HH1 Synopsis

England 1793. Beneath the rolling clouds of a January gale, a shoreboat cuts through the churning waters of Spithead harbor to where the battleship Justinian rides at anchor. Huddled wet and shivering in the sternsheets of the shoreboat, a pale, thin, young boy named Horatio Hornblower is about to embark upon the greatest adventure of his life. . .

Warning: If you have not seen the Hornblower films yet, you may not wish to read the following program synopses, as they contain detailed plot information.

Film One: The Duel

Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) clambers aboard the ship-of-the-line the Justinian—known to its intimates as "the good ship Slough of Despond. As the appalled Hornblower looks at the crowded, fetid land-based ship, a seaman whispers, "His Majesty's latest bad bargain." It's a baptism by fire. Not only is Hornblower awkward, nervous, seasick and afraid of heights, his peers are wary of his intelligence while the resident bully, Midshipman Jack Simpson (Dorian Healy), adds the new recruit to his list of targets. A suicidal Hornblower writes to his father, telling him how happy he is.

Simpson, who has decided to bestow his most sadistic antics upon Hornblower, beats him up and threatens to do worse if he tells anyone about the deed. When questioned by his superiors about his physical condition, Hornblower tells them that he "fell."

When Simpson accuses Hornblower of cheating at cards, this incites Hornblower to challenge him to a duel—a move that is thwarted by another midshipman who, unbeknown to Hornblower, takes his place—and is killed by Simpson. Simpson, however, still swears vengeance on Hornblower.

When the war against France intensifies, Hornblower and several other men are transferred to the frigate Indefatigable that sets sail for the Bay of Biscay. In command of the ship is Captain Sir Edward Pellew (Robert Lindsay), who will become Hornblower's mentor. Simpson remains on the Justinian and Hornblower is given command of this division of seamen who initially resent the young midshipman. Yet soon that resentment gives way to respect, for it's becoming clear that while Hornblower is a stickler for duty and detail, he's also kind, conscientious, loyal and honorable—the exact opposite of Simpson.

In the Bay of Biscay the Indefatigable, known as the 'Indy', captures two French merchant ships. Pellew instructs Hornblower to board one of them—the Marie Galante—with a "prize crew" of four men and sail her to any port in England. Hornblower is thrilled: it's his first command—one that goes horribly wrong.

The Marie Galante has been holed, causing its cargo of rice to swell and break up the ship. Hornblower, his division and the French prisoners end up adrift at sea in a jolly-boat. And then the prisoners overcome their captors.

Yet Hornblower's resourcefulness saves the day and soon they are they are picked up by the Indy. Hornblower's men now think he's positively heroic; Pellew is quietly delighted with is protégé. Yet for Hornblower himself, the whole episode is but fuel for the flame of his self-criticism. As far as he's concerned, he failed his mission.

Then the Indy is fired on by the French Frigate, the Papillon—a vessel that has already damaged a British 74-gun ship, ablaze in the distance. The Indy gives chase, but loses the Papillon in the Gironde estuary. Pellew then gives orders to rescue survivors from the 74-gunner. As they lower boats and race towards the floundering men, the nameplate of the ship floats past Hornblower in the water. It's the Justinian, and the first man he rescues is none other than Mr. Midshipman Jack Simpson. Pellew and his officers plan to lower boats and launch an attack on the Papillon, Simpson volunteers his services, much to the terror of Midshipman Kennedy (Jamie Bamber), a colleague and now friend of Hornblower's whose life was made a misery by Simpson. He's prone to fits, and Simpson is invariably the catalyst. As they board the Papillon, Kennedy lays unconscious in the jolly boat. Unnoticed by anyone else, Simpson cuts him adrift.

Then, in the thick of battle as they struggle to capture the French ship, Simpson wreaks his vengeance on Hornblower. Unseen by anyone except Hornblower himself, he fires up at him. But the shot is a glancing one: Hornblower falls into the sea and is rescued. They are now fired on from French guns on the shore. Several men are killed and Simpson tries to assume command. Tellingly, he's thwarted by the division he used to command: the men are now firmly behind Hornblower.

Nearby, the Indy is under fire from three French corvettes and Hornblower, in command of the Papillon, destroys one, and harries the other two into surrender. The Indy is saved.

Pellew is hugely impressed and contemplates promoting Hornblower to acting lieutenant. The only stumbling-block is that Hornblower refuses to retract the accusation that Simpson shot him. Caught up in a righteous anger, the courageous young midshipman challenges his tormentor to a duel, even thought he knows that Simpson is the best shot in the British navy.

