Year:
2002
Studio:
A&E Television Networks
Independent Television (ITV)
Feature: 4/5
DVD:
4/5
This two-disk DVD set contains the seventh and eighth films of the
British series, Loyalty and Duty. Although both stories are
self-contained, they were
made together and are based on different parts of the same book,
Horatio and the Hotspur.
In the first film, Loyalty, Hornblower (Ioan Gruffud) is made Commander
and given command of the Hotspur, a sloop of war. He meets up with
Lieutenant Bush (Paul McGann) and makes Bush his first lieutenant. The
Hotspur is then given a mission to convey French Major Côtard
(Greg Wise) to a secret meeting in France.
There they find Napoleon assembling an invasion force for England.
Admiral Sir Edward Pellew (Robert Lindsay) leads a task force to smash
the French fleet in harbor. Hornblower leads a small force to capture a
key signal tower and is betrayed by a traitor on his ship. Now
Hornblower and company have to free themselves before the fleet sails
into a trap.
In the second film, Duty, Hornblower and the Hotspur are sent to look
for another ship that has gone missing. On the way they pick up a
mysterious couple trying to get to France. The mysteries continue when
they find the missing ship wrecked on the French coast. This all leads
to another secret that Hornblower has to stop or England will once
again be in grave danger.
|
The
production values have gotten better from previous movies. Although
some of the special effects are more obvious, lots of special effects
are done to add environmental and window dressings and they're pretty
good. Meanwhile the actors are good and the production crew is veteran
and knows what they're doing.
These movies come with commentary which I don't believe were present in
previous movies. The director and one of the producers -- plus the
costume designer on the second movie -- provide the commentary. It's
all interesting since they also talk about previous films and have lots
of things to say.
Overall this is a good DVD set. I believe you can now get all eight
movies in one DVD set and I'd recommend that instead. This set is good
for people who have the previous six movies.
|