Tonight's Movie: Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER (1951) has been on my "to watch" list for quite a long time.

It was part of the 2007 Literary Classics DVD collection, but while I own it and have seen some of the movies from that set, I still hadn't caught up with CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER.

I'm glad to say I have finally seen it at long last, thanks to a wonderful new Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection. Reviewing this disc was just the push I needed to make room for it in my viewing, and it proved worth the wait.

Gregory Peck plays the title role, captaining the HMS Lydia during the Napoleonic Wars.

As the story begins, the Lydia is on a secret mission to Central America to arm rebels against Britain's enemy Spain. Things become extremely complicated when news arrives that Spain has changed its alliance from France to Britain.

Later Hornblower will command another ship, the Sutherland, in battles along the French coast...and in the middle of all this, he falls in love with beautiful Lady Barbara Wellesley (Virginia Mayo).

Hornblower and Lady Barbara meet when he's forced to accept her as a passenger on the Lydia, but eventually he is forced to tell Barbara he is already married...

It's a detailed, story-packed plot, so I've outlined it in only the barest terms here. The various twists and turns of both war and romance are probably best experienced the first time via the film, rather than this review.

Suffice it to say that the movie is very well done, engrossing the viewer for all of its 117 minutes.

The direction, simultaneously energetic and elegant, was by Raoul Walsh, with Technicolor filming -- including at various European locations -- by British cinematographer Guy Green. The Rozsa-esque score was by Canadian composer Robert Farnon.

The cast is also filled with fine British actors including Stanley Baker (HELL DRIVERS), Robert Beatty, and James Robertson Justice; I saw the latter two actors in OUT OF THE CLOUDS (1955) in July.

I can take or leave Gregory Peck, enjoying him more in his less stodgy roles, such as ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953). That said, I thought he was very good in this; Hornblower is not a man given to excessive displays of emotion so it was a part which worked well for Peck.

Neither Peck nor Mayo attempt British accents, but I think most classic film fans are used to mid-Atlantic or American accents mingling amidst British accents in this type of film; consequently it wasn't an issue I gave much thought.

Mayo had worked with director Walsh on WHITE HEAT (1949) and COLORADO TERRITORY (1949) and excelled in both. She's equally good here as Barbara, who is simultaneously ladylike and spunky, and I think she helps to draw more emotion out of Peck.

The beautiful Warner Archive Blu-ray print is from a 1080P HD master from 4K scans of original nitrate Technicolor negatives.  It's absolutely lovely, as we've come to expect from the Warner Archive Collection.

Extras consist of the trailer; the Bugs Bunny cartoon CAPTAIN HAREBLOWER (1954); a 19-minute Technicolor short, MY COUNTRY 'TIS OF THEE (1950); and the January 1952 Lux Radio Theater production of the story, also starring Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo.

All in all, this is a well-done seafaring swashbuckler, presented in an outstanding print by the Warner Archive Collection.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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