Captain Horatio Hornblower

Captain Horatio Hornblower (entitled The Hidalgo of the Seas in Spain and The Conqueror of the Seas in Spanish America) is a 1951 American adventure film directed by Raoul Walsh and written by Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts and Æneas MacKenzie. In the United Kingdom his title was Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N., in which the acronym "R.N." corresponds to Royal Navy (British Army). Starring Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo and Alec Mango, the film is based on the contents of three novels by British writer Cecil Scott Forester: The Happy Return, A Ship of the Line and Flying Colours. These novels are part of the saga that Scott Forester had dedicated to the adventures of his fictional character Horace Hornblower, a British Navy captain who fought the First French Empire at sea during the Napoleonic Wars. Scott Forester, author of the novels, participated in the making of this film adaptation, which not only makes it faithful to the original literature on which it is based but also gives it a certain introspective tone at times, unusual in this style of film. of the 1950s.

Plot

In 1807 Captain Horacio Hornblower (Gregory Peck), in command of the 38-gun frigate HMS Lydia, of the British Navy, had the mission of delivering a shipment of weapons to Don Julián de Alvarado (Alec Mango), self-proclaimed El Supremo of Nicaragua and rose up in rebellion against Spain, to divert forces from the Spanish, who have allied themselves with France, a country with which Great Britain is at war. Once his mission was accomplished, he captured the ship Natividad with two decks and 60 guns, commanded by a brave hidalgo and turned it over to the Supreme Court to invade Cuba. However, England and Spain become allied nations after May 2, 1808 and Horace must destroy the Natividad and stop the Supreme. In his journey, he is forced to pick up and later take to England the sister of the Duke of Wellington, Lady Barbara Wellesley (Virginia Mayo), who was held prisoner by the Spanish. Thanks to her expertise, she sinks the Nativity after a fierce fight. On the way back to England, he must take care of Lady Barbara, who is suffering from tropical fevers, since the doctor has died in the battle, and strong feelings arise between them, which, however, are impossible, since Hornblower is married and she is engaged to him. Admiral Sir Rodney Leighton.

Returning home, Hornblower learns that his wife, Maria, has died in childbirth, leaving him a son. Despite this fact, he cannot marry Barbara, since she has already married Leighton. Thus, Horacio Hornblower receives command of the Southerland, a ship with two decks and 74 guns, under the command of Admiral Leighton, Barbara's husband, who commands a flotilla whose mission is to maintain the blockade of the French fleet. so that it cannot supply or help the Napoleonic army of Spain. In an action of war, Hornblower sinks four French ships, which had eluded said blockade, at the cost of losing his own. He is captured and taken to Paris, accused of piracy, but with the help of his first officer, Lt. Bush, and de Quist, a sailor, manage to escape and conquer The Witch of Endor, an English ship captured by the Dutch, Napoleon's allies, after freeing a prisoner British crew, for which return to England is hailed as a hero. His happiness is complete when he learns that Lady Barbara has become a widow.

Production

The film was shot in Rye, on HMS Victory and in France. To save costs, sets from Treasure Island (1950 film) were used and the Italian frigate Marcel B. Surdo represented The Witch of Endor in the exterior scenes. The Marcel B. Surdo would also appear in other adventure films at sea such as The Crimson Pirate, The Master of Ballantrae, and John Paul Jones. Special effects and explosions were supervised by Cliff Richardson.