Duty (film)
| Duty | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Ioan Gruffudd |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom USA |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Release | |
| Original release | 2003 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Loyalty (film) |
Duty is the eighth and final episode of the British TV series Hornblower, based on the book Hornblower and the Hotspur by C.S. Forester. It was released on 6 January 2003, nearly four years after the first four films, nine months after the next two films, and a day after episode 7: Loyalty
The film starts with the wedding of Commander Horatio Hornblower, captain of HMS Hotspur, and Maria Mason. Lieutenant Bush is Horatio's best man and despite not being invited, Matthews, Styles, and the rest of the crew of HMS Hotspur make their captain a sabre arch and man-haul the Hornblowers to the reception. However, Admiral Pellew arrives and gives Horatio his next mission: HMS Grasshopper, commanded by old friend Captain Bracegirdle, has gone missing while on patrol off the coast of France. Horatio's mission is to find the HMS Grasshopper. He also gives Horatio permission to sleep onshore with his wife Maria for the night.
The next day, Horatio says goodbye to his wife and sets sail. As a wedding gift, Admiral Pellew gives Horatio his steward, James Doughty, who replaces Styles. On a stormy night, HMS Hotspur comes across Americans and a man claiming to be Swiss on their way to France. Because the man speaks with a strong French accent, most of the crew, Horatio included, don't believe he is Swiss. One of the Americans says they saw a ship get stranded.
Hotspur finds Grasshopper grounded and most of the crew killed in the storm. Those who survived were killed protecting their captain from French troops. As Horatio and his men are attacked by the same French troops, they find Captain Bracegirdle. AsHotspur sails away, it is revealed Wolfe, from the last film, is leading the French troops. Meanwhile, back in England, Admiral Pellew is confronted by the diplomatic service, with orders from the Admiralty to find a young couple lost at sea; one the daughter of a wealthy American merchant and the other a Frenchman. On board Hotspur, the French, led by Wolfe and with the help of one of the Americans, try to take the ship, but fail and Wolfe escapes again. After the attack, it is revealed the "Swiss" man is both French and Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte, the younger brother of Napoleon himself.
...
Wikipedia