C.S. Forester's seafaring tales of the Napoleonic wars were a favorite in Hollywood back in the days when in swashbuckling pictures were a genre unto themselves. In more recent years, The A&E Channel ran an Emmy-winning series based on Forester's favorite character, “C.S Forester's Horatio Hornblower: The Further Adventures.” In the A&E iteration, the indefatigable Royal Navy lieutenant is young, quietly sexy, cool headed and resourceful as played by Ioan Gruffudd (Titanic, Fantastic Four). A pair of movie-length episodes, “The Duchess and the Devil” and “The Wrong War,” is out on DVD. They boast solid acting and characterization, decent production values and the thrill of close combat on the high seas with a touch of comic relief.
