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Reviews
Hornblower: Duty (2003)
A totally different story
If you have read CS Forester's "Hornblower and the Hotspur" you are wondering where it went. While a few incidents are present here from the book, the story line has nothing to do with the book. You will be disappointed that the main themes and character of Horatio have been lost. While the series is entertaining, do not expect the TV movies to be the books. "Based on" is used in its very broad sense.
So watch the movies first. Then go read the books, they are much richer and complex. However, the character of Hornblower will be vastly different and the historic settings as well. Unfortunately, another example of taking the reputation of a book, some names and some of the incidents and then writing your own story without the depth of the original.
So, just treat them as separate works with name connections only.
Hornblower: The Even Chance (1998)
A case of using the books to write another story
If you have read the Hornblower books, you will be disappointed by the movies. If you haven't read the books, then the movies will be entertaining. Don't read the books expecting to see the movies themes and stories or vice versa.
The theme, character traits and story developments of the C.S. Forester are not present in the movies I have watched. It is the typical case of using the reputation and basic elements of a book to write your own story for a movie. Always an unfortunate decision, but here the character of Horatio is lost. The large themes of Hornblower's decisive calculations, self- loathing, self-imposed isolation, moods and leadership have all been but aside for our more modern themes of bad guy vs. good guy and the hero model. The movies do use incidents from the books, but do not present them within the historic settings well. Neither do they string them together in relationships similar to the books.
Watch it and then read the books. They use the same names (sometimes) but treat them as separate works.