Overview

“Duty” is the eighth and final Horatio Hornblower movie and is meant as a companion piece to “Loyalty.” Its production level is just as solid as its immediate predecessor, though the story itself isn’t quite as engaging (it gets close, though). As the title suggests, this is a movie about duty – to one’s country and loved ones. To that end, Horatio Hornblower is consistently challenged to do his duty and, perhaps unsurprisingly, he passes every test he faces. I will say this, though: there is much more of an edge to Horatio in this film – much more than in any previous film.

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Overview

“Loyalty” is the seventh film in the Horatio Hornblower series from A&E. It was produced as the first half of a two-part miniseries, detailing Horatio’s first exploits as a ship commander, under the shadow of Napoleon Bonaparte’s growing influence in France. For the most part, this is a very good film, featuring a great deal of action, adventure and intrigue. There isn’t as much character development from Horatio, though, at this point of his career, such development doesn’t happen as profoundly as it did earlier on. What little character work that does occur comes by way of his landlady’s daughter, Maria, who is infatuated with him. As the movie unfolds, he learns that “loyalty” doesn’t apply just to the Royal Navy.

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Overview

“Retribution” tells the second half of the Horatio Hornblower story that began in “Mutiny.” Unlike “Mutiny,” which spent almost all of its time in a flashback, “Retribution” makes use of a number of courtroom drama scenes, as well as a handful of scenes detailing the intrigue behind the trial itself. That, along with a much stronger dose of both character and action makes the movie all the more compelling. In essence, with all of the setup complete, the story is free to unfold in the most interesting, most adventurous path possible. The result is one of the strongest, most bittersweet Hornblower installments yet.

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Overview

Mutiny is the first half of a two-part story that begins with Horatio Hornblower in prison in Kingston, facing, as the title suggests, the charge of “black bloody mutiny.” Most of what we see is flashback to Horatio’s service on board the Renown – a powerful warship commanded by James Sawyer (David Warner) whose command is as ruthless as it is erratic. In a sense, this picks up on the thread introduced in The Wrong War in which Horatio confronts the conflicts between duty and conscience. The result is a film that is, at times, difficult to watch. But its conclusion is so riveting that, if you make it that far, you tend to forget the slower, more awkward sections.

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Overview

The Wrong War is the final film made during the first production of the Horatio Hornblower series. In it, young Horatio must once again face a series of tests of character, leadership, and grit. Interestingly enough, much of the action takes place once again on land. But whereas the Devil and the Duchess was a story in which the characters were, for the most part, idle, The Wrong War is anything but stagnant. Indeed, a great deal happens in terms of both action and conflict, but also in terms of character. Indeed, in this episode, Horatio faces his biggest challenge: himself.

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Overview

“The Devil And The Duchess” is a rousing continuation of the Horatio Hornblower saga from A&E. And while it may not be as completely fulfilling as its predecessor, it is, nonetheless, an important installment from a character perspective. In truth, many viewers may not completely enjoy the primarily land-locked, and fairly stagnant storyline. But the value here is in terms of Horatio’s continued growth from a young officer into something much more: a young Gentleman. It’s not an easy installment, by any means, but it’s still adventurous and entertaining enough to satisfy those who have an affinity for tall ships, life at sea, and the strength of character it took to be truly noble in that day-in-age.

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The Fire Ships is, in many ways, the ideal Horatio Hornblower film. There is strong character development, intrigue, drama, and a healthy dose of action and adventure. In addition, The Fire Ships benefits from a much more focused story. And the story benefits from a diverse sequence of events that take us from Britain to Iran to Gibraltar. That the film maintains its focus so well is evidence of solid writing and performances.

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Altogether, the A&E Horatio Hornblower movies represent one of those rare projects that manage to completely capture the spirit of adventure, loyalty, duty, and honor. They aren’t perfect productions, but considering that these were all produced for television, any minor flaws can be easily dismissed in favor of the epic scope of eight feature-length movies.

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