''Mutiny'' is the fifth episode of the British film series '' Hornblower''. 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 not ...

'' by C.S. Forester. ''Mutiny'' was written by T. R. Bowen and directed by

Andrew Grieve Andrew Grieve (born 28 November 1939) is a British television and film director. Grieve's credits include ''Wire in the Blood''. ''On the Black Hill (film), On the Black Hill'', the screenplay of which he also wrote, won the Golden Shell at the S ...

Plot

In 1802 in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), 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 spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

, 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 and radio and television programmes, and ...

is imprisoned on a charge of

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

. During a visit to his cell, Hornblower explains the circumstances to his former captain, Commodore

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

. 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; ) was fought between the Royal Navy and the French Navy at Abu Qir Bay, Aboukir Bay in Ottoman Egypt, Egypt between 1–3 August 1798. It was the climax of the Mediterranean ca ...

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 status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

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

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

, in order to deal with Spanish

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding 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 o ...

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 Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

, 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. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

s which threaten to

rake Rake may refer to: Common meanings * Rake (tool), a horticultural implement, a long-handled tool with tines * Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct * Rake (poker), the commission taken by the house when hosting a poker game ...

''Renown''. Hornblower frightens them off by firing a stern chaser 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-k ...

. 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 Ioan Gruffudd (; ; born 6 October 1973) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his roles in film and television series in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. Gruffudd became known for his portrayal of Harold Lowe in ''Titanic'' ( ...

as 3rd Lieutenant

* David Warner 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 wa ...

as 2nd Lieutenant William Bush *

Jamie Bamber Jamie St John Bamber Griffith (born 1972/73), known professionally as Jamie Bamber, is a British actor, known for his roles as Lee Adama in ''Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series), Battlestar Galactica'' and Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin in t ...

as 4th Lieutenant Archie Kennedy *

Paul Copley Paul Mackriell Copley (born 25 November 1944) is an English actor and voice over 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 s ...

as Matthews, Boatswain *

Sean Gilder Sean Brian Gilder (born 1 March 1964) is an English stage, film and screen actor and playwright. Gilder was born in Brampton, Cumberland, England. He is best known for his portrayal of Styles on '' Hornblower'' and Paddy Maguire on '' Shamele ...

as Styles, Boatswain's Mate *

Philip Glenister Philip Haywood Glenister (born 10 February 1963) is an English actor. He is known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in the BBC series ''Life on Mars'' (2006–2007) and its sequel '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008–2010). He also played DCI William Bell ...

as Gunner Hobbs *

David Rintoul David Rintoul (born David Wilson; 29 November 1948) is a Scottish stage and television actor. Rintoul was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, and won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ...

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 (Royal Navy), Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, Order of the Bath, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary W ...

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