Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)

Director: Raoul Walsh
Starring: Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty

Synopsis:
A British sea captain delivers weapons to a dictator to use against the Spanish, but when the political situation changes, he has to take action before Central America burns.

Impressions:
While I know of Horatio Hornblower by reputation, this is the first adaptation I've watched. Gregory Peck's gravitas is well suited for the title role. Hornblower is an interesting paradox of both strict disciplinarian and maverick. He's a harsh man, but it's quickly proven that his harshness is needed to get his men through the trials they face. When I saw it, the film felt like separate stories knitted together and it is indeed cobbled together from the first three books in the series. There's still good continuity flowing from one to the next. The naval battles are pretty good and it's overall a good nautical romp. Give it a watch.

Rating:
Watch It