Print Page - Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)

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Plot: At the beginning of the XIXth century, Captain Horatio Hornblower sails to the Pacific coast of America. His mission is to deliver guns to El Supremo, a local leader who wants to attack the Spaniards. This would benefit England, as it would spread the war against Napoleon and his allies to America, forcing them to split their forces. But after providing El Supremo with weapons and a ship, he learns that Spain now fights on England's side. To further complicate things, Hornblower is forced to accept a woman, Lady Barbara Wellesley, onboard.

Comment: I was a bit reluctant to watch this one, to be honest. I like some of Raoul Walsh's other films, such as "Objective, Burma!", but I find the universal praise the European critics give him a tad too excessive. I remember watching "World in his arms" and thinking it's great at some spots, but a far cry from the masterpiece those same critics say. And if Anthony Quinn wasn't there to steal some scenes, I may be even less impresed by it.

Thankfully, "Captain Horatio Hornblower" is a much better film. I found difficult not to think of "Master and Commander" while I was watching it. After all, both films are set in the same period, and one could think of Jack Aubrey as a less bitter version of Hornblower. I have to say that Hornblower himself and Gregory Peck are my least favorite things for the movie. Hornblower isn't exactly a very complex character, and Peck seems decided not to make him much sympathetic. And except Lady Barbara, he doesn't have any character who may help us to see more of his human side. Now I can understand why "Master & Commander" was built around the interactions between Aubrey and the ship's doctor, because a film carried by Aubry alone wouldn't have been half as interesting.

But if Hornblower isn't much interesting as a character, at least his adventures are. The whole affair with El Supremo is great to watch. The actor who plays El Supremo delivers one of the campiest performances I've ever seen, and he's a riot. And then, just when Hornblower thinks he can forget about the whole thing and go back to England, he is forced to attack and destroy El Supremo's ship before he attacks Spain, now an ally. The twists and turns of the plot are funny enough, but the campy acting and the terrific naval battle that ensues are top notch, and I don't care if the models and the Technicolor look fake. It somehow adds to the fun.

Then the movie changes pace again and it loses some steam. Hornblower returns to England and tries to forget about Lady Barbara, and meanwhile he has to deal with the death of his wife and having a newborn son. The image of Hornblower in full uniform holding his newborn baby and trying to deal with the news is hilarious, but despite that I couldn't wait to see Hornblower in action again. And luckily it does not take much longer. This time he fights the French in their own turf, by attacking several cargo ships inside a well defended bay. It's another terrific battle scene, one that alone justifies watching the movie, and Hornblower's adventures don't even finish here, but I won't spoil the fun for you.

So... in the end I guess I'd be giving the film something like a 4/5. When the film's good, it's very good. But at some points it just doesn't work that well. It certainly doesn't help preoceedings that the story is a bit patchy. As "Master and Commander", this film is based on a series of books, and maybe they tried to cram too much stuff in one film. As for Peck... I don't know. His gruff demeanor and frowned expression worked great in other movies, such as in "Duel in the sun" and "Behold a pale horse", were he played ambivalent characters, but here we are supposed to root for him all the time and I just found him too unsympathetic at some points. I've heard of a British series dealing with Hornblower, and one of the things that intrigue me is how much of a difference will make to have another actor playing Hornblower. We'll see.

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Movies => Good Movies => Topic started by: Neville on December 30, 2010, 11:23:44 AM