Gregory Peck is an undeniable movie icon, a celebrated classy actor who participated in diverse film productions during his illustrious career. From war movies to westerns to horror films, Peck was known for his open-minded handling of each role he accepted as an actor. However, Captain Horatio Hornblower is one movie not widely remembered by the modern cinematic world that features Peck in the lead role made famous by C.S. Forester, the author and creator of the character Horatio Hornblower. First off, the movie is mostly made out of naval battles and a love story. The love story between the main characters, albeit complex, is somewhat melodramatic and artificial.
Moreover, the inclusion of any romance at all in such a serious movie was a bad decision on the part of the filmmakers. For example, the layers of makeup on Virginia Mayo as Lady Barbara was completely unrealistic, considering the unsanitary conditions aboard a nineteenth century warship. The only highlights of the film were the naval battles themselves and of course, Peck's stalwart performance as the dedicated captain. Otherwise, the film is more or less a collection of the romanticism in living at sea, which compromises the realism of the story. At first, the film basically shows what can already be deduced from the plot itself: life at sea during the nineteenth century was unsanitary, dangerous, and very limiting, not at all as idealistic as the movie later tries to portray it. Nevertheless, Captain Horatio Hornblower is a standpoint as far as Gregory Peck is concerned, a performance not to be missed.
Captain Horatio Hornblower is available on DVD wherever movies are sold in Fresno and online; it also can be rented for free from local libraries.
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