Hello, I happen to be a fan of both the Hornblower books and the movies. So I wanted to start a thread to discuss Hornblower! Anyone else out there wanting to do the same???
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When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on!
NaNo2007:WON! ... FIRST YEAR!!!
Screnzy2008: Lost... painfully
50,026 / 50,000
Abr 16, 2008 - 10 00
I'm a casual fan, I guess. The only book I've read is "Lieutenant Hornblower". That was quite a while ago, but I remember that I enjoyed it. I've watched six of the eight A&E episodes and enjoyed those too, some more than others ("Mutiny" and "Retribution" were probably my favorites; I heartily disliked "The Duchess and the Devil").
Different series, but I loved the "Master & Commander" film too, though I haven't read any of Patrick O'Brian's books.
50,576 / 50,000
Abr 17, 2008 - 09 10
I agree with the Duchess and the Devil. Mutiny and Retribution are my favorites as well. Which ones have you not seen yet?
I enjoyed the books, even if I haven't read the last few.
The Master and Commander movie is my favorite movie of all time!!!
50,026 / 50,000
Abr 17, 2008 - 09 44
I haven't seen "Loyalty" or "Duty". Our boxed set only includes the other six. :S
"Hornblower" is what made me become an Ioan Gruffudd fan...he's such a talented actor, though unfortunately still pretty obscure (at least around here where I come from -- I still get blank stares when I mention his name). I think he also did an excellent job in another period movie, "Amazing Grace". (And I still need to rewatch "Black Hawk Down" so I can spot him; somehow I missed him last time.) Anyway, I've recommended "Hornblower" to several people, trying to get the word out. :)
"Master & Commander" is one of those movies that gets better and better with each viewing. In retrospect I think it should have won over "Return of the King" for Best Pic that year...but that's just personal opinion. :) I was a little disappointed because I thought it had the perfect set-up for a sequel, which never happened.
50,576 / 50,000
Abr 18, 2008 - 08 50
I actually saw "Mutiny", "Retribution", "Loyalty", and "Duty" for the first time on Youtube about two months ago, although I daresay that renting the DVDS would give you a better video quality.
Ioan Gruffudd is probably my favorite actor( next or equal to Russell Crowe for Master and Commander), mostly for the Hornblower series. Amazing Grace was absolutely beautiful, though I wish I could have seen it in the theaters.
Unfortunately, my dad got sick of Master and Commander (don't know why) and so I don't see it very often. I've been trying to get him to watch it again for the past couple of months, but so far... he's too busy. As for getting Best Picture instead of Return of the King... I'm afraid I might have to disagree, the Lord of the Rings is my favorite story of all time and I think they did wonderful with making movies of it. If it had of lost though, I would have been thoroughly upset if Master and Commander didn't win instead.
50,944 / 50,000
Abr 18, 2008 - 09 01
I've been a Hornblower fan since I accidentally stumbled upon "Loyalty" on television. Of course, having no idea what was going on, i went back and watched every one up to and after it-- about a million times. I fell in love with the story, the characters and a certain Welsh actor. My least favourite is the second one... what's it called? "The Fire Ships?" I've only seen it once or twice, and when I watch the series with my friends I skip over that one entirely and just give them a brief synopsis before skipping on to "The Duchess and the Devil." Since then I've bought all eight DVDs and all of the books I can get my hands on, but I've only read 'Mr. Midshipman Hornblower', 'Flying Colours', and 'Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies'-- frak chronological order. xD
50,576 / 50,000
Abr 29, 2008 - 12 50
Hello again everyone!
The Duchess and the Devil is my least favorite.
I have read almost all of the books, and I am planning on getting around to reading the last three.
Why is it that most of the female fans only like the series because they have a crush on the actors? (Yes, I'm saying this even though I have a thing for Archie... and for Wellard... kind of...) It bugs me that people only like the characters for thier looks. Does this annoy anyone else?
17,890 / 50,000
Abr 30, 2008 - 21 46
I think I read all the Hornblower books in about two weeks after I found them. Started with Happy Return / Beat to Quarters, finished that in about a day.
When I first heard about the A&E series (which, since I rarely watch TV, was when I saw the entire collection for sale (sail?) at Costco) I bought it sight unseen. I don't want to say I was disappointed by them -- because I certainly wasn't! -- but I couldn't help but feel that, however well written and acted, it wasn't the Hornblower I had originally fallen in love with. I had a very distinct idea of the characters and situations in my head and it didn't always jive with that. Add to the fact that Midshipman Hornblower was probably my least favorite of the books (yes, beating out Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies -- but only just! (oh, and Hornblower during the Crisis doesn't count. I rather liked the short story with Napoleon III anyway)) and you have a recipe for a big 'meh.' I don't regret my purchase and do enjoy watching them - I just wish the movies were like the books are in my head. I know it's an impossible task for any filmmaker but I can't help but feel that way =).
