Мичман Хорнблауэр: Равные шансы (1998) watch online HD

I Have just finished watching the entire series of Hornblower and must say that few seafaring adventures can beat it.It ranks up there with the original Mutiny on the Bounty,The Sea Hawk and Master And Commander as one of the greatest of its kind. Ioan Gruffudd is perfectly cast as young Hornblower,a seasick midshipman who tranforms gradually into a courageous leader of men. Robert Lindsay offers great support as Capt.Edward Pellew,one of the most important characters in the story who guides Hornblower along his journeys.Jamie Bamber,Paul Copley and Sean Gilder are all excellent as Hornblower's loyal shipmates. Ireally can't pick any one episode as they are all magnificent.I also liked Paul McGann who portrays Lt.Bush. All in all i just hope that in the future their will be more parts to this truly brilliant adventure series!!! EASILY 10 OUT OF 10 !

The first in the Horatio Hornblower series, this installment is absolutely stunning. After watching this, you will find yourself longing for more. There is enough action, drama, and humor to satisfy just about anyone.

The acting is wonderful. Ioan Gruffudd in particular in the leading role, but all the supporting actors put out great performances as well.

The costumes are flawless. That, combined with the set design and ships, make you feel as though you have gone back in time.

I would recommend this miniseries to anyone I know (And I've done much of that already).

Okay, these movies should fare good if these were on the big screen. Well-written adventure stories about a handsome young hero going out to save the British navy from many problems. He knows his duty and he's one of the most clever officers in the British navy. The actors and actresses also have the British accent and feel to prove it. Their remaking of the Indefagitable was wonderfully done, spectacularly! Hornblower pulls off some clever stunts. The brutality of the conflicts were done well. Ioan Gruffudd is excellent at the character of Hornblower himself! He's one brave fellow!

I am 19 years old, and since I had not read any of the Hornblower books (I expect most people would think this criminal, not to have read the stories of the most beloved naval hero in fiction!) I knew nothing about the story until the first two hour film was shown on TV (October 7th in England.-I hear that the USA will get the Hornblower series in the New Year) There are four Hornblower films, and the first 'The Even Chance' made me want to see the other three right away! The story is set in the years of the Napoleonic wars, and the first story shows Hornblowers first adventures as midshipman aboard the' Indefatigable'' having to put up with bullying by Simpson another midshipman aboard the ship who takes an instant dislike to the new recuit. The acting by Ioan Gruffudd as the young, self-concious, shy Horatio Hornblower is superb, and his dark brooding good looks are sure to make him a new heart throb. The rest of the cast are brilliant too, from Robert Lindsay as captain Pellew to Dorian Healy as the vicious Simpson. The £12 million spent on the film, has not gone to waste either. The first wooden ship to be built for 140 years, 'The Grand Turk', is used in the film for the 'Indefatigable' and is a stunning sight to see. The action sequences are brilliantly done, making you feel like you are almost on the ship itself. So brilliant action sequences, wonderful battle ships, and a stunning cast, all make Hornblower one of the best things to come on TV in years. Luckily for me (now a huge Hornblower fan) the showing of the second film-which was to be in December- has been put forward to November, because of the huge number of people calling ITV Television station, saying how much they liked it, and demanding for it to be put on early! I personally cannot wait to sail the sea with Horatio Hornblower again.

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.

If America only knew how good this was,it would be the highest rated Made-For-TV movie series of all time(hard to believe there are more people out there that would rather watch "The Columbo Mysteries" than Horatio Hornblower- that just goes to show the power of major network name-brand advertising.

