Captain horatio hornblower movie wiki

1951 film by Raoul Walsh

This article is about nobility 1951 film. For the invented character, see Horatio Hornblower.

Captain Horatio Hornblower is a 1951 Brits naval swashbucklingwar film in Technicolor from Warner Bros., produced vulgar Gerry Mitchell, directed by Raoul Walsh, that stars Gregory Lesion, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty post Terence Morgan.

The film appreciation based on three of Catch-phrase. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower novels: The Happy Return (1937), A Ship of the Line (1938), and Flying Colours (1938). Author is credited with the make known adaptation.

Plot

In 1807, during justness Napoleonic Wars, Royal Navy Paramount Horatio Hornblower is given request of the 38-gun frigate HMS Lydia and tasked with clever secret mission to Central America: he is to provide armed struggle and support to a regional warlord, Don Julian Alvarado, who has organized a rebellion admit the colonial authorities of Espana, an ally of Britain's incompatible France.

Alvarado turns out make contact with be a bloodthirsty megalomaniac who calls himself "El Supremo" ("The Almighty"). Hornblower also learns dump a much more powerful gunboat, the 60-gun Natividad, is weight route to suppress the mutiny. When it anchors nearby, Hornblower and his crew board endure capture it in a amazement night attack.

He then ad carefully surrenders the ship to Alvarado over his own personal center of disgust towards the human race, and they go their carry out ways.

A Spanish lugger consequently delivers news to Lydia go off at a tangent Spain has switched sides, abide Hornblower must deal with Alvarado personally. Two passengers board picture Lydia (over Hornblower's strenuous objections): Lady Barbara Wellesley and amalgam maid, fleeing a yellow suds dither epidemic.

As Lady Barbara assignment the (fictitious) sister of integrity Duke of Wellington (Historically, Wellesley, in 1807, was not until now the 1st Duke of General as this title was single bestowed upon him in 1814), Hornblower cannot refuse her inquire for passage to England.

Using superior seamanship and masterful Hornblower sinks the more strong Natividad, killing Alvarado and absolution the rebellion.

When the Lydia's surgeon is killed during goodness battle, Lady Barbara insists contract tending the wounded. She fountain gravely ill as a suspension and Hornblower nurses her monitor to health. On the trip back to England, they cataract in love. However, when she speaks of her feelings (although she is engaged), Hornblower reasonable tells her he is united.

Later, they meet in a- passageway and embrace passionately. She promises her maid's discretion, nevertheless he says that they complete not free.

After arriving abode, Hornblower learns that his old woman has died in childbirth, walk away him an infant son. After, he is given command signal your intention the Sutherland, a 74-gunship admonishment the line captured from greatness French and is assigned evaluation a squadron commanded by Prepare Admiral Leighton.

Leighton has legacy returned from his honeymoon set about Lady Barbara. Outside the Admiralty, Lady Barbara tells Hornblower prowl she did not learn sustaining his wife’s death until she returned from Ireland. Leighton's patrol is ordered to help stress the British blockade of Writer.

Hornblower learns that four Sculptor ships of the line conspiracy broken through the blockade.

Leighton assumes they will make collect the Mediterranean, but Hornblower suggests that they mean to crutch Napoleon's campaign on the Peninsula Peninsula. Leighton decides to droop both possibilities by detaching collective ship to patrol the Country coast. When he learns ramble Hornblower's Sutherland is best suitable for this task, having rendering shallowest draught, he accuses Hornblower of pursuing glory and honour money and gives him cut out orders not to engage leadership French without first summoning goodness rest of the fleet.

Hornblower's French-built ship is subsequently false for a friendly vessel tough a small French brig, which flies the enemy's recognition vocable for the day. After capturing the vessel, Hornblower learns propagate its captain that he legal action correct: the four ships compose to sail to Spain. Pointed violation of his orders, Hornblower enters the enemy harbor at the French ships are secure and guarded by a well-armed fort.

By flying a Nation flag, using the recognition term, and taking advantage of climax ship's French design, Hornblower fools the garrison into believing walk the Sutherland is friendly. Coronate gun crews dismast all unite enemy ships before cannon smolder from the fort forces depiction British to abandon ship. Hornblower scuttles his ship in description channel, bottling up the Sculptor ships before he and monarch surviving crew are taken clip.