Oh, and I have to admit my secret shame: I don't like Patrick O'Brian. I've tried really, really hard to like him. Honestly, I have. I've put more effort into reading the first book than I think I did the entire Hornblower series. I know, I know -- O'Brian is more authentic, his historical knowledge far exceeds Forester's, his writing style is based on actual literature and logs from the time, etc. etc. I just can't force myself to read it. On my first attempt, I think I made it ~50 pages in before my mind wandered off completely. Second attempt I made it ~150 pages. I'm hoping, God willing, to actually get to a part that has some action on my next attempt.
I did like the movie Master and Commander (which, I'm given to understand, was actually based upon 'Far Side of the World'. I can't help but wonder if they chose that story so that if a new Hornblower movie based on Lydia's mission would seem passé; or maybe it's because I'm not the only one who finds the original Master and Commander hopelessly boring).
50,088 / 50,000
Mayo 1, 2008 - 01 33
I'm with you on O'Brien. I couldn't make it through the first book either.
Have been a Hornblower fan for ... oh, 40-odd years, I guess. Personally, I think Midshipman was slightly less weak than Admiral, but there were definitely problems on both ends of H.H.'s career.
All things considered, I thought the adaptations weren't bad. Better than the Gregory Peck movie, in any event.
50,026 / 50,000
Mayo 1, 2008 - 09 51
In response to the comment about females only liking the series because they have a crush on the actors: I don't know if I find this particularly annoying when it comes to "Hornblower", just because I don't really know anybody else outside of my family who's watched it. Personally I like it most when a series (or any movie for that matter) is worth watching in and of itself, but there also just happen to be some good-looking guys in the cast as an added bonus. ;) "Hornblower" and "Band of Brothers" are the two examples that spring to mind.
But yes, I do find it annoying when movies or musical acts are successful based solely on the actors' or bandmembers' good looks. That really shouldn't be the deciding factor. (Ranting now: I'm despairing about how well the "Twilight" movie is undoubtedly going to do this December. Such a terribly poorly-written book, but there are enough females around swooning over "Edward" that Stephenie Meyer is really rolling in the dough. Grr.)
50,576 / 50,000
Mayo 3, 2008 - 13 46
Phoenix- 40 YEARS????? Wow! Question: In your experianced opinion, how did Bush in the A&E compare to the Bush in the books? In the A&E he seemed too... calm. I seem to remember him yelling and hollering at that particular midshipman, not just lecturing him slightly...
CillanXC- I sort of posted that comment because when I watch Hornblower on Youtube all I ever see in the comments is how attractive people think Hornblower or Bush or Archie are... and it bugs me cause I'd rather be discussing the plot or other character points. I'm glad to see that someone else agrees with me!!!
lansisle- Its funny that you should mention that they were different characters in the book and that the movie characters didn't live up to your expectations. My dad got me interested in the movie series when I was about 7 and I saw the first four (which means I've been a fan for... almost 10 years? has it been that long???) before I even knew that the books existed. So when I started reading the books I saw the characters as they were in the movies (except for Bush who I first saw in the movies only about 4 months ago.) and in my opinion they were pretty close to the books. I think the books allows you to get inside Hornblower's head better and thats why the movie character seemed different.
I haven't read any of the Patrick O' Brian books yet, but I think that I will pick one up in the near future and attempt it. Does any one know which book is first?
21,155 / 50,000
Mayo 3, 2008 - 21 13
The complete Aubrey-Maturin novels:
Master and Commander
Post Captain
HMS Surprise
Desolation Island
The Mauritius Command
The Fortune of War
The Surgeon's Mate
The Ionian Mission
Treason's Harbour
The Far Side of the World
The Reverse of the Medal
The Letter of Marque
The Thirteen-Gun Salute
The Nutmeg of Consolation
Clarissa Oakes (or "The Truelove")
The Wine-Dark Sea
The Commodore
The Yellow Admiral
The Hundred Days
Blue at the Mizzen
And an unfinished 21st.
Your dad is right, there is a lot of mature subject matter in this series, but *that which kept you from reading past Flying Colors* is implied and discussed, not portrayed *coughpurpleprosecough*...more swearing per book than Hornblower, but then there are way more WORDS in total per book! (I estimated the word count of MaC to be about 144,000.) Stephen is also fond of the poppy and the Peruvian leaf, if ye get my driftwood, but even until the early twentieth century they thought those things were good for you.
50,576 / 50,000
Mayo 4, 2008 - 17 12
Wow! What a list! I'll have to put it some where until I can use it.
All I know is that my dad listened to only a little bit of M & C (audiobook) and decided it wasn't a very "child friendly" book and stopped reading it himself... So I'll have to wait until I'm out on my own to see if I can put up with the subject matter. I probably will read it for research purposes in any case...
50,576 / 50,000
Mayo 6, 2008 - 11 14
Can you believe that my library only has TWO of them! Stupid desert...
