Horatio Hornblower: The Duel (1998) on Netflix
Horatio Hornblower joins HMS Justinian as a midshipman, where Midshipman Jack Simpson singles him out for abuse. Accused of cheating at cards, Hornblower challenges Simpson to a duel.
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- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb8.1/106,648 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes91%
Plot summary
At seventeen, Horatio Hornblower takes his first posting as a midshipman aboard HMS Justinian at Portsmouth. His superior, Midshipman Jack Simpson, singles him out for cruelty. Hornblower embarrasses himself by becoming seasick while the ship lies at anchor in calm water, and life under Simpson grows unbearable. He thinks of taking his own life. When Simpson accuses him of cheating at cards, Hornblower seizes the chance to challenge him to a duel.
Cast
- Chris Barnesas Finch
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Horatio Hornblower: The Duel (1998)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
SPOILER
The TV film's duel departs from C.S. Forester's novel: in the book Hornblower, the mathematically minded officer, chooses an 'even chance' by having only one pistol loaded, and the captain secretly orders neither weapon loaded, so Hornblower emerges unscathed.- The episode folds in material from other Mr. Midshipman Hornblower stories: 'Hornblower and the Cargo of Rice' supplies Hornblower's ill-fated command of the Marie Galante, and the chapter 'Hornblower and the Man Who Felt Queer' supplies the Indefatigable's expedition against the Papillon.
- The adaptation diverges from the Papillon chapter by adding Simpson and Kennedy to the event: in the book Simpson is not transferred to Indefatigable, and Kennedy does not take part in the expedition.
