''The Even Chance'' is the first of eight Hornblower television adaptations relating the exploits of

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 ...

, the protagonist in a series of novels and short stories by C.S. Forester. ''The Even Chance'' is the name given to the film in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, while in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

it is known by the alternative title ''The Duel''.

Plot

In January 1793, 17-year-old

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

Horatio Hornblower is assigned to his first posting, the

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

HMS ''Justinian''. Hornblower is introduced to his shipmates, including his superior Jack Simpson, a bully quick to single out the young man for abuse and scorn. Hornblower embarrasses himself when he becomes seasick while the ship is at anchor in calm waters, and he finds life under Simpson unbearable. After contemplating

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

, Hornblower seizes an opportunity to challenge Simpson to a duel. His friend, Midshipman Clayton, feels guilty that he has not previously stood against Simpson. He knocks Hornblower unconscious and takes his place. Simpson, a seasoned duelist, kills Clayton while sustaining only a minor wound to the shoulder. Hornblower arrives just in time to speak with Clayton before he dies. Hornblower is transferred to the

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 ...

HMS '' Indefatigable'' (known by her crew as ''Indy''), under the command of Captain Pellew. Midshipmen Kennedy, Hether, and Cleveland go with him; Pellew's fury over the duel leads him to appoint Hornblower as commander of Simpson's former division. Hornblower's decision to place his trust in them and refusal to permit the laziness and unruly behavior fostered by Simpson, as well as his capability in battle and concern for their wellbeing, wins him the division's respect and loyalty. When ''Indefatigable'' captures the French merchantman ''Marie Gallante'', Hornblower and his division are tasked with sailing the ship to port as a prize. Hornblower soon discovers it is sinking and beyond repair, forcing him to issue the order to abandon ship. In close quarters on the lifeboat, the French captain and his men quickly overpower the prize crew, and Hornblower surrenders his navigational chart, but drops his

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

overboard. He later informs Matthews that in anticipation of the French prisoners gaining the upper hand, he deliberately mispositioned their location on the chart. The French captain attempts to sail to France by reversing course, but quickly becomes lost. Hornblower and his men regain the upper hand, and the lifeboat is soon afterward intercepted by ''Indefatigable'', where Hornblower receives the accolades of the crew. Simpson joins ''Indefatigable'' after ''Justinian'' is sunk by the French warship ''Papillon''. Pellew orders a detachment to enter the

Gironde estuary The Gironde estuary ( , US usually ; french: estuaire de la Gironde, ; oc, estuari de aGironda, ) is a navigable estuary (though often referred to as a river) in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Gar ...

and board and capture ''Papillon'' by moonlight. During the battle, Kennedy is incapacitated by a

seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...

and left in the boarding party's boat. Simpson takes advantage of the confusion to cut the boat free. When Hornblower attempts to lower ''Papillons main topsail, Simpson shoots at him. The bullet grazes his head, and he falls unconscious into the water, where he is rescued by Seaman Finch. ''Indy'' is attacked by three French ships. ''Papillon'' attempts to render assistance but comes under fire from French shore batteries. Lieutenant Chadd is killed, and Lieutenant Eccleston is mortally wounded, but before Eccleston succumbs he orders Hornblower to assume command. As senior midshipman, Simpson attempts to take charge, but Hornblower asserts his authority and orders Sailing Master Bowles to detain Simpson and shoot him if he resists. Simpson is held under guard while ''Papillon'' sails to ''Indy''s rescue. Hornblower orders ''Papillon''s French colors to remain flying. By posing as a French vessel, he launches a surprise assault on the fleet attacking ''Indefatigable'' and succeeds at driving them off. Hornblower accuses Simpson of an attempt on his life. When Simpson demands his right to a duel to settle the matter, Pellew permits the challenge. Simpson shoots before the command to fire, then falsely claims it was an accident. Hornblower is not badly injured and prepares to return fire. Simpson begs for his life, revealing himself as a coward. Hornblower fires into the air, stating that Simpson is "not worth the powder". Infuriated at this insult, Simpson pulls a dagger and tries to stab Hornblower in the back. Pellew, who had been watching the proceedings, takes the rifle of one of his marine guards and kills Simpson with a well-aimed shot. Back aboard ''Indefatigable'', Pellew tells Hornblower how impressed he has been by the young officer's actions and states that Hornblower has a great career ahead of him if he continues as he has begun.

