Based freely on the classic novels by C.S. Forester, Hornblower is a series of TV films following the progress of a young officer through the ranks of the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The series greatest asset is the handsome and charismatic Ioan Gruffudd in the lead role, surely a major star in the making. For television films the production values are very good, though as Titanic, Waterworld and The Perfect Storm demonstrated, filming an aquatic adventure is a very expensive business, and it is clear that the Hornblower dramas simply make the best of comparatively small budgets. No more faithful to Forester's books than the 1951 Gregory Peck classic Captain Horatio Hornblower, the real inspiration seems to have come from the success of Sharpe, starring Sean Bean, which likewise featured a British hero in the Napoleonic Wars. Nevertheless, while rather more easy going than the real British navy of the time, the Hornblower saga delivers an entertaining adventure, greatly enhanced by the presence of such guest stars as Denis Lawson, Cheri Lunghi, Ronald Pickup and Anthony Sher. "The Duchess and the Devil" has Hornblower and his men taken prisoners of war.--Gary S Dalkin
Set in the quasi-mystical rain forests of South America 'The Mission' presents each man with his greatest challenge. The priest (Irons) has come to spread the word of God amongst the Guarani Indians; the mercenary (De Niro) has come to enslave them. With the passing of time their destinies become entwined...
In 1989 a TV drama series hit the screens that rocked the world of football. Cherie Lunghi stars as Gabriella Benson a woman executive raised on the game by an often absent father. When her mother dies he reaches out to her - by cutting a deal with the faltering Blackburn Rovers to have her replace their current corrupt manager making her the first ever female manager of a football team. Rampant sexism political incorrectness corruption drugs fistfights and foul play. Nudity in the locker room is the least of Gabriella's worries as she comes up against fierce resistance from the team and their trainer up-front and the constant risk of Boardroom backstabbing from behind. But with astute business skills and a keen eye for the game she has loved all her life Gabriella Benson is about to show her team and the world that she's got what it takes to be The Manageress.
Twelve-year-old Lizzie (Camilla Belle) has come to Misselthwait Manor, now a home for young war orphans run by housekeeper Martha (Joan Plowright) and there she meets fellow orphans Robert (Aled Roberts