The Hornblower movie series has been television at its finest. I have seen all 6 of the A&E Horatio Hornblower movies,"The Duchess and the Devil" is my favorite of the 6 films. However I tune in to A&E everytime they air a new Hornblower movie. So far all 6 movies have been based on the Horatio Hornblower adventure novels written by C.S. Forester(the same author who wrote African Queen). Each Movie chronicles the on-going adventures of Horatio Hornblower who is a Brittish Lt. in the Brittish Navy during the late 1790's-to early 1800's during the Napoleonic era in Europe. I sincerly believe that each one of these 6 Films has been good enough to have shown at the movie theaters,if the producers had wanted to. Unlike other Made-For-TV films,The Hornblower films do not have that Made-For-TV feeling to them,like most television movies have.

A common misconception that people who havent seen these movies have is that all 6 of these films go to gether as a mini-series- that is not true. The Hornblower movies are not a mini-series,all 6 of these films are individual movies about the same charactor- with all the same actors playing the same roles in each film(EXAMPLE:think of the James Bond films-They are not sequels, but they are all about the adventures of James Bond- that same principle applies to the Hornblower movies) I give the entire Horatio Hornblower movie series 5 out of 5 stars. Its Perfect entertainment- but you cant please everyone, so for those of you dont like epic battleship battles,historic style drama,high stakes adventure, and danger on the high seas,if you dont like stuff like that-there is always Columbo re-run for you to watch.

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.

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!

I remember watching one of these HORNBLOWER productions when it was first broadcast in the late 1990s but wasn`t too taken by it , so when ITV decided to repeat the series the only reason I watched The Even Chance was because there was nothing else on . When the end credits rolled I found myself asking how on earth I dismissed it so slightly when it was first broadcast ?

The Even Chance is a superlatively made piece of television , it`s production values are outstanding . Unlike Sean Bean in SHARPE Ioan Gruffudd makes a vulnarable and realistic hero and finds himself at the mercy of the sadistic violent bully Jack Simpson played by Dorian Healy . This well written , well acted television and I look forward to seeing the rest of the HORNBLOWER series

Hornblower: The Even Chance is a great entry to the four made for television movies! Its production value is outstanding starting with the original ships, costumes, cities... and ending with the very convincing battles at sea! This is one of the rare cases where CGI is very clever put to use! Ioan Gruffudd is an excellent choice as Horatio Hornblower! You believe immediately that he is the character! Gruffudd is not a typical Hollywood handsome man but a traditional beautiful European(he is Irish from origin!) lad. Watching this movie makes an exceptional evening! Highly recommended!

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

I certainly had my doubts when I rented the first volume of this series - apparently called "The Duel" here in the United States and "The Even Chance" in its native Britain. A rose by any other name...

It is really good. The main character Horatio is played immaculately by Ioan Gruffudd (I would really like to hear how that is pronounced.) It is hard not to compare it to the movie Master and Commander. I found that movie very entertaining, and also very worthy in its own right, but I have read the books by Patrick O'Brian, and how can a movie do justice to that? I mean, really.

I have not read the Forester books, so I cannot comment on the adaptation. I CAN compare the overall experience of seeing the Hornblower films to, well, everything else I have seen about similar subjects, and it fares well indeed. In fact, there has been nothing better overall. I enjoyed everything they did with it. I have to say, I thought it looked a little cheap at first - but I hesitated to even mention that because it was more than made up for in authenticity and raw acting.

I only mention it now so that if anyone reading this sees that, they are forewarned - it isn't special effects heavy, it's more genuine. And the scope and range of it is far deeper than anything else yet (about the same subject.) OK, now that Hornblower's praises have been sung again, rightfully, I just want to mention a highly under-read series that I hope some of you will pick up on, by the name of Flashman. I don't really compare Hornblower to Flashman directly, but they are both historical fiction (and I suppose military.) And I have to say, George MacDonald Fraser has given us something special in Flashman, in that his main character has serious and admitted flaws, unlike Horatio. As far as I know, no movies have been made from that series, but anyone who likes the Hornblower adventures as much as I do might like these too.

