"For what we are about to receive..."
So my copy of Captain Horatio Hornblower arrived in the mail yesterday, and I watched it and flailed and spent an hour and a half typing up my thoughts, and then Xjournal crashed as I went to preview the post. Trying again.
Gregory Peck is (as Bernard Cornwell says in the introduction to my copy of The Happy Return) just a little bit too gorgeous to be Hornblower, but damn, he does it right. The posture, the facial expressions, the little tics, the "ha -- h'm"s, the way he's gruff when worried and turns into a complete honey around children -- all spot on. In the very first scene I found myself wondering if Ioan Gruffudd had studied his performance, because he does some of the exact same things with his hands and posture. Anyway, wonderful. (And, you know, it doesn't hurt that he's nice to look at, either. I feel like I'm outing myself as a gay Republican leper here, but I don't personally find Ioan Gruffudd particularly attractive. Can see the appeal, yes; personally want him to shove me up against a wall and get busy, no. Gregory Peck, on the other hand? Could burn my panties off with a look.)
Virginia Mayo is definitely too gorgeous to be horse-faced Lady B, but she's darling and I've always liked her as well. She's not quite bossy enough for my taste, but she does have a Lesbian Moment™ with Hebe to make up for that somewhat.
(And what's with making Hebe into a histrionic Spanish maid instead of a black one? I'm very curious about the reasons behind that.)
One thing that did bother me was the way it's set up so that Barbara's engagement to Leighton is a pre-existing condition, and that we find out about it before we're even told Hornblower's married. Doing that changes the whole dynamic of the situation from one where Hornblower's the one fucking around to one where they're both doing something wrong, and I really dislike that -- not because of anything to do with Barbara or her motivations, but because it's important to me and my understanding of book-canon Hornblower that he be the one transgressing in this situation. His moral ambiguities are really what I find most fascinating about him, and all that's really at its peak in this book, when he's putting the "crazy" in "crazy baby boyfriend" like never before with his dead kids and his thoughts of rape and murder, so I just hate to see that diminished.
(Apropos of nothing: I find it inappropriately hilarious that the actor who played Bush was from Hamilton. I mean. Kind of fitting, actually, in the sense of being "brought up in a hard school", what, but. Hamilton. Hamilton.
... and now I want AU fic about, like, Bush working in a factory. Bush and Hornblower leading a steelworkers' strike in 1920s Ontario/Michigan. Bush the West Virginian coal miner and Hornblower the Boston hotshot who drops out of college to join the Wobblies and save the workers of the world. Um.)
... and IMDb seems to indicate he (Robert Beatty) was also on Doctor Who back in what looks to be the Jon Pertwee days. ANYWAY. His performance was probably the one which grabbed me the least, which isn't really a reflection on his performance so much as on the depth of my attachment to a) Bush and b) Paul McGann as Bush. He doesn't have that spine-tingling quarterdeck bellow, for one thing, and his face isn't nearly as expressive as I'd like -- although I think PMG really spoils us on that score. And he does have some great moments. He grins throughout the action with Natividad, which is so very, very Bush. And he looks so proud and delighted when he's telling anyone who'll listen about how brilliant his boyfriend is (and betting on his successes!), and appropriately downcast when the boyfriend is brusque with him, and terribly adoring when he's leaning on his shoulder in the Carriage of Love. (Which, incidentally, if we ever got that scene done by Paul McGann and Ioan Gruffudd I would probably expire from flail, so maybe it's a good thing.)
There are some great looks between Bush and Gerard, as well. When Hornblower proposes whist while they're waiting for the Natividad to find them; when they realize that ZOMG WOMENS are coming aboard; when Gerard is flexing his gunnery skillz at Babs and the captain happens along, oh man.
AND BY THE WAY, GERARD OMG GERARD GERARD GORGEOUS GERARD
Oh, you guys. He's young, he's cocksure, he has pretty blue eyes. I must have icons.
Um. I think the thing which stood out for me most with Bush was that he felt a little too upbeat. There's a moment or two where he looks worried or downcast -- when HH is proposing to do something dangerous, or where he's kicked the dog, so to speak, the way he does -- but that doesn't happen nearly as often or as severely as it does in the book, and more importantly, it's never established or even indicated that Hornblower's been giving everyone the silent treatment for the entire trip. So if we're not taking as read the seven-month itch to put everyone in a funk, the characterizations make a lot more sense.
