away to freedom.
At his mandatory courtmartial, Hornblower is acquitted and becomes a national hero. With Maria and Lady Barbara's husband both deceased, the two lovebirds are reunited.

Background and production

Warner Bros. acquired the films rights to the first three Hornblower novels -- ''Beat to Quarters'' (1937), ''A Ship of the Line'' (1938), and ''Flying Colours'' (1938) -- as a star vehicle for Errol Flynn when they were initially published. However, after the financial failure of the 1948 adventure romance film ''Adventures of Don Juan'', as well as growing difficulties with the actor, Flynn was not cast. Warners was already building up Burt Lancaster as their new swashbuckling screen star, but the role of a British sea captain seemed to be outside of his range, so Peck was ultimately cast on a loan-out from David O. Selznick who received screen credit in the opening titles.
The film cost $3,000,000 to make, and was filmed in studios inside the United Kingdom, at HMS ''Victory'', and on locations in France.^[1][2] To save costs, the ''Hispaniola'' set from the 1950 Disney film adaptation of ''Treasure Island'' was reused as the frigate HMS ''Lydia''. However, the ship was rocked instead of moving the horizon background, which caused many problems because of the combined weight of ship crew and equipment. The Italian brigantine ''Marcel B. Surdo'' represented the ''The Witch of Endor'' for all at-sea exterior footage.^[3] The ''Marcel B. Surdo'' would also appear in such seafaring films as ''The Crimson Pirate'', ''The Master of Ballantrae'', and ''John Paul Jones''.^[4]
The film made its world-wide premiere in New York City on September 13, 1951.

Cast

★ Gregory Peck as Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N.

★ Virginia Mayo as Lady Barbara Wellesley

★ Robert Beatty as First Lieutenant William Bush

★ Terence Morgan as Second Lieutenant Gerard, an officer on the ''Lydia''

★ Moultrie Kelsall as Third Lieutenant Crystal, an officer on the ''Lydia''

★ James Kenney as Midshipman Longley

★ James Robertson Justice as Seaman Quist, who helps Hornblower and Bush escape

★ Denis O'Dea as Rear Admiral Sir Rodney 'Mucho Pomposo' Leighton

★ Richard Hearne as Polwheal, Hornblower's steward

★ Michael Dolan as Surgeon Gundarson

★ Stanley Baker as Mr. Harrison, Hornblower's bosun

★ Alec Mango as El Supremo (Don Julian Alvarado)

★ Christopher Lee as the Spanish captain of the ''Natividad''

★ Ingeborg von Kusserow as Hebe, Lady Barbara's maid

★ Amy Veness as Mrs. McPhee, Hornblower's housekeeper

★ Diane Cilento as the voice of Hornblower's wife Maria, reciting a letter written to him on her deathbed

Other versions

Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo recreated their roles on a one-hour ''Lux Radio Theater'' program broadcast on January 21, 1952, which is included as an audio-only feature in the film's DVD release.^[5]

Notes

1. Budget
2. Locations
3. Films of the Sea
4. Historic Tall Ships Replicas
5. Review @ Classic Film Guide

External links

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★ Review @ ''DVD Journal''

★ Review @ Decent Films Guide

★ Review @ Classic Film Guide