SPOILERS Based on the novels of C.S. Forester, the television adaptations of the life of Horatio Hornblower are well loved and well watched. With superb, albeit far from perfect, set designs, the series thrives due to it's excellent scripting, acting and realism. In this first encounter with the legendary Hornblower, we are given a perfect introduction to the lives of the man and his shipmates.

As a young midshipman, Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) is hardly the most likely of heroes. Serving under Captain Keene (Michael Byrne), he is constantly sea sick and bullied by the sadistic Jack Simpson (Dorian Healy). When war is declared against the French however, Horatio is transfered to the command of the inspirational Captain Pellew (Robert Lindsay). There, getting used to the sea and free from his tormentor, he begins to flourish into a man of strength and intelligence.

The amazing thing about the series in general is the way that Gruffudd's Hornblower meta-morphs from a young boy into an amazing Gentleman. In this first episode, he is superb as an inept boy who, when given the chance to flourish, succeeds with ease.

Gruffudd is also helped by some brilliant casting including Lindsay, Healy, Paul Copley, Sean Gilder and Jamie Bamber. All these actors become regulars in the series and they all perform admirably throughout.

Realism is another crucial part in the beauty of the Hornblower series. For a series to be based almost completely on a ship, it requires large amounts of effort to deal with the water vibrations. This series knows this and manages to capture the experience perfectly. Whilst not possessing the funding of recent Hollywood blockbuster "Master And Commander" (2003), it might not benefit from the ability to show two ships side by side without even slightly having a green screen effect, but it does manage to capture events on the boat perfectly, and for that it deserves praise.

Ultimately for the Hornblower series, all credit should go to Russell Lewis' superb scripting. Based on the books, Lewis brings to Hornblower to a new audience and manages to catch our interest with ease. Desperate to watch the next episode straight after it's predecessor, audiences fall in love with the nautical adventures and are hooked.

As a first episode, the Hornblower series could not have had a better production than "The Even Chance". Introducing the young and quiet Hornblower, it manages to catch the audiences interest and by the end of the episode we're obsessed. Warning, watching this first episode will cause you to spend large quantities of time watching the entire series. Brilliant!

I was frankly not expecting much because my exposure to Ioan Gruffudd has been exclusively the dismal Fantastic Four movies. I was stunned to learn that he can actually act -- or could once, anyway -- and his performance completely carries this film. The rest of the cast, for the most part unfamiliar to me as an American viewer, do a fine job as well. I would make something of an exception for Dorian Healy, but I fault him less for his performance than the script for giving him so little to work with other than moustache-twirling villainy. That's a minor nitpick, though. The acting is solid across the board, with a great supporting performance by Robert Lindsay.

In general, the action moves along briskly, the characters are well-defined, and the overall production values are surprisingly high. There are a few weak special effects where the budget shows a bit, but for the most part this is a really well-mounted production. The sets and costumes are top-notch, and a lot of attention seems to have been paid to period detail. It would be easy to believe this was a big-screen theatrical production if not for the periodic commercial fade-outs (which, by the way, were uniformly ignored on the telecast I watched -- is it really that difficult, Ovation?) Oh, and for other American viewers, the reason Kennedy looks so familiar but you can't quite place him is because he buried his natural accent so successfully on Battlestar Galactica.

At any rate, I highly recommend this film and now look forward to seeing the others in the series. I can only marvel at whatever happened to Horatio Hornblower to turn him into such a lackluster Reed Richards. Perhaps a lifetime of attempting to spell "Ioan Gruffudd" has just worn him down.

If you have read the Hornblower books, you will be disappointed by the movies. If you haven't read the books, then the movies will be entertaining. Don't read the books expecting to see the movies themes and stories or vice versa.

The theme, character traits and story developments of the C.S. Forester are not present in the movies I have watched. It is the typical case of using the reputation and basic elements of a book to write your own story for a movie. Always an unfortunate decision, but here the character of Horatio is lost. The large themes of Hornblower's decisive calculations, self- loathing, self-imposed isolation, moods and leadership have all been but aside for our more modern themes of bad guy vs. good guy and the hero model. The movies do use incidents from the books, but do not present them within the historic settings well. Neither do they string them together in relationships similar to the books.