One thing which made me sad, too, was the way the first scene is changed so it's Gerard having someone flogged for fighting rather than Bush having someone flogged for spitting on deck. I mean. It's actually a great scene and a wonderfully eloquent way of telling us about Gerard -- that he's a bit green, that he's a bit overconfident, and that he's maybe a little bit cruel -- but that's one of my absolute favourite Ultimate Sailor Moments in the entire series, so having it taken away from Bush just hurts me in my fangirl heart. (Although the Gerard makes me happy in my fangirl heart, so, I dunno.)
(And speaking of things which made me sad, the lack of Brown and his bulging muscles? Damn.)
But oh man, Longley. Baby. So perfect. And his little speech to Babs about how great the captain is? "A better sailor than Mr Bush, a better gunner than Mr Gerard, and when it comes to navigation, well, Mr Crystal doesn't hold a candle to him." Aw, the darling little fanboy, I love him.
Other things I loved. Bush stroking the pretty Natividad and then being appalled when he realizes Hornblower means to give her to the batshit Dagos. HH tourniquetting Bush's leg. "For what we are about to receive, let us be truly thankful." <33333
THE SCENE WHERE THEY ARE LYING IN THE GRASS ON THE RIVERBANK, <3333333333. I mean. We all know I'd watch a six-hour movie entirely about Brown, Bush and Hornblower's Loire Summer of Love? But I don't think it's going to happen. So ten seconds of that was still a real treat.
AND. BUSH SPEAKING FAKE FRENCH. "Removez le cap, sir!" YES. YES. A WORLD OF YES.
And Gerard at the guns, and Bush touching Hornblower's shoulder when he's knocked down by falling rigging, and the Hornblower Arms wtf, and el Supremo with his crown, and Mucho Pomposo, and, um, a lot of things. Man. You know, much as I would sell a kidney to see the Paul McGann and Ioan Gruffudd versions of these books, I'm just so, so glad to have seen this, and so glad that it doesn't overlap with the other films, because I love these three books more than anything else except maybe LtH, and it's so wonderful to have a chance to see even bits and pieces of them.
(Um, and the crazy pedant in me noticed that they were using flintlocks, rather than the linstock-touchhole method, to fire the cannon. And this made me happy too.)
Anyway. There are a few scenes I need to screencap like whoa Lord bless the black_hound, for she hath the screencaps and they are glorious. And I'm probably going to go make 2348977561254 icons right after I post this. AND I still have two unrelated story ideas of varying degrees of crazy, but I'm sort of written out at the moment, so who knows when I'll get around to those. Maybe I'll just watch the film again instead.
Gregory Peck is (as Bernard Cornwell says in the introduction to my copy of The Happy Return) just a little bit too gorgeous to be Hornblower, but damn, he does it right. The posture, the facial expressions, the little tics, the "ha -- h'm"s, the way he's gruff when worried and turns into a complete honey around children -- all spot on. In the very first scene I found myself wondering if Ioan Gruffudd had studied his performance, because he does some of the exact same things with his hands and posture. Anyway, wonderful. (And, you know, it doesn't hurt that he's nice to look at, either. I feel like I'm outing myself as a gay Republican leper here, but I don't personally find Ioan Gruffudd particularly attractive. Can see the appeal, yes; personally want him to shove me up against a wall and get busy, no. Gregory Peck, on the other hand? Could burn my panties off with a look.)
Virginia Mayo is definitely too gorgeous to be horse-faced Lady B, but she's darling and I've always liked her as well. She's not quite bossy enough for my taste, but she does have a Lesbian Moment™ with Hebe to make up for that somewhat.
(And what's with making Hebe into a histrionic Spanish maid instead of a black one? I'm very curious about the reasons behind that.)
One thing that did bother me was the way it's set up so that Barbara's engagement to Leighton is a pre-existing condition, and that we find out about it before we're even told Hornblower's married. Doing that changes the whole dynamic of the situation from one where Hornblower's the one fucking around to one where they're both doing something wrong, and I really dislike that -- not because of anything to do with Barbara or her motivations, but because it's important to me and my understanding of book-canon Hornblower that he be the one transgressing in this situation. His moral ambiguities are really what I find most fascinating about him, and all that's really at its peak in this book, when he's putting the "crazy" in "crazy baby boyfriend" like never before with his dead kids and his thoughts of rape and murder, so I just hate to see that diminished.
(Apropos of nothing: I find it inappropriately hilarious that the actor who played Bush was from Hamilton. I mean. Kind of fitting, actually, in the sense of being "brought up in a hard school", what, but. Hamilton. Hamilton.
... and now I want AU fic about, like, Bush working in a factory. Bush and Hornblower leading a steelworkers' strike in 1920s Ontario/Michigan. Bush the West Virginian coal miner and Hornblower the Boston hotshot who drops out of college to join the Wobblies and save the workers of the world. Um.)
