Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews Horatio(Gruffudd, imbuing the role with a strong sense of honor and pride) begins his naval career at 17, in the year of 1793. In spite of various circumstances being against him, he does, in time, fare well with the other midshipmen(if you don't know a lot of Navy lingo, you will want to keep a dictionary on hand, and a finger on the pause-button). Then, Simpson(Healy, making for a truly reprehensible antagonist) returns, and his abusive behavior, thus far tolerated by the other low-level(none of the officers know about it) workers, leads to a feud with our titular protagonist.I haven't read the novels, but if this is anything to go by, it's no wonder they were deemed worthy of adapting. This is an excellent first chapter, and sets the scene for numerous more - I look forward to taking in the following seven. Thoroughly well-acted, filmed compellingly(though you can, at times, tell this was made for television), credible with a richness of detail(many subtle ones), all characters developed well - and with a pace that features many events and people, without rushing ahead to fit it all in. The realism is impressive - there are some elements that make it clear that this is fiction, a dramatization crafted around things that have happened, and with how gripping this is, you easily forgive that. It goes into universally human themes - respect, discipline, friendship, etc.There is a bit of brutal, bloody, disturbing and violent content in this - it is quite honest in its depiction of the many nasty, potential consequences of sea-faring, and ship-based warfare, of the time. I recommend this to any fan of drama and historical adventure. 8/10

bill-987 I'm quite sure Forester would have approved.I think that almost any novel (or series of novels) which achieves 'favorite' status is at a competitive disadvantage when turned into a film. The most notable exceptions are works written, either consciously or not, with a screenplay in mind (I'm convinced Michael Crichton ONLY writes screenplays).I think it safe to assume that C. S. Forester was not writing with the screen, either large or small, in mind so I have to say that this series is hands down the best series of films (they're not really a miniseries because they're not really interdependent) ever produced from another media.The series is well paced, the characters well developed and wonderfully cast, the action scenes excellently shot, but to my way of thinking the series best feature is the development and maturation of the character of Hornblower himself..I've always been a fan of 'coming of age' films (my all time favorite – A Bronx Tale), but to watch the growing relationships which Hornblower develops with Mathews, Styles, Captain Foster, Taping, and particularly with Captain/Admiral Sir Edward Pellew is truly a joy.Ioan Gruffudd's portrayal produces an honorable man, a character which every guy should secretly want to be and which every woman should want to hook up with. This series is a 'must have' for every film library. Ten stars!

Imnozy I viewed this show with some trepidation, as the name Hornblower to me (as with many others) is synonymous with Gregory Peck. But this is a different Hornblower and the magic is very much the same - fancy uniforms, good guys and bad guys, lots of sailing ships and lot of blood and thunder. What more can one ask for?Add to this an excellent cast, from the principals down and you come up with a rip roaring piece of entertainment. The producers on the whole avoided the urge to "modernise" the story, the speech and demeanour of all concerned rang true, this in itself is worthy of note.So, if like me , you were reluctant to see this show as you didn't want your memories of the Peck movie spoilt - do take the opportunity if it comes to your screen again. It is a classic example of when the British do something well, they do it extra well - Recommended.

yaelbenisrael First of all, a note about the American titles for this mini-series: what's wrong with you people? Can't you leave a title alone? Or do you think your crowd is so dumb, they wouldn't understand the title that the makers gave it? Why did you have to change "The Even Chance" into "The Duel", for instance (and the other titles as well)? Translating a foreign title is one thing. Altering (and totally ruining) an existing title is something else.And now to the comment: "Hornblower" is one of the best-made series I have ever seen. It's clever, it's interesting, it's really wonderful in all aspects possible. And Ioan Gruffudd is not only good looking, he's a good actor- a skill that most Hollywood stars unfortunately lack. Right now I have only seen the first two episodes, but I'm definitely not going to miss the other two.