Watch it and then read the books. They use the same names (sometimes) but treat them as separate works.

The 1st two episodes of Hornblower introduced us to Horatio Hornblower, played by Ioan Gruffudd. We first see him as a 17 year old Midshipman, joining his first ship and suffering from sea sickness while the ship is still moored at Spithead! We see him begin to develop skills in leading and motivating the ships crew but we always see the vulnerability of the character. Ioan Gruffudd is, in my opinion the perfect choice of actor to play Horatio Hornblower. I have loved the books for many years and was reluctant to watch the 1st episode of Hornblower, fearing that the transition from well loved book, to television screen, would lead to great disappointment.......how wrong could I be? From his very 1st appearance on screen Ioan Gruffudd IS Hornblower. There is great support from actors like Robert Lindsay and a myriad of other British character actors. I would recommend these programmes to anyone who enjoys a well acted adventure, set on the high seas.

As a great fan of the Hornblower series (have read it completely through 3 times), I was somewhat disappointed in A&E's rendition of it. C. S. Forester's writing was "abso-fraggin'-lutely" outstanding. His characters, plotting, and historical accuracy and detail mark the books as classic reading and are thoroughly enjoyable.

I was looking forward to the miniseries with great anticipation. Hate to disagree with what seems the common praise -- the sets, the actors, the filming are all very well done -- but what's missing is the texture of the STORY!

As probably the worst example of this, Forester's chapter "The Even Chance" sets up the characters and situation that bring about the duel wonderfully. It's unique. He explains the inaccuracy of pistols of that time and how Hornblower sets the conditions of the duel because of it. In the tv version, this has been changed to something that has little to do with the story as Forrester wrote it. They make a series of a good book precisely because it's such a good story, and then feel compelled to change the story into a typical formula plot.

Enjoy the series for what it is, but read the books to get the story that made them classics in the first place.

Like all the Hornblower series, this is British television at its best.

The story line moves swiftly, the dialogue and acting are superb, and (for the American audience) there are explosions, battles and special effects. Robert Lindsay (Captain Pellew - best remembered for his role in "Citizen Smith" in the 70s) and Ioan Gruffudd (more recently Sir Lancelot in King Arthur) are a treat to watch.

Having recently watched Russell Crowe in Master and Commander, I'd say the Hornblower series has the edge.

What are you doing still reading this - go rent it on DVD now!

As far as I know there exists no overarching imdb category for the whole of the "Hornblower" series. As a result I'll write my review here.

It's a well-made and cohesive series. Ioan Gruffudd, who has just the right kind of handsome earnestness, makes a very credible lead character.

As the series progresses, the Hornblower character assembles a semi-permanent cast of superiors, colleagues and underlings, some of whom become friends, others of whom become rivals or enemies. Much of the charm of the series derives from these interactions. There is, of course, also a lot of exotic traveling and a lot of maritime swashbuckling, most of which is convincingly evoked. At times the viewer too will smell the peppery stench of gunpowder, or the heavy perfume of roses blooming against a warm wall... The series is not notable for its psychological profundity, nor for its searching look at the nature of warfare or the fickleness of international relations. However, it is quite good at what it sets out to do, which is to provide rousing naval adventures set around the times of the French revolution and the Napoleonic era.

Still, there is an element of unintentional comedy creeping in. The young Hornblower is pictured as a bold yet honourable warrior, and indeed, honour remains a constant concern, resulting in many a manly discussion about various ruses and stratagems. However, the underlying code of honour is complicated and contradictory to the extreme, as are the laws of naval warfare. Taken in conjunction with the ever-shifting international politics, this gives much of these discussions a surreal flavour. Should our hero fly the colours of France while trying to escape the notice of a Spanish war fleet ? I'd say go for it, dear, and while you're at it, you might just as well fly the colours of Sweden while accusing the French of attacking the Spaniards. Who's going to care ? Certainly not the Russian captain who suspects you of being a Dutchman who attacks the English while being disguised as a Frenchman...

