Hornblower (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hornblower | |
|---|---|
 DVD Cover |
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| Format | Drama |
| Created by | C. S. Forester (stories and characters) |
| Starring | Ioan Gruffudd Robert Lindsay Paul McGann Paul Copley Sean Gilder Jamie Bamber Fernando Felício |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 3 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Meridian Broadcasting |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Original run | 1998 – 2003 |
Hornblower is the umbrella title of an acclaimed series of television drama programmes based on C. S. Forester's novels about the fictional character Horatio Hornblower, a Royal Naval officer during the French revolutionary wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
The series stars Ioan Gruffudd in the title role and is produced by the British broadcaster Meridian Television, and shown on ITV (and as of March 2008 is being shown on ITV3) in the UK and A&E Television Networks in the U.S. Episodes were shown on Greek television in 2007.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
- Ioan Gruffudd as Horatio Hornblower
- Robert Lindsay as Captain (and later Commodore and Admiral) Sir Edward Pellew
- Jamie Bamber as Lieutenant Archie Kennedy (5 episodes)
- Paul McGann as Lieutenant William Bush (4 episodes)
- David Warner as Captain James Sawyer (2 episodes)
- Paul Copley as Matthews
- Sean Gilder as Styles
- Lorcan Cranitch as Wolfe (2 episodes)
- Philip Glenister as Hobbs (2 episodes)
Other well-known actors have appeared in guest roles, including Anthony Sher, Andrew Tiernan, Samuel West, Christian Coulson, Cherie Lunghi, Greg Wise and Ronald Pickup.
[edit] Episodes
The series consists of eight made-for-television movies, which are notable for their high production values. All were later released on DVD. In the U.S. the series was retitled Horatio Hornblower, and some of the episodes were known by different titles.
- The Even Chance (AKA: The Duel)
- The Examination For Lieutenant (AKA: The Fire Ships)
- The Duchess and the Devil
- The Frogs And The Lobsters (AKA: The Wrong War)
- Mutiny
- Retribution
- Loyalty
- Duty
[edit] Awards
- Emmy Award (1999) for Outstanding Supporting Extra (Fernando Felício)
- Emmy Award (1999) for Outstanding Miniseries
- Emmy Award (1999) for Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie
[edit] Future episodes
Ioan Gruffudd has said that he would be glad to participate in more Hornblower films,[1]. However, there are currently no plans for future episodes.
On February 20, 2007 Gruffudd also said he is planning to make a big screen version of Hornblower. He is attempting to gain the rights to the books by C.S. Forester, despite the refusal of US network A&E, which produced the TV series. A&E decided that, since it was such an expensive venture to make the movies for television, they will not make more at this point. [2]
On the The Graham Norton Show on March 22, 2007, Gruffudd disclosed that the American producers have decided to end the series due to high production costs.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Hornblower: The Even Chance at the Internet Movie Database
- Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant at the Internet Movie Database
- Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil at the Internet Movie Database
- Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters at the Internet Movie Database
- Hornblower: Mutiny at the Internet Movie Database
- Hornblower: Retribution at the Internet Movie Database
- Hornblower: Loyalty at the Internet Movie Database
- Hornblower: Duty at the Internet Movie Database
