Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) (DVD)

For any old movie, the color and sharpness of the video is great.

Gregory Peck plays a composite character from British history. Fun movie to watch.

This is an excellent film that really has historical significance in many aspects: The culture, the social mores,military law of the sea, and life in the 18th Century. Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo were superb co-actors who gave a true-life performance about marriage in both realms of the military and civilian. How true it was that even engagements were tantamount to marriage with commitment for life. A good family movie and worthy of a gold-5-star rating. My first DVD disc lost its viewing, but this replacement disc was evensuperb in content!

I saw this movie when I was in junior high it was on every afternoon for five days my sister and I really enjoyed it. It was old at that time but Gregory Peck and Diana Mayo were great together sadly a lot of this movie has been cut which was a grave disappointment but I suppose if you didn’t know the parts cut, you would still enjoy it.

A really good movie. C. S. Forester the author of many Captain Horatior Hornblower books written for young boys to read. I cannot wait to get some of them to read, I am not a man nor a boy but a woman who loves classic books. The boys these books were written for were very well educated so they are always great for adults to read also.

Based on several of the C.S. forester books, Captain Horatio Hornblower is still one of the best films about tall ships and the Napoleonic Wars.You do not need to have read the books or even know of them to appreciate the film, which stands well on its own. It was shot in beautiful 1950 Technicolor and directed by Raoul Walsh, a director who knew how to film dramatic action movies and was best known for his work with James Cagney and Errol Flynn. Warner Brothers bought the rights to the film with Flynn in mind, but by 1950 he had become too undependable. After considering Burt Lancaster, the role eventually went to Gregory Peck who turned out to be perfect as the reserved Captain Hornblower.Set during the Napoleonic Wars when the British Navy was the only thing that kept Napoleon out of England, Captain Hornblower is sent on two daring missions, one all the way around Cape Horn to the Pacific and another off the European Coast in the immediate theater of war. This of course means two major battles at sea, the high point of these kinds of films. Along the way he must deal with a mad revolutionary, a Spanish 60-gunner, injuries and death on the ship, and the British High Admiralty. Then there's Lady Barbara Wellesley, played with warmth and dignity by Virginia Mayo, who is forced upon him by the Spanish. Contrary to the presence of women in many action films of this era, Lady Barbara is not just a damsel in distress, but proves herself valuable to the entire crew.I find the ending a bit too swift with all the loose ends tying themselves up almost magically, but after all that's gone before that's just a small quibble. There is a fine score by Robert Farnon that enhances the film throughout.

This film was watched for the first time in early August of this year. It keeps your attention clear through. Gregory Peck is a sea captain for the British fleet and he meets a Spanish captain who defies Peck and says that he can do better. The Spanish sea captain has a mesmorizing expressions on his face more than once. He tries to make Peck feel that the Spanish fleet is much better than what he has. Virginia Mayo is a woman who boarded Peck's ship but finds that she is not welcome. Peck tells her to go down below. During the movie Gregory and Virginia fall in love, only for Virginia to find out that Gregory is already married. This news shocks her and she runs from him. The English and Spanish ships go into battle and the Spanish ship has more cannons than the English ship. What happens is that Peck's ship draws close to the Spanish ship and fires the cannons and the sails come crashing down to the deck. The Spanish captain is screaming orders at his men and Peck is too, but he knows what needs done and his crew does as he commands. There is one scene where one of Peck's men is lying sick on a bed. His mother and Peck are around him and he speaks, but very quietly and then passes away. This touches the heart of the captain deeply. The victories that Peck and his men have keeps you fastened to your seat as you watch and you will find yourself getting angry at the Spanish captain and cheering for the British seamen. The final scene shows Gregory and Mayo saying parting words to each other, then they go their seperate ways. The wardrobe that Gregory Peck wears makes him very charming and handsome to look at. This is a great movie that will keep your attention the whole way through. When the film is over you will say to yourself that it was a great movie. If you like sea adventures you will want to buy this film. It has battle scenes, romance, and adventure in it. It's a movie that is highly recommended.

Gregory Peck fans will love the “Master and Commander” of this one! Disc quality was great. Case a bit flimsy but have had worse. Highly recommended!

Il romanzo fu letto da Churchill durante la guerra, in navigazione. Uno splendido divertente film di avventure di mare, durante le guerre napoleoniche. Bravissimo il protagonista, incantevole la protagonista, magnifici i caratteristi

Liebesfilm auf hoher See mit einem Happyend und hervorragenden Actern

J'ai tout aimés dans film voilà avec en plus gregori Pékin j'adore se genre de film

I remember watching this movie on the TV years ago and I enjoy watching it. I enjoy the characters and their story they are telling me too.