Captain Horatio Hornblower Review

Captain Horatio Hornblower — 

Captain Horatio Hornblower, RN (1951)

A great sea story depicting the British Navy’s war against Napoleon, Captain Horatio Hornblower compares favorably with the recent acclaimed Master and Commander. It is based on the CS Forester novels, although not having read them I cannot opine how closely it tracks the storyline, but knowing how Hollywood usually adapts novels I would guess not very.

Regardless of how it compares to the book, Captain Horatio Hornblower, RN is an extremely well made movie concerning the wooden ships that made Britain the island empire it was.

Starring Gregory Peck, in one of his best screen appearances, as the socially awkward captain with the ramrod-stiff back Captain Horatio Hornblower, RN blends a combination of long months at sea with a nice love interest to fill its episodic two hours.

Raoul Walsh, at his best had the ability to transcend his material and coax his production into fine art. In the case of Captain Horatio Hornblower he had several moments of this nature.

The Warner Bros DVD runs 117 minutes, with color by Technicolor, and is provided with a 1.37:1 screen ratio the same as it was seen in theaters. There are a couple of nice extra features including a short subject sketching American history entitled "Of Thee I Sing" and a Bugs Bunny cartoon that parodies the movie called "Captain Hareblower."

For those that saw and liked Master and Commander, Captain Horatio Hornblower is even a little bit better because it is more focused and action oriented.