The first Hornblower film is based on the books by CS Forester, however it is clear that some of the flavour of the books is hard to replicate on the screen especially on television when frankly to mount naval battles and widescreen sea based shots require a Hollywood style budget.

Set in 1793, in The Even Chance, we see a young 17 years old midshipman, Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) getting to grips with the navy, he feels the full effect of sea sickness but even worse bullying from senior officer Jack Simpson (Dorian Healy.)

Luckily for Hornblower when Britain goes to war with the French he is transferred to another ship led by Captain Pellew (Robert Lindsay.) Under Pellew Hornblower thrives, his crew respects him, he shows bravery, tenacity, cunning and intelligence.

However it is not long before Hornblower duels with the sadistic and despicable Simpson.

This is a rip roaring adventure but I did find the script and some of the scenes a little cheesy. Some of the staging looked a little sub-par even for television but at least it was not dull.

With its high end production values, 'Horatio Hornblower: The Duel' never belies its made for TV origins. The ships are real, the sets are real, and never once do they try to pass off cut rate CGI for the real thing. It may lack slick, Hollywood style action, but every frame of it feels absolutely authentic.

If I had one complain it would be about its brevity. Hornblower's journey from seasick landlubber to competent midshipman feels way too rushed, robbing the final act of some of its dramatic punch. But once the buckles begin swashing you won't care about all that other stuff anyway.

Just finished watching the first episode of the Hornblower series and I must say that it is excellent. The late 1990s and twenty first century is an exciting period for fans of historical epics as the production aspects of the films are perhaps the best ever. It is as though someone placed a camera in the 1790s and filmed everything live. The shots of the battles between the English clipper ship and the French corvettes are by far the best I have ever seen. The British accents, codes of conduct, and smart uniforms are very authentic. And the scenes filmed in the small seaport on the English coast establish a real sense of place.

The story centers around a young midshipman attempting to prove his worth in the Kings Navy while at the same time confronting a malicious fellow officer. Even though the series is set in the late 1790s, it deals with the timeless issues of honor, courage, loyalty, and duty to which almost anyone can relate.

For fans of British history and sea faring adventure, it does not get any better than this. 10/10

I'm not planning to review each episode of this outstanding mini series separately, so this review is for all of them. I love this series. In my opinion, it is one of the most realistic series about sailing ships ever produced. There is a good bit of adventure, drama, war and even a bit of humor to be found. If anybody ever wanted to know what life was like for both Officers and "enlisted" men in the British Navy during the age of sail, this is the series to tell the story. The acting is superb throughout the entire series. The tale is entirely believable, based on the book(s) by C.S. Foster and beautifully adapted to film. I have just finished watching the first 6 episodes, which is what was sold as the original DVD set. I understand that there are two more DVDs available and I will endeavor to get my hands on them ASAP. Lest you worry that ladies might not like it, I think they will. These are not "war movies" at all, although there is war aplenty in them. But there is enough other intrigue to keep anyone's interest. Highly recommended!

This was one absolutely super adventure movie. The story, filming, special effects and especially the acting could not be better. Tense, suspenseful, and great battle scenes. It makes you feel that you have been transported back in time, and experiencing the sea battles as if you are one of the crew. You will really be drawn into the character of Horatio Hornblower. Another episode I have seen, The Fire Ship, was just as good. Be sure to add Hornblower to your video library.

In Canada, this episode was released for television under the title, "The Duel". We need to see more of this talented Mr. Healey; as the bullying Simpson, he whined appropriately when feeling victimized, and was sadistic when feeling in power...not that many actors present such depth of character.