Hornblower: Loyalty Review
17 June 2013
As much as I love these Hornblower films, I must admit that I was a little apprehensive to see this seventh film in the series. For two reasons... the primary one being that my favourite character was gone, never to return... and the second reason was because the series is so almost finished that I didn't want to say goodbye :(
But watch it, I did. And I am glad of it. Again, new elements are introduced in this film... spies and treachery... And we welcome back old familiar characters into the fold... This one also shows the camaraderie and loyalty there can be between men of different nations all fighting for the same cause. You can't put down a whole nation simply because there are some bad members.
*This review may contain spoilers from the previous six Hornblower films*
SYNOPSIS
But watch it, I did. And I am glad of it. Again, new elements are introduced in this film... spies and treachery... And we welcome back old familiar characters into the fold... This one also shows the camaraderie and loyalty there can be between men of different nations all fighting for the same cause. You can't put down a whole nation simply because there are some bad members.
*This review may contain spoilers from the previous six Hornblower films*
SYNOPSIS
1803 Portsmouth. Hornblower is reduced to the rank of Lieutenant as a result of the peace treaty with France. He is forced to earn his living at the card tables and lodges with Mrs. Mason. A chance encounter with Lieutenant Bush reignites their friendship and indeed, it is Bush who first notices Hornblower has an admirer: Mrs. Mason's daughter, Maria.
Admiral Pellew summons Hornblower and confirms his promotion to commander. He is to captain the sloop Hotspur on a reconnaissance mission off the coast of France.
Hornblower discovers preparations for an invasion force of 50,000 man and Pellew decides to mount a pre-emptive strike on the French fleet, now that war has once more been declared.
Back in England, Hornblower surprises himself by asking Maria to be his wife.
SCENERY
The scenery of this Hornblower film is delightfully varied... Portsmouth - the streets, Officers Club and tacky lodging house Horatio and Mr. Bush stay; the Channel; and Brest.
Admiral Pellew summons Hornblower and confirms his promotion to commander. He is to captain the sloop Hotspur on a reconnaissance mission off the coast of France.
Hornblower discovers preparations for an invasion force of 50,000 man and Pellew decides to mount a pre-emptive strike on the French fleet, now that war has once more been declared.
Back in England, Hornblower surprises himself by asking Maria to be his wife.
SCENERY
The scenery of this Hornblower film is delightfully varied... Portsmouth - the streets, Officers Club and tacky lodging house Horatio and Mr. Bush stay; the Channel; and Brest.
STORY
For once the synopsis on the back of the box paid justice to the accuracy of the story of this film.
Horatio's reconnaissance mission to France uncovers a series of surprises that will astound all the viewers. There are enemies where friends are expected, and friends where enemies are expected. It also introduces a new angle of the warfare - Irish resistance - that hasn't been touched until now.
There are too many spoilers to give away if I were to give a more thorough outline of the story... so just take a look at the film for yourself. (I apologize for always saying that... but it's true :P)
For once the synopsis on the back of the box paid justice to the accuracy of the story of this film.
Horatio's reconnaissance mission to France uncovers a series of surprises that will astound all the viewers. There are enemies where friends are expected, and friends where enemies are expected. It also introduces a new angle of the warfare - Irish resistance - that hasn't been touched until now.
There are too many spoilers to give away if I were to give a more thorough outline of the story... so just take a look at the film for yourself. (I apologize for always saying that... but it's true :P)
CHARACTERS
Horatio Hornblower is played by - need I say again? - Ioan Gruffudd. The start of the film shows him struggling to survive on the meagre half-pay he receives on account of the peace with France. He meets his good friend Lieutenant Bush (from Mutiny and Retribution) in the streets of Portsmouth and this is the reuniting of a strong friendship. After meeting Admiral Pellew in the Officers Club, Horatio is given the command of the Hotspur to take French Major Cotard on a reconnaissance mission to France... where he finds everything is not as peaceful as Bonaparte would have England think it to be. Once again we see Horatio's courage, loyalty, and leadership qualities shine through on this mission. We also see Horatio's chivalry come into play as - once he is able - he financially helps Maria and her slob mother, insisting as a friend that he help her in her time of need. Spoiler Even to the extent of asking Maria to marry him, simply so that she will not suffer financially and she'll always be provided for. End of Spoiler
Horatio Hornblower is played by - need I say again? - Ioan Gruffudd. The start of the film shows him struggling to survive on the meagre half-pay he receives on account of the peace with France. He meets his good friend Lieutenant Bush (from Mutiny and Retribution) in the streets of Portsmouth and this is the reuniting of a strong friendship. After meeting Admiral Pellew in the Officers Club, Horatio is given the command of the Hotspur to take French Major Cotard on a reconnaissance mission to France... where he finds everything is not as peaceful as Bonaparte would have England think it to be. Once again we see Horatio's courage, loyalty, and leadership qualities shine through on this mission. We also see Horatio's chivalry come into play as - once he is able - he financially helps Maria and her slob mother, insisting as a friend that he help her in her time of need. Spoiler Even to the extent of asking Maria to marry him, simply so that she will not suffer financially and she'll always be provided for. End of Spoiler
Lieutenant William Bush is played by Paul McGann. The friendship between Mr. Bush and Horatio takes a strong turn when they bump into each other in the streets of Portsmouth. When Horatio takes the command of the Hotspur, he asks Mr. Bush to be his First Lieutenant... to which Mr. Bush gladly accepts. He is a hard taskmaster and extremely loyal to his captain. Just like in Retribution, there is a very defined love/hate relationship between Mr. Bush and Styles. Bush is very hard on Styles, but still comes to his defence when Styles' life is on the line. As I mentioned in a previous review a lesser man would be jealous of the fact that a younger man is promoted to a higher position as himself, but instead of being jealous of Horatio's position as commander, Mr. Bush draws strength from him, remains loyal to his Captain, and willingly serves under a younger man.
