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Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)

Director(s) Raoul Walsh
Producer(s) Raoul Walsh (uncredited), Gerry Mitchell (uncredited)
Top Genres Action, Adventure, Drama, Film Adaptation, War
Top Topics Book-Based, Navy, Sailors / The Sea
More Films Directed by Raoul Walsh More Films Produced by Gerry Mitchell More Films from 1951 More Films from the 1950s Top Classic Movies of the 1950s Top Book-Based Films

Captain Horatio Hornblower Overview:

Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) was a Drama - Adventure Film directed by Raoul Walsh and produced by Raoul Walsh and Gerry Mitchell.

SYNOPSIS

A straightforward naval adventure, based on three novels by C.S. Forester, about the heroic 19th-century British seafarer. The story sails with his ship, the Lydia, through battles with Spain and then France won with wit rather than might. Hornblower still finds time to romance Lady Barbara Wellesley, who roils emotional seas because she's married to his admiral.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Captain Horatio Hornblower BlogHub Articles:

Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N. (1951)

By Beatrice on Jul 30, 2015 From Flickers in Time

Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.   Directed by Raoul Walsh Written by Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts, and Aeneas MacKenzie; adopted for the screen by C.S. Forester from his novels UK/1951 Warner Bros. First viewing/Netflix rental Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: Very good, Mr. Crystal. Well, gentlemen, t... Read full article

Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N ( 1951 )

By The Metzinger Sisters on Aug 15, 2013 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film Lovers

"War breeds strange allies" Captain Hornblower pointedly remarks this after embarking with his crew on a secret mission to Central America to supply armaments to "El Supremo" a fanatical rebel leader who plans on organizing an attack against France's Spanish allies. The year is 1807 and while Napo... Read full article

Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N ( 1951 )

By The Metzinger Sisters on Aug 15, 2013 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film Lovers

"War breeds strange allies" Captain Hornblower pointedly remarks this after embarking with his crew on a secret mission to Central America to supply armaments to "El Supremo" a fanatical rebel leader who plans on organizing an attack against France's Spanish allies. The year is 1807 and while Napo... Read full article

Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N ( 1951 )

By The Metzinger Sisters on Aug 15, 2013 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film Lovers

"War breeds strange allies" Captain Hornblower pointedly remarks this after embarking with his crew on a secret mission to Central America to supply armaments to "El Supremo" a fanatical rebel leader who plans on organizing an attack against France's Spanish allies. The year is 1807 and while Napo... Read full article

Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N ( 1951 )

By The Metzinger Sisters on Aug 15, 2013 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film Lovers

"War breeds strange allies" Captain Hornblower pointedly remarks this after embarking with his crew on a secret mission to Central America to supply armaments to "El Supremo" a fanatical rebel leader who plans on organizing an attack against France's Spanish allies. The year is 1807 and while Napo... Read full article

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Captain Horatio Hornblower Quotes:

Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: Gentlemen, we will raise our objective within two days. It will be identified by a fortress on a hill overlooking a large bay.
[Hornblower leaves the quarterdeck]
Lt. Crystal: A fortress... and a wind before morning. Huh! Heat's gone to his head.
Lt. William Bush: Well, I think he knows more than he's saying.
Lt. Crystal: Perhaps you'd care to take a wager on it, Mr. Bush?
Lt. William Bush: How much can you afford?
Lt. Crystal: Five shillings that says no wind and ten shillings that we don't sight any fortress.
Lt. William Bush: Done!
El Supremo: Make known your needs to Admiral Hernandez.
Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: Aside from water, I shall need 200 bullocks, 500 pigs, 100 quintals of salt, 40 tons of flour, ten tons of sugar, five tons of tobacco, one ton of coffee, the juice of 40,000 limes and, um, are there any wines to be had here?
Hernandez: We drink a spirit distilled from molasses which you probably do not know. We call it rum. Will that do?
Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: Ha-hmm. Well, if there's nothing better that will have to do. One hundred barrels.
Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: This ship is getting slack, Mr. Gerard. It's taking you longer every day to clear for action.
2nd Lt. Gerard: The hands are weak, sir, and...
Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: And what?
2nd Lt. Gerard: Restless, sir. After all, sir, seven months without sighting land.
Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: No excuse. You ought to control them...
Lookout: Land ho! Off the starboard bow!
Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: ...An officer who cannot control his men is not reliable.
2nd Lt. Gerard: Yes, sir. Excuse me, sir, that was "Land ho."
Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: I have ears, Mr. Gerard.
2nd Lt. Gerard: I thought you might be interested, sir.
Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: It took you eleven minutes and twenty seconds to clear for action the other day. I want it done in ten. Now!
2nd Lt. Gerard: Now, sir?
Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: You seem to have your mind on something else - I said, "Now!"
Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: Captain Horatio Hornblower at your service. King George of England charges me with messages of his friendship...
El Supremo: I am not interested in the words of a mere king!
Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: Ha-hmm.
Midshipman Longley: That was wonderful swordsmanship, sir.
Capt. Horatio Hornblower, R.N: Mr. Longley, when I was a midshipman I was bottom of the class in swordsmanship.
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Captain Horatio Hornblower Facts
To save costs, the Hispaniola from Treasure Island was reused and renamed Lydia but now the ship was rocked instead of the horizon, this caused many problems due to the combined weight of ship's crew and equipment.
John Witty screen-tested For Lt. Radot (Patrick Young). Jean Serret screen tested For The French Commandant (Eugene Deckers)
Russell Hunter screen-tested for this project.
The rights to the novel were originally acquired by Warners with Errol Flynn in mind, but after the financial failure of Adventures of Don Juan and growing difficulties with the actor, he was not cast. Warners was already building up Burt Lancaster as its new swashbuckler, but the role of a British sea captain seemed out of his range, so Gregory Peck was ultimately cast.
Patric Doonan replaced Raymond Sherry.
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