Horatio Hornblower Vol. 2 - The Fire Ships

Rating:
Summary: Great adaptation, if somewhat sanitized
Review: I heartily recommend this series to anyone who finds the period even slightly interesting. The acting and production values are absolutely top-notch. However, as watching this series made me read the books (it was that good!), I have to warn some lovers of the novels that a lot has been changed. But that said, I still feel that the series is true to the spirit of the books, and many of the changes have been made by combining several occurences in the book into larger, more significant events in the video. I think that the medium of TV demands this for dramatic and time-saving purposes, and like I said, it is mostly true in spirit to the books.

Rating:
Summary: Don't forget to read the books
Review: Movie is great....however the books are better. If after watching the movie you find yourself craving for more, you can get your Hornblower "fix" from the 11 book set. I read the books when I was a teenager and again last year. Now that I have watched the DVD, I'm ready to read the books again. A&E did a wonderful job making this movie. The only downside, if you can even call it that, is the fact they only portray Hornblower in his early days, while the books go from "Midshipman" to "Lord Hornblower". I guess I would rate the DVD as a nice compliment to the books.

Rating:
Summary: SUPERB AND GREAT FUN!
Review: Very good series of movies, especially excellent characterizations

Rating:
Summary: it became a family ritual to watch it
Review: Not expecting to enjoy it I watched it critically at first , but i loved it . Having seen the first tape , i was thankful that we had purchased the set because it is something you cannot get enough of . I only wish there were more .It shows clearly the times and the lives on board ships in those naval battles of long ago , they were real poeple with troubles of their own not just participants in old wars . Each actor in this series held up their part and character portrayals were excellent ,especially by Ioan Gruffudd as Hornblower , and Robert Lindsay as Captain Pellew .They brought out the essence of each character in all the subtleties of tone and varied expressions ,always leaving one feeling that there was much more below the surface .The scenes were also well put together ,with good juxtaposition in parts ,altogether i believe it to be well directed and executed .

Rating:
Summary: Hornblower set of 4 VHS
Review: It was wonderfully entertaining. I had actually never read a Horatio Hornblower book but my husband is a keen fan of Forester's. He had several titles in the library and I started to want to read them after I had watched the tapes. Here was a man who was noted for being decisive and I think as a mother and a high school teacher I could actually use it to discuss some important themes like relationships, crisis, leadership, friendships , decision making in crisis situations. The actors portrayed their characters so convincingly. We only hope that there will be more Hornblowers in future to purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful movie!
Review: This is absolutely great movie! Actors,costumes, ships, music-everything in this movie keeps you watching it over and over again! This is one of the best movies I ever seen! I recommend it to every generation.

Rating:
Summary: Very well done, I loved it.
Review: I think reviews are most effective if you compare the book or movie in question to others that most of us have read, so prospective readers have something to measure it against. Horatio Hornblower could be best described as a film of miltary action, suspense, and intrigue--with a theme of honor and courage winning the day, as in best-sellers like The Triumph and the Glory, Blue at the Mizzen, and Sharpe's Rifles. Historically accurate, Horatio Hornblower is a worthy film version of the great Forester novels.

Rating:
Summary: Not True to Type
Review: The videos are scenically impressive - and as a serious lover of the Ships of the Line and Frigates of the final years of the 18th century, this alone is worth watching the series. On the other hand, the Hornblower character is NOT true to type as he was portrayed in the Forrester novels. The desire of screenplay writers to try and enhance "dramatic effect" my making major alterations in the original story line never ceases to amaze me - and in my experience, seems to more often have the effect of making the movie far less interesting than the book(s) it was derived from. The sage old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" seems to be something that screenwriters almost purposely try to violate. IN any case, if you are interested in the ships themselves, this series will entertain. If you are interested in character accuracy, you are due to varying degrees of disappointment. Simply put: if you haven't read the books first, wait until AFTER watching the series to read them. If you have read them already, when you watch the series, erase the books from your memory - or you might be sorely disappointed. By the way, for those with a bent for the old sailing warships and the Royal Navy of the late 1700's/early 1800's, I highly recommend Alexander Kent's series on RICHARD BOLITHO. Excellent writing, Kent develops the Bolitho character to an even greater extant than Forrester's Hornblower, and there are more books - why stop at 11 when there are over twenty books on Bolitho's life and career: Form Line of Battle, The Flag Captain, Clear Ship for Action, etc. to name a few. I have read these both in English, and translated into German (even in German, they are just as great). The early books even involve the young Bolitho in actions off the American coast during the Revolution. Great stuff -check out Alexander Kent.

Rating:
Summary: The Magic of Hornblower
Review: An awesome miniseries! I can't say it enough. The Emmy they won for "Best Miniseries" was well deserved. It'll make you laugh it'll make you cry. It's all around fantastic. The profound performances of Ioan Gruffudd (Hornblower), Robert Lindsay (Captain Pellew), Cherie Lunghi (The Duchess of Warfedale), and the rest of the cast make this a series of movies you won't soon forget. Buy it today!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful fun
Review: A wonderful journey into the past and into the life of a man at sea in his time. To think in one episode they are off the coast of Spain, near to Portugal and they are talking about being back in England within the MONTH! Aside from being a very good adaptation of the book, Mr Midshipman Hornblower, it is interesting and the production is just beautiful. If these movies interested you, buy The Making of C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower by Tom McGregor, it will give you even more insight into the difficulties of production and more respect and admiration for the results achieved.