... and IMDb seems to indicate he (Robert Beatty) was also on Doctor Who back in what looks to be the Jon Pertwee days. ANYWAY. His performance was probably the one which grabbed me the least, which isn't really a reflection on his performance so much as on the depth of my attachment to a) Bush and b) Paul McGann as Bush. He doesn't have that spine-tingling quarterdeck bellow, for one thing, and his face isn't nearly as expressive as I'd like -- although I think PMG really spoils us on that score. And he does have some great moments. He grins throughout the action with Natividad, which is so very, very Bush. And he looks so proud and delighted when he's telling anyone who'll listen about how brilliant his boyfriend is (and betting on his successes!), and appropriately downcast when the boyfriend is brusque with him, and terribly adoring when he's leaning on his shoulder in the Carriage of Love. (Which, incidentally, if we ever got that scene done by Paul McGann and Ioan Gruffudd I would probably expire from flail, so maybe it's a good thing.)
There are some great looks between Bush and Gerard, as well. When Hornblower proposes whist while they're waiting for the Natividad to find them; when they realize that ZOMG WOMENS are coming aboard; when Gerard is flexing his gunnery skillz at Babs and the captain happens along, oh man.
AND BY THE WAY, GERARD OMG GERARD GERARD GORGEOUS GERARD
Oh, you guys. He's young, he's cocksure, he has pretty blue eyes. I must have icons.
Um. I think the thing which stood out for me most with Bush was that he felt a little too upbeat. There's a moment or two where he looks worried or downcast -- when HH is proposing to do something dangerous, or where he's kicked the dog, so to speak, the way he does -- but that doesn't happen nearly as often or as severely as it does in the book, and more importantly, it's never established or even indicated that Hornblower's been giving everyone the silent treatment for the entire trip. So if we're not taking as read the seven-month itch to put everyone in a funk, the characterizations make a lot more sense.
One thing which made me sad, too, was the way the first scene is changed so it's Gerard having someone flogged for fighting rather than Bush having someone flogged for spitting on deck. I mean. It's actually a great scene and a wonderfully eloquent way of telling us about Gerard -- that he's a bit green, that he's a bit overconfident, and that he's maybe a little bit cruel -- but that's one of my absolute favourite Ultimate Sailor Moments in the entire series, so having it taken away from Bush just hurts me in my fangirl heart. (Although the Gerard makes me happy in my fangirl heart, so, I dunno.)
(And speaking of things which made me sad, the lack of Brown and his bulging muscles? Damn.)
But oh man, Longley. Baby. So perfect. And his little speech to Babs about how great the captain is? "A better sailor than Mr Bush, a better gunner than Mr Gerard, and when it comes to navigation, well, Mr Crystal doesn't hold a candle to him." Aw, the darling little fanboy, I love him.
Other things I loved. Bush stroking the pretty Natividad and then being appalled when he realizes Hornblower means to give her to the batshit Dagos. HH tourniquetting Bush's leg. "For what we are about to receive, let us be truly thankful." <33333
THE SCENE WHERE THEY ARE LYING IN THE GRASS ON THE RIVERBANK, <3333333333. I mean. We all know I'd watch a six-hour movie entirely about Brown, Bush and Hornblower's Loire Summer of Love? But I don't think it's going to happen. So ten seconds of that was still a real treat.
AND. BUSH SPEAKING FAKE FRENCH. "Removez le cap, sir!" YES. YES. A WORLD OF YES.
And Gerard at the guns, and Bush touching Hornblower's shoulder when he's knocked down by falling rigging, and the Hornblower Arms wtf, and el Supremo with his crown, and Mucho Pomposo, and, um, a lot of things. Man. You know, much as I would sell a kidney to see the Paul McGann and Ioan Gruffudd versions of these books, I'm just so, so glad to have seen this, and so glad that it doesn't overlap with the other films, because I love these three books more than anything else except maybe LtH, and it's so wonderful to have a chance to see even bits and pieces of them.
(Um, and the crazy pedant in me noticed that they were using flintlocks, rather than the linstock-touchhole method, to fire the cannon. And this made me happy too.)
Anyway. There are a few scenes I need to screencap like whoa Lord bless the black_hound, for she hath the screencaps and they are glorious. And I'm probably going to go make 2348977561254 icons right after I post this. AND I still have two unrelated story ideas of varying degrees of crazy, but I'm sort of written out at the moment, so who knows when I'll get around to those. Maybe I'll just watch the film again instead.