Maria Mason is played by Julia Sawalha (do you recognize her? It's Lydia Bennet from P&P95!). Thankfully, she is about one hundred times more sensibile than Lydia Bennet. Maria is sweet and selfless, and is in love with Horatio. She gives her own money to pay some of Horatio's outstanding debt, and redeem his sword from the pawnbroker. Maria is a very sweet girl, I just feel sorry for her that Horatio didn't marry her for love.
Major Cotard is played by Greg Wise (Another regular Period Film actor, you should recognize him... Knowing he has a British accent originally made me study his put on French accent with great care... I need to hear a real Frenchman speak before knowing what a real French accent sounds like :/). At first, Major Cotard is a very proud man, and no one really trusts him. The peace with France is shaky at best, and because of the series of suspicious events that occur while the Hotspur is on their mission (and his arrogant French pride), the Major is held as the number one suspect. Spoiler However, as the Major continues on this mission it becomes plain that he is loyal to the French monarchy and will fight beside Horatio to see Bonaparte routed out of France... even to the extent of being shot, he stands by Horatio to the end. End of Spoiler
Wolfe is played by Lorcan Cranitch. This Irishman is one of Horatio's crew. He is brave and outspoken... but he doesn't seem to be all that he says he is...
Captain Hammond is played by Ian McElhinney. This isn't the first time that this character has played in the Hornblower series. He was one of the examiners in Examination for Lieutenant, and one of judges in Horatio's trial in Retribution. However, he always played a pretty minor role, so I didn't really see fit to include him in my review. This time his character is definitely worth mentioning. He is the sort of proud pompous Captain that sets your teeth on edge and makes you dislike him almost immediately. From the very beginning he seems to have had something against Horatio, and in the trial he believed that Horatio was guilty and should have been hung. Spoiler To be honest, I was not completely surprised by the ending as the events leading up to it had pointed out directly what I was thinking... but it was still a little bit of a shock when what happened happened (I know this is the spoiler section... but this is a jolly big spoiler!) In the end, he realises at what a high cost his actions demanded. End of Spoiler
Christian Coulson plays Midshipman Jack Hammond. This unfortunate fellow is Captain Hammond's nephew. Because the Hammond family (particularly his uncle, I assume) expects a great deal of him, he joins the navy. He is in great admiration of Horatio's exploits and is very pleased to have been assigned to serve under Horatio on the Hotspur. However, he proves to be a slow learner and quite a coward... even at one point panicking and ordering everyone to return to the ship (lying about the Captain's orders), leaving Horatio and a few other men alone to face the French army. At the end of the film, when his bravery is needed, he rises to the occasion and gives his life fighting bravely.
Midshipman Orrock is played by Jonathon Forbes. This is another Irishman who is a part of Horatio's crew. However, he is loyal to Horatio and the Hotspur. Orrock is quick to volunteer and obey Horatio's orders. He's one of the crewmen - like Matthews and Styles - that would give his life for Captain Hornblower. Spoiler In a film where Irish treason runs rampant, this Irishman proves that you can't give the whole nation a bad name. End of Spoiler
Admiral Pellew is played by Robert Lindsay... and, hooray!, we get to see the Admiral back in action! The father/son relationship between Horatio and the Admiral is once again evident. When he sees the young sailor in Portsmouth, he is always needlessly teasing him about his lady friend -Maria. When he hears that Horatio has been 'lost' to the French in Brest, Admiral Pellew has to force himself not to consider "sentiment and wishful thinking".
Matthews is played by Paul Copley. When Horatio is hiring men for the Hotspur, Matthews is pulled out of the men waiting to be a part of the crew. As usual, he is fiercely loyal to the Captain. He is very angry with Midshipman Hammond for leaving Horatio behind in France and is for the first time disrespectful to someone in authority over him.
Styles is played by Sean Gilder.. When it comes to hiring men for the Hotspur, Styles fibs about being a cook so he can get the last remaining job as the Captain's steward. It becomes apparent very quickly that he is not a cook. While on the way to Brest, the galley is found ablaze and Styles is pegged as the arsonist. He is unjustly flogged for this crime which he did not commit. However, this doesn't affect his loyalty to Horatio and still fights for him till the end.
COSTUMES/HAIRSTYLES
As usual, there isn't a lot to say for the costumes in this film, as most of them are naval.
As usual, there isn't a lot to say for the costumes in this film, as most of them are naval.
RATING
Between my scale of 1 to 5, this Hornblower films receives a 5.
The rating is M for violence. As I've mentioned in all my other Hornblower reviews, this rating is justified for the amount of battle scenes, blood, and language in these films. In this one, you see blood splattering onto the face of Midshipman Hammond - and he reacts quite violently to it. Also, you see another man (I'd love to tell you who, but spoilers, spoilers!) commit suicide by putting a bullet into his brain. These two scenes (and others) could be disturbing and I wouldn't recommend that anyone younger than 15 see this film.
Between my scale of 1 to 5, this Hornblower films receives a 5.
The rating is M for violence. As I've mentioned in all my other Hornblower reviews, this rating is justified for the amount of battle scenes, blood, and language in these films. In this one, you see blood splattering onto the face of Midshipman Hammond - and he reacts quite violently to it. Also, you see another man (I'd love to tell you who, but spoilers, spoilers!) commit suicide by putting a bullet into his brain. These two scenes (and others) could be disturbing and I wouldn't recommend that anyone younger than 15 see this film.