''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, 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, a ...

is imprisoned on a charge of mutiny. 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 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. Plymout ...

, ''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 freed ...

, in order to deal with Spanish

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s 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 frigates 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 The Articles of War are a set of regulations drawn up to govern the conduct of a country's military and naval forces. The first known usage of the phrase is in Robert Monro's 1637 work ''His expedition with the worthy Scot's regiment called Mac- ...

. 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 Grounding or grounded may refer to: Science and philosophy * Grounding (metaphysics), a topic of wide philosophical interest * Grounding (psychology), a strategy for coping with stress or other negative emotions * Grounding in communication, th ...

, 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 Paul John McGann (; born 14 November 1959) is an English actor. He came to prominence for portraying Percy Toplis in the television serial ''The Monocled Mutineer'' (1986), then starred in the dark comedy '' Withnail and I'' (1987), which was ...

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 Paul Brightwell is an English actor and director. He has acted in many different plays, films and TV shows since the late 1980s. Theatre direction includes the British premieres of Heiner Muller's ''Hamletmachine'' at the Gate Notting Hill, and W ...

as Sergeant Whiting * Robert Lindsay as Commodore

Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth 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 Is ...

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