Horatio Hornblower. A name that no one or nothing could gain any respect with. Or so one would think. Based on C.S. Forester’s novels of the same name (which I have not yet read, so I don’t know how loosely), this A&E miniseries starts off kind of slow. Luckily, the characters, if not the plot, are immediately endearing and it doesn’t take too incredibly long to become totally hooked.
The cast is composed of highly obscure actors, which is just the way I like it. The thing with casting highly obscure actors is that either the movie is worthless and there was a tiny budget, or the actors are genuinely good and the directors felt that they could trust their work with them. Considering the fact that Hornblower is an A&E production, which is a notoriously good sign, one has to assume that this is one of the latter cases. And one would be absolutely correct.
The following is a short list of the most important (or at least the most interesting) characters from the show (saving my baby, of course. Unfortunately, he really doesn’t matter a whole heckuvalot in the long run):
Ioan Gruffudd stars as our hero, the young naval officer Horatio Hornblower. He joins the British Royal Navy as a midshipman at the age of seventeen. By the end of his first day at sea, he has managed to make a friend or two, as well as a rather unfortunate enemy. Through the six episodes that have thus far been released, we see him mature from an awkward boy who could use some Dramamine to an almost overconfident young man who could do to be a bit more wary of his dealings with his commanding officers. He got off awfully easy on the Indi, which was likely the reason he gets in trouble further down the line.
Robert Lindsay also gets top billing as Sir Edward Pellew, captain of the Indefatigable. He’s not soft by any means, but Pellew is never one to punish severely or unduly. He acts as a mentor and protector to Hornblower, ensuring that the younger man always gets what is best for him. A brilliant captain and excellent role model, Pellew is one of the more outstanding characters of the series.
Jamie Bamber (another Cambridge graduate – are these guys great or what?!) is Archie Kennedy, Horatio’s bestest bud. Archie is far more lighthearted than his friend and is a bit less professional with some of the things that he says. And as pretty as his friend is, Kennedy is almost as handsome (ACK! No hormones. Not now.).
Paul Copley is Matthews, one of those who’re eventually in Hornblower’s command. You get the feeling that he’s been around longer than any of the others and knows the lay of the land (or sea, as the case may be) better than his colleagues. Like Captain Pellew, Matthews gives off the impression that he makes it his personal mission to ensure that anyone he works with, whether under or above, has an easy time of it. Everyone seems to like him and there is a mutual respect between him and most of the other officers. All in all, he’s the kind of hard-working, personable guy that everyone hopes to have among his or her ranks.
Sean Gilder plays the part of Styles, another of Hornblower’s seafaring crew. One of the more uncouth characters of the show, Styles often challenges authority, but remains loyal to commanding officers that treat him fairly.
Paul McGann is 2nd Lieutenant Bush. He starts out his stint on the series on a rather sour note, though it really wasn’t his fault. Eventually, he catches on and proves to be a fun character, after all. Unfortunately, we’ve only seen him in two episodes. I, personally, would love to see more of him. (Nudgenudgewinkwink Are you listening, A&E...?) Even so, Bush is the only character we really get much background on, though it’s not very much. He was apparently a blacksmith in the past. And how in the world do you get into the Navy if you can’t swim?!
And here are the episodes listed in order so you can avoid some confusion (for the Americans among us, the altered name is in parenthesis [what is UP with all of this doctoring of British imports? It’s not like we don’t notice it!]).
The Even Chance (The Duel)
The Examination for Lieutenant (The Fire Ship)
The Duchess and the Devil
The Frogs and the Lobsters (The Wrong War)
The Adventure Continues
Mutiny
Retribution
Horatio Hornblower was produced by Andrew Benson, directed by Andrew Grieve, based on C.S. Forester's stories, and writing credits go to Russell Lewis (#1), Chris Ould (#3), Patrick Harbinson(#4), and T.R. Bowen (#5,6). It is (ocasionally) aired on A&E, but your best bet is to check the library or take Mrs. Howden's 8th grade SAIL American History class (We love you, Mrs. Howden!).
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Created May 21, 2002.
