''Mutiny'' is the fifth episode of the British film series ''

Hornblower Hornblower may refer to: *Hornblower (surname) * Horn (instrument) blower In fiction * Horatio Hornblower, a fictional officer of the British Royal Navy created by C. S. Forester * ''Hornblower'' (TV series), a series of television programmes b ...

''. It was released on April 8, 2001. It is based on the 1952 book ''

Lieutenant Hornblower ''Lieutenant Hornblower'' (published 1952) is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester. It is the second book in the series chronologically, but the seventh by order of publication. The book is unique in the series in being told no ...

'' by

C.S. Forester Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (27 August 1899 – 2 April 1966), known by his pen name Cecil Scott "C. S." Forester, was an English novelist known for writing tales of naval warfare, such as the 12-book Horatio Hornblower series depicting a Roya ...

. ''Mutiny'' was written by T. R. Bowen and directed by Andrew Grieve.

Plot

In 1802 in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

, Lieutenant

Horatio Hornblower Horatio Hornblower is a fictional officer in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, the protagonist of a series of novels and stories by C. S. Forester. He later became the subject of films, radio and television programmes, an ...

is imprisoned on a charge of

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...

. During a visit to his cell, Hornblower explains the circumstances to his former captain, Commodore Sir Edward Pellew. In a six months flashback, Hornblower is third Lieutenant aboard HMS ''Renown'', under the command of the famous Captain James Sawyer, a hero from the

Battle of the Nile The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay; french: Bataille d'Aboukir) was a major naval battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the Navy of the French Republic at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast off the ...

and one of Admiral Nelson's band of brothers. The other officers are First Lieutenant Buckland, the newly arrived Second Lieutenant William Bush, and Fourth Lieutenant Archie Kennedy. Sawyer appears to be thinking and acting incoherently; he does not trust his officers, accuses them of conspiring against him, and treats them harshly. After a trip to

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, ''Renown'' is sent on a mission to Santo Domingo, then undergoing a

slave rebellion A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by enslaved people, as a way of fighting for their freedom. Rebellions of enslaved people have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery or have practiced slavery in the past. A desire for freedo ...

, in order to deal with Spanish privateers that threaten British trade in the West Indies. Conditions worsen when Sawyer targets Midshipman Wellard and places Hornblower on a 36-hour watch for attempting to defend Wellard. Later, Sawyer gives the crew an extra ration of rum, which leaves them slow to respond when they suddenly sight two French

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

s which threaten to

rake Rake may refer to: * Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct * Rake (theatre), the artificial slope of a theatre stage Science and technology * Rake receiver, a radio receiver * Rake (geology), the angle between a feature on a ...

''Renown''. Hornblower frightens them off by firing a

stern chaser A chase gun (or chaser), usually distinguished as bow chaser and stern chaser, was a cannon mounted in the bow (aiming forward) or stern (aiming backward) of a sailing ship. They were used to attempt to slow down an enemy ship either chasing (p ...

loaded with only powder and wadding, but Sawyer is again angry at what he sees as an unauthorized act. Sawyer has Wellard flogged into unconsciousness while Hornblower watches, then orders Hornblower to resume his watch. That night, Sawyer finds Hornblower asleep on watch, which is punishable by death under the Articles of War. Sawyer tells Hornblower, "I do believe your life is in my hands." Sawyer offers Hornblower a pistol and tells Hornblower to shoot him. Dr. Clive, a Sawyer loyalist, intervenes and leads the captain away. Irrationally suspecting his officers are plotting against him, Sawyer extends Hornblower's watch another 36 hours and orders that the other lieutenants report to him every hour. Hornblower secretly meets with Buckland and Kennedy to consider declaring Sawyer unfit for command. Bush joins them. Gunner Hobbs, a loyal, longtime shipmate of Sawyer's, informs the captain that the lieutenants are nowhere to be found. The captain calls out the Marines to search for the officers. Hornblower, Wellard, and Kennedy hide. As Sawyer closes in, they begin to reveal themselves, and Sawyer sees Kennedy. He starts to confront Kennedy, then suddenly falls or is pushed into the hold. Sawyer suffers memory loss and Clive keeps him sedated to avoid revealing his increasingly erratic behavior. Buckland assumes command. Rumors begin to circulate that someone pushed Sawyer. Sawyer recovers from the fall and resumes command. Bush, Hornblower, and Kennedy are arrested for mutiny. ''Renown'' arrives at Santo Domingo, only to find that the Spanish fort sits too high for the ship's guns to reach. She suffers heavy damage and casualties from the Spanish cannons but Sawyer insists on remaining and returning fire even though it is ineffective. ''Renown'' is grounded, the hold begins to flood, and Matthews releases the imprisoned lieutenants to save them from drowning. Clive finally deems Sawyer unfit, so Buckland takes charge and has the captain locked in his cabin. Hornblower and Bush execute a kedging maneuver that succeeds in freeing ''Renown'' from the rocks, during which Hornblower saves Bush from drowning, and Buckland then sails her out of cannon range. Back in Kingston, Commodore Pellew asks Hornblower to explain further.

Cast

* Ioan Gruffudd as 3rd Lieutenant

David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to: Sports * Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor * David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier * David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer Others ...

as Captain James Sawyer * Nicholas Jones as 1st Lieutenant Buckland * Paul McGann as 2nd Lieutenant William Bush * Jamie Bamber as 4th Lieutenant Archie Kennedy * Paul Copley as Matthews, Boatswain * Sean Gilder as Styles, Boatswain's Mate * Philip Glenister as Gunner Hobbs * David Rintoul as Dr. Clive * Terence Corrigan as Midshipman Wellard * Gilly Gilchrist as Randall * Paul Brightwell as Sergeant Whiting * Robert Lindsay as Commodore Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0273656, title=Hornblower: Mutiny 2001 television films 2001 films 2000s historical films 2000s war films Films based on British novels Films based on historical novels Films based on military novels Films set in the Caribbean Films set in the 1800s French Revolutionary Wars films Hornblower (TV series) War television films Films directed by Andrew Grieve