Cast

Ioan Gruffudd Ioan Gruffudd (; (born 6 October 1973) is a Welsh actor. He first came to public attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in ''Titanic'' (1997), and then for his portrayal of Horatio Hornblower in the '' Hornblower'' series of television films ...

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

* Robert Lindsay as Captain

Edward Pellew Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younger brother ...

Dorian Healy Dorian Healy (born 11 February 1962) is a British actor, best known for his role as Capt/Maj Kieran Voce in the award-winning drama series ''Soldier Soldier'' (1993–1994). He conceived and co-wrote the TV series ''Masculine Mescaline'' with ...

as Midshipman Jack Simpson * Michael Byrne as Captain Keene *

Robert Bathurst Robert Guy Bathurst (born 22 February 1957) is an English actor. Bathurst was born in The Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1957, where his father was working as a management consultant. In 1959 his family moved to Ballybrack, Dublin, Ireland and Bath ...

as Lieutenant Eccleston * Duncan Bell as Midshipman Clayton *

Paul Copley Paul Mackriell Copley (born 25 November 1944) is an English actor and voiceover artist. From 2011 to 2015 he appeared as Mr. Mason, father of William Mason, in 16 episodes of ''Downton Abbey'', and from 2020 to 2021, he appeared in the ITV soa ...

Boatswain A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of a ship's hull. The boatswain supervi ...

Matthews *

Sean Gilder Sean Brian Gilder (born 1 March 1964) is an English stage, film and screen actor, he is also a playwright Gilder was born in Brampton, Cumberland, England. He is best known for his portrayal of Paddy Maguire on '' Shameless'' from 2005 to 2010 ...

as Boatswain's Mate Styles * Simon Sherlock as Seaman Oldroyd * Chris Barnes as Seaman Finch *

Jamie Bamber Jamie Saint John Bamber Griffith (born 3 April 1973), known professionally as Jamie Bamber, is a British actor, known for his roles as Lee Adama in ''Battlestar Galactica'' and Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin in the ITV series '' Law & Order: ...

as Midshipman Archie Kennedy

Differences from the novel

This episode does not follow the plot of the corresponding chapter in C. S. Forester's ''

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower ''Mr. Midshipman Hornblower'' is a 1950 Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester. Although it may be considered as the first episode in the Hornblower saga, it was written as a prequel; the first Hornblower novel, ''The Happy Retur ...

''. In the original story, the mathematically minded Hornblower secures himself an "even chance" against a more skilled adversary. As the offended party, he has the choice of weapons. He asks that only one of the duelling pistols be loaded, the combatants having to toss for it and then stand a yard apart and fire at each other at

point blank range Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate for bullet drop, and can be adjusted over a wide range of distances by sighting in the firearm. If the bullet leaves the barrel paral ...

. As it turns out, the captain has secretly given orders that neither weapon be loaded, the resulting lack of a shot blamed on a

misfire Misfire may refer to: * Misfire (Transformers), the Transformers character * ''Misfire'' (film), a 2014 American action film * Misfire (That '70s Show), an episode from ''That '70s Show'' * An engine misfire, see engine knocking * A song on Queen ...

, and Hornblower comes out of the duel unscathed. Suspecting the truth, Hornblower proposes to challenge the captain to a duel, only to be told that such a challenge would be unlawful. The episode also incorporates material from several other stories in ''Mr. Midshipman Hornblower''. Among these are "

Hornblower and the Cargo of Rice ''Mr. Midshipman Hornblower'' is a 1950 Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester. Although it may be considered as the first episode in the Hornblower saga, it was written as a prequel; the first Hornblower novel, ''The Happy Return'' ...

", for Hornblower's ill-fated command of the ''Marie Galante'', and the chapter " Hornblower and the Man Who Felt Queer", for the section concerning the ''Indefatigables expedition against the ''Papillon''. The episode also diverges from the plot of this chapter in several respects, mostly related to the addition of Simpson and Kennedy to the event (in the book, Simpson is not transferred to ''Indefatigable'', and Kennedy does not take part in the expedition).Forester, C.S., ''Mr. Midshipman Hornblower'' (Chivers Press, 1994)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Even Chance, The 1998 television films 1998 films 1990s historical films 1990s war films Films about duels Films based on British novels Films based on historical novels Films based on military novels Films directed by Andrew Grieve Films set in France Films set in the 1790s Films set on ships French Revolutionary Wars films Hornblower (TV series) War television films