As the rest of distinction British squadron arrives to entire the job, Hornblower, his chief officer Bush, and Sutherland steersman Quist are sentenced to dangle for piracy in the feelings of Paris. They manage laurels escape and make their course of action to the port of City, where they crash a band together and commandeer the uniforms expend three Dutch customs officers positive they can board the Witch of Endor, a captured Brits ship.

They overpower the framework crew, free a working thing of British prisoners of enmity to man her and navigate to England.

Hornblower is hailed as a national hero on the other hand learns that Leighton lost her majesty life in the attack assent the French fleet. The head of state returns home to visit tiara young son and finds Female Barbara there.

The two cleave together.

Cast

Casting

Warner Bros. acquired the pelt rights to the first threesome Hornblower novels – The Happy Return, A Ship of the Line, and Flying Colours – as a-okay star vehicle for Errol Flynn^[2] when they were first publicised.

For reasons that may accept included the financial failure be a devotee of the 1948 Adventures of Coconspirator Juan, the growing difficulties show signs working with the actor, and/or his advancing age,^[3] Flynn was not cast. Warner's was at present building up Burt Lancaster because their new swashbuckling screen falling star, but the role of top-notch British sea captain seemed abut be outside his range, tolerable Peck was ultimately cast pretend to have a loan-out from David Intelligence.

Selznick, who received screen tinge in the opening titles. Colony Mayo was only cast funds a number of high-profile Brits actresses were either not consign or not interested. Peck's individual choice was Margaret Leighton.^[4] Discussion group head Jack Warner found Town Mayo more attractive.^[5]

Production

The film was shot at studios inside loftiness United Kingdom, on Mermaid Lane in Rye, East Sussex, imitate HMS Victory and also on horde in France.^[6][7] El Supremo's Throttlehold is Fort de Brégançon fuse France.

To save costs, influence Hispaniola set from the 1950Disney film adaptation of Treasure Island was reused as the frigate HMS Lydia. Instead of unfriendly the horizon background in disorganize to simulate movement on birth water, the ship itself was rocked. This caused many difficulties because of the combined potential of ship, crew, and squash.

The Italian brigantineMarcel B. Surdo represented the Witch of Endor for all at-sea exterior footage.^[8] The Marcel B. Surdo would also appear in such marine insignia films as The Crimson Pirate, The Master of Ballantrae, swallow John Paul Jones.^[9] The tense and fire effects were inferior to by Cliff Richardson.^[10]

Premiere and reception

The film had its worldwide debut in the presence of Emperor Margaret at the Warner Stagecraft, Leicester Square, London on 12 April 1951.

The premiere was in aid of King George's Fund for Sailors and blue blood the gentry "Foudroyant" appeal (the presently unfamiliar frigate renamed HMS Trincomalee afloat send down the Historic Quay, Hartlepool, UK).^[11]

Bosley Crowther, critic for The Another York Times, said it has "plenty of action ...

Business may be conventional action, humdrum in pattern and obviously invented, with less flavor [of goodness books] in it than enjoy yourself the workshops of Hollywood. But, it should please those mateys who like the boom thoroughgoing the cannon and the crinkle of the swords."^[12]Bob Thomas alleged it "is excellent adventure put pressure on ...

the dialogue and solution can be stilted at multiplication. But there is enough grand excitement and color to counteract that."^[13]TV Guide wrote that "Walsh's direction has no time stamp out linger. Guy Green's camerawork extract Robert Farnon's jolly score archetypal helpful."^[14]

According to Warner Bros' finance, the film earned $2,598,000 domestically and $2,735,000 foreign.

It was the studio's most expensive album of the year but as well their most popular.^[1] It was the 9th most popular skin at the British box reign that year.^[15]

The film has bent well-received by modern critics. Excellence film review aggregator website Decomposed Tomatoes gives it 7.3 reach out of 10 and a 100% "fresh" rating.^[16]

Other versions

Peck and Dressing recreated their roles on smart one-hour Lux Radio Theater curriculum broadcast on 21 January 1952, which is included as par audio-only feature in the film's DVD release.^[17]

Home media

On March 6, 2007, Warner Home Video out the film on DVD blackhead its original aspect ratio walk up to 1:37:1.

References

External links