Film Two: The Fireships

The Indy puts into Gibraltar which, since Spain's change of allegiance from Britain to France, is now home to the entire English fleet in the area. The Indy rescues the three surviving crew of a wrecked British brig, one of whom is the legendary Captain Foster (Denis Lawson) who Hornblower comes to admire. Supplies to the Indy are much reduced by the Spanish attacks and Hornblower leads a mission to Oran (Algiers) for supplies, only to find himself and his men quarantined after exposure to the plague at the port. Hornblower spends much of the time with his books preparing for his lieutenant examination. After three weeks quarantine and back in Gibraltar, Hornblower sits for his exam. Overcome by nerves and awed by the three fearsome commanders, including Captain Foster, who are to judge his proficiency, the normally intelligent Hornblower fails to answer even the most basic questions. He is about to be dismissed from the room in ignominy when an alarm is raised: a blazing fireship is bearing down on the harbor from the Spanish side. The examination is aborted and as the examiners head for their ships, Hornblower joins Foster in an attempt to board the fireship and keep it clear of the British fleet.

With Hornblower at the helm and Foster giving directions, they managed to keep the burning brig clear of nearby ships. Hornblower nearly drowns and Foster saves his life. Captain Pellew is hugely impressed by Hornblower's courage and tells him not to worry about the aborted exam—he's well prepared for the next time.

Film Three: The Duchess and the Devil

Acting Lieutenant Hornblower, assisted by only five men, captures the French sloop Le Reve off the Spanish coast—a major feat that does much to enhance his reputation. At a high society dinner with the Governor of Gibraltar and his wife, Sir Hew and Lady Dalrymple, Hornblower meets the extraordinary Duchess of Wharfedale (Cherie Lunghi) —a loud, raucous and completely outrageous woman. He is asked to escort her to England and take a packet of important naval dispatches with him. Out at sea they find themselves in a fog in the middle of the Spanish fleet and are captured and taken to a mainland fort and imprisoned. The Duchess has hidden the dispatches in her skirts, but Hornblower overhears her talking in Spanish and worries that she may be a spy. In prison, Hornblower is reunited with his friend Kennedy, the young midshipman who befriended him in his early battle with Simpson. He and the other prisoners plan an escape, but must wait until Kennedy recovers from ill health. The Duchess, who was supposed to have been escorted to Lisbon by her captors, returns to the fort and she and Hornblower become friendly. She is revealed as an actress called Katherine Cobham, but before Hornblower can retrieve the dispatch, she leaves again in a Spanish trader that will take her to neutral Portugal.

His first escape bid thwarted, it is the wrecking of the Spanish trader that offers Hornblower the prospect of escape. Having given his jailers his word of honor to return, Hornblower and his men bravely go to the aid of the stranded Spanish sailors and the "Duchess." By the time they reached the vessel there are only four survivors left—including the Duchess. The Indy picks them up and the Duchess gives Captain Pellew the dispatches and tells him of Hornblower's bravery. Hornblower insists on returning to the fort as he promised with his men, under truce. Two weeks later orders are given to release them. Hornblower is now a commissioned Lieutenant due to his "exemplary gallantry."

Film Four: The Wrong War

Hornblower's ship, the Indy, together with three other ships carrying French émigré troops ("Frogs") and British Infantrymen ("Lobsters"), is sent to aide an attempted coup against the Republican Government by French Royalist counterrevolutionaries. Commanding the British Troops is the Earl of Edrington (Samuel West) assisted by Colonel the Marquis de Moncoutant (Antony Sher) who is making a highly symbolic return to France complete with a guillotine. The commander of the French émigré troops is General the Baron de Charette (John Shrapnel) whose secret campaign documents have been stolen. Arriving in France, the forces disembark to launch several attacks in different locations. At the village where de Moncoutant is lord and has gone to rouse his subjects to action, their reception is disastrous as all the villagers have become Republicans and refuse to lower the tricolor. Bloodshed ensues and the cruelty and barbarism of some of the French aristocrats shocks Hornblower and a young schoolteacher called Mariette (Estelle Skornik) who has caught his eye. Meanwhile the other allied forces are routed and beat a retreat to the shore where they plan to blow up the bridge to protect them from the fast approaching enemy - the secret plans must have fallen into enemy hands. Hornblower, trapped in the village by Republican troops is caught up in a race against time to return to the Indy before it sails and before the bridge is blown up. He will not leave without Mariette but a bullet kills her. Devastated, Hornblower just makes it over the bridge. A desperate stand occurs on the beach as the Republican troops surge across the river to overwhelm the allies, but at the last minute the Indy appears firing at the Republicans and forcing them to retreat.