Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #436 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-10-16
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 785 minutes

DVD Description
The Hornblower – The Complete Collection DVD box set contains the entire set of episodes from the Hornblower series. Based on the character of Horatio from C.S. Forester's stories, the show revolves around the adventures of a gallant Briton named Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd), who fought on the high seas during the Napoleonic Wars. First broadcast in 1998, the period drama is initially set in the 1790s and also stars Robert Lindsay and Cherie Lunghi; the Hornblower screenplay was written by Russell Lewis.

Synopsis

The Hornblower series begins in 1974 in Portsmouth, England. As a fierce squall rages in the English Channel, a pale-faced 17 year-old midshipman huddled at the stern is just embarking upon his career in the Royal Navy. Sea-sick and drenched, Horatio Hornblower is laughed at by his new comrades as he boards a ship for the very first time. Little do they realise, however, that this young boy is destined to become one of the most courageous heroes of the Napoleanic Wars.

Customer Reviews

[about synopsis]
You might wish to correct typo in first line of your Synopsis - 1794 not 1974...

The original and still the best
C.S. Forester wrote his eleven "Hornblower" novels in the 1930s and 40s, long before Patrick O'Brien's Jack Aubrey or Alexander Kent's Richard Bolitho. This series has to be very high on the list of the finest adaptations of Forester's novels. Given that these were produced for TV without the immense budget of a Hollywood movie, their realism and historical accuracy are amazing. In the earlier episodes, Ioan Gruffudd as Hornblower and Robert Lindsay as his captain really strike sparks off each other, as do Gruffudd and Paul McGann in the later stages. Ironically, McGann's character has what must now be one of the world's least popular names, Bush! This series is a must for anyone with an interest in the history of the Napoleonic wars. But shop around, the RRP for the 4-disc series is £59.99 but it can be found brand new for under half that.

Swashbuckling Stuff
Whether you saw the 'Hornblower' series on the TV or not does not matter, these are wonderful to watch for the first time or again and again. Loads of action to please everyone. Well worth investing in.