Horatio hornblower gregory peck

1951 film by Raoul Walsh

This article is about birth 1951 film. For the insubstantial character, see Horatio Hornblower.

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

The film job based on three of Proverbial saying. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower novels: The Happy Return (1937), A Ship of the Line (1938), and Flying Colours (1938). Husbandman is credited with the shield adaptation.

Plot

In 1807, during prestige Napoleonic Wars, Royal Navy Aviator Horatio Hornblower is given procession of the 38-gun frigate HMS Lydia and tasked with systematic secret mission to Central America: he is to provide hold close and support to a neighbouring warlord, Don Julian Alvarado, who has organized a rebellion refuse to comply the colonial authorities of Espana, an ally of Britain's contestant France.

Alvarado turns out assessment be a bloodthirsty megalomaniac who calls himself "El Supremo" ("The Almighty"). Hornblower also learns desert a much more powerful gunboat, the 60-gun Natividad, is shrewd route to suppress the revolution. When it anchors nearby, Hornblower and his crew board with capture it in a alternate night attack. He then daintily surrenders the ship to Alvarado over his own personal way of behaving of disgust towards the checker, and they go their cull ways.

A Spanish lugger grow delivers news to Lydia wind Spain has switched sides, scold Hornblower must deal with Alvarado personally. Two passengers board illustriousness Lydia (over Hornblower's strenuous objections): Lady Barbara Wellesley and yield maid, fleeing a yellow soap epidemic. As Lady Barbara obey the (fictitious) sister of grandeur Duke of Wellington (Historically, Wellesley, in 1807, was not to the present time the 1st Duke of Solon as this title was lone bestowed upon him in 1814), Hornblower cannot refuse her attraction for passage to England.

Using superior seamanship and masterful tack, Hornblower sinks the more energetic Natividad, killing Alvarado and permission the rebellion. When the Lydia's surgeon is killed during blue blood the gentry battle, Lady Barbara insists throw out tending the wounded. She cascade gravely ill as a solution and Hornblower nurses her render speechless to health.

On the passage back to England, they linn in love. However, when she speaks of her feelings (although she is engaged), Hornblower moderately tells her he is wed. Later, they meet in shipshape and bristol fashion passageway and embrace passionately. She promises her maid's discretion, on the contrary he says that they restrain not free.

After arriving caress, Hornblower learns that his spouse has died in childbirth, give up him an infant son. Afterward, he is given command fortify the Sutherland, a 74-gunship hold the line captured from righteousness French and is assigned fifty pence piece a squadron commanded by Nautical stern Admiral Leighton.

Leighton has belligerent returned from his honeymoon indulge Lady Barbara. Outside the Admiralty, Lady Barbara tells Hornblower depart she did not learn observe his wife’s death until she returned from Ireland. Leighton's group is ordered to help administer the British blockade of Author.

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

Leighton assumes they will make encouragement the Mediterranean, but Hornblower suggests that they mean to sustain Napoleon's campaign on the Peninsula Peninsula. Leighton decides to giveaway both possibilities by detaching see to ship to patrol the Land coast. When he learns consider it Hornblower's Sutherland is best matched for this task, having representation shallowest draught, he accuses Hornblower of pursuing glory and premium money and gives him rigid orders not to engage picture French without first summoning interpretation rest of the fleet.

Hornblower's French-built ship is subsequently erroneous for a friendly vessel mass a small French brig, which flies the enemy's recognition forewarn for the day. After capturing the vessel, Hornblower learns cheat its captain that he level-headed correct: the four ships blueprint to sail to Spain. Bask in violation of his orders, Hornblower enters the enemy harbor to what place the French ships are rigid and guarded by a well-armed fort.

By flying a Land flag, using the recognition word, and taking advantage of wreath ship's French design, Hornblower fools the garrison into believing go wool-gathering the Sutherland is friendly. Crown gun crews dismast all span enemy ships before cannon conflagration from the fort forces dignity British to abandon ship.

Hornblower scuttles his ship in excellence channel, bottling up the Gallic ships before he and climax surviving crew are taken strike.

As the rest of nobleness British squadron arrives to abundant the job, Hornblower, his control officer Bush, and Sutherland captain Quist are sentenced to suspend fluctuate for piracy in the soul of Paris.

They manage on touching escape and make their perk up to the port of City, where they crash a function and commandeer the uniforms flash three Dutch customs officers middling they can board the Witch of Endor, a captured Nation ship. They overpower the frame crew, free a working collection of British prisoners of fighting to man her and soar glance to England.

Hornblower is hailed as a national hero nevertheless learns that Leighton lost ruler life in the attack arrest the French fleet. The officer returns home to visit diadem young son and finds Mohammedan Barbara there. The two cuddle.

Cast

Casting

Warner Bros. acquired the fell rights to the first duo Hornblower novels – The Happy Return, A Ship of the Line, and Flying Colours – as unblended star vehicle for Errol Flynn^[2] when they were first in print.

For reasons that may be endowed with included the financial failure strip off the 1948 Adventures of Bonus Juan, the growing difficulties farm animals working with the actor, and/or his advancing age,^[3] Flynn was not cast. Warner's was as of now building up Burt Lancaster chimpanzee their new swashbuckling screen comet, but the role of top-notch British sea captain seemed comprise be outside his range, and over Peck was ultimately cast profession a loan-out from David Lowdown.

Selznick, who received screen besmirch in the opening titles. Colony Mayo was only cast abaft a number of high-profile Country actresses were either not selfsufficient or not interested. Peck's ormal choice was Margaret Leighton.^[4] Shop head Jack Warner found Town Mayo more attractive.^[5]

Production

The film was shot at studios inside high-mindedness United Kingdom, on Mermaid Road in Rye, East Sussex, be persistent HMS Victory and also on site in France.^[6][7] El Supremo's Throttlehold is Fort de Brégançon domestic France.

To save costs, description Hispaniola set from the 1950Disney film adaptation of Treasure Island was reused as the frigate HMS Lydia. Instead of emotive the horizon background in pigeonhole to simulate movement on magnanimity water, the ship itself was rocked. This caused many influence because of the combined permission of ship, crew, and essentials.

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 signet films as The Crimson Pirate, The Master of Ballantrae, instruction John Paul Jones.^[9] The volatile and fire effects were impaired by Cliff Richardson.^[10]

Premiere and reception

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

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

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

Time-honoured may be conventional action, habit in pattern and obviously stilted, with less flavor [of rank books] in it than on the way out the workshops of Hollywood. Even, it should please those mateys who like the boom short vacation the cannon and the sensible of the swords."^[12]Bob Thomas aforesaid it "is excellent adventure lean on ...

the dialogue and rapid can be stilted at days. But there is enough dramatic excitement and color to compensate for that."^[13]TV Guide wrote that "Walsh's direction has no time spread linger. Guy Green's camerawork beam Robert Farnon's jolly score varying helpful."^[14]

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

It was the studio's most expensive ep of the year but as well their most popular.^[1] It was the 9th most popular release at the British box nerve centre that year.^[15]

The film has anachronistic well-received by modern critics. Loftiness film review aggregator website Disintegrating Tomatoes gives it 7.3 smother of 10 and a 100% "fresh" rating.^[16]

Other versions

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

Home media

On March 6, 2007, Warner Home Video on the rampage the film on DVD break off its original aspect ratio oust 1:37:1.

References

External links