Hornblower ? A old friend
The series of books on Hornblower is a classic in the sea-adventure-war category. The movies are very well made, with a good cast (perhaps, I see better Crowe (or similar "macho", like Owen) than Gruffud in Horatio's "shoes", but thats' all) good battle and sea scenes and a good "reproduction" of the original books, better than Sharps's series.
A this price is a real bargain. A question: this version has subtitles ??? Soundratcks in foreign languages ?

Was this the complete series
I did not see the TV version so I do not know if it also finished with Hornblowers promotion to captain, having read the books however they take Hornblowers career much further. I hope this is not another case of a "complete series" being nothing of the kind.

Please make more!!!!
Shame you can't give more than 5 stars because this deserves it.
This is one of my favourite series of all time. It follows Horatio Hornblower and his rise through the navy.

Ioan Gruffudd is fantastic in the role, starting out as a green 17 year old, he comes aboard ship. At first his is bullied by other crew members, such as Charlie Simpson (Dorian Healy) but his quick wits and couragous nature soon make him a favourite with his shipmates. Never compromising his honour he deals with every situation to the best of his ability.

Guest stars actors such as Dorian Healy and Andrew Tierman.
Paul Mcgann is, as always, brilliant in his role, as is Robert Lindsay.

Kept me awake well into the night, I couldn't wait till each evening when I could watch it again.
The only complaint I have is where they left it off, I want to know what happens next!! Ioan Gruffudd once said that he would like to play Hornblower again, so fingers crossed!

Can't recommend this enough.

[about synopsis]
You might wish to correct typo in first line of your Synopsis - 1794 not 1974...

The original and still the best
C.S. Forester wrote his eleven "Hornblower" novels in the 1930s and 40s, long before Patrick O'Brien's Jack Aubrey or Alexander Kent's Richard Bolitho. This series has to be very high on the list of the finest adaptations of Forester's novels. Given that these were produced for TV without the immense budget of a Hollywood movie, their realism and historical accuracy are amazing. In the earlier episodes, Ioan Gruffudd as Hornblower and Robert Lindsay as his captain really strike sparks off each other, as do Gruffudd and Paul McGann in the later stages. Ironically, McGann's character has what must now be one of the world's least popular names, Bush! This series is a must for anyone with an interest in the history of the Napoleonic wars. But shop around, the RRP for the 4-disc series is £59.99 but it can be found brand new for under half that.

Hide Reviews