Anyway, back to Hornblower. "That which kept me from reading past flying colors" bothers me more that it HAPPENED more than it going into detail. I've always liked Maria, and I was mad enough when Hornblower fell for Lady Barbara in "Beat to Quaters", even though he stopped before they went too far. That in itself made me mad. But when he has a fling with ANOTHER in Flying Colors,(and apparantly KEEPS flinging into at least one book ahead) while MARRIED to one lady and "in love" with another I just found myself disjusted with Hornblower. I can understand... No, can't even condone the "Lady Barbara" thing, not with him still married... Urg... Now I'm angry at him again... HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A GENTLEMAN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!! I'm glad they stopped the movies when they did...
Does anyone else feel this way???
21,155 / 50,000
Mayo 7, 2008 - 14 33
yes...and none of the ladies ever found out about the others did they? Or got pregnant? It especially bothers me when characters don't suffer any consequences for their actions. (btw, spoiler: Jack Aubrey's wife Sophie threw him out of the house when she found out about his one-night stand with a girl in Halifax, who DID get pregnant.) Showing or implying something is different from condoning it but doesn't Forester try pretty hard to excuse it all?
50,576 / 50,000
Mayo 12, 2008 - 08 01
He does seem to excuse it all... and it makes me very angry that he was alright with approving it and ruining Hornblower's character... I think I read somewhere (while I was skimming Lord Hornblower perhaps?) that he thought Barbara suspected his affair with the french lady. But other than that, I don't think his wives ever knew (which was most likely a blessing for Maria). The french lady (Marie, was it?) knew that he was married, to Maria, I don't know if she knew about his remarriage to Barbara.
Began and finished Commodore Hornblower yesterday! Now I need to reread it to make sure I understood all of it... When I read things that fast I tend to miss alot... I was SO glad that it wasn't as bad as Flying Colours! It seemed to have a more choppy style than the other books.
17,890 / 50,000
Mayo 12, 2008 - 21 16
Commodore Hornblower is a bit unusual, mostly because of the fever-ridden ending. And watch out: there is an affair buried in it, albeit a less obvious one than in Flying Colors.
I do think that Forester does not necessarily excuse Hornblower's infidelity. He tends to write from a (more or less) limited third person POV and, as such, runs through Hornblower's rationalization. I don't condone Hornblower's actions, but neither do I condemn their inclusion in the stories. Describing a flawed hero, particularly given the time during which the books were written, is one reason that the 'sea story' tends to be more literary, in my personal opinion, than stories with a similar emphasis on action. I may not respect Hornblower as much, but I certainly do respect Forester more =).
50,576 / 50,000
Mayo 24, 2008 - 07 49
I did notice the affair, but I was so glad that they didn't make a big deal out of it. I kind of realized that Hornblower was very much drunk at the time and almost incapable of controlling himself. Not that I agree with his actions, I wish that he would have kept ahold of himself...
Edit later: Where did everyone go?
0 / 50,000
Jun 2, 2008 - 12 21
I've just read Commodore Hornblower, but I have the first...three, I think Aubrey/Maturin novels on hold at the library, and the first Hornblower.
one of the best bits of Commodore Hornblower is the bit with the flags. I loved that part.
Yeah, and I didn't quite get the affair. Hornblower reminds me a lot of Vimes from the Terry Pratchett books, and I was convinced that he would never cheat on his wife...and then he did. You're right, though, he was really drunk at the time.
21,155 / 50,000
Jun 2, 2008 - 13 52
I don't remember the bit with the flags.
50,576 / 50,000
Jun 2, 2008 - 15 02
Neither do I...
21,155 / 50,000
Jun 9, 2008 - 08 34
Want to refresh our memories, Zante?
50,576 / 50,000
Jun 13, 2008 - 13 21
*Finishes Admiral Hornblower and thus the end of the series* Huzzay! ...Now I guess I can start them over again...
*Watching Mutiny again for the gazillionth time* I WANT TO KILL SAWYER!!! HOW DARE HE CANE WELLARD FOR NO REASON AT AT!!!
Commodore, I remember reading somewhere that you thought Archie pushed Sawyer down the hatchway! I don't think Archie did it, I think Hornblower (and likely Wellard) did it! *opens new discussion*
21,155 / 50,000
Jun 13, 2008 - 16 56
I don't think I ever said that. It's been a long time since I read the book, but you never find out, do you? The movie kind of implies that he did, when Pellew says that he was acting for the good of the service, but I think you're right about Hornblower. otoh, what if he really did just fall and there shouldn't have even been a court-martial?
0 / 50,000
Jun 16, 2008 - 21 55
The part with the signal flags....Is that in that book, I was sure it is! They're signalling to another ship with different colored flags.
21,155 / 50,000
Jun 17, 2008 - 07 21
Don't they do that all the time?
I thought it might be something along the lines of the bit with the flags in...I think it's Master and Commander, where at the (admiral's? need to re-read) ball they have signal flags for decoration, but they really do spell out a message:
Engage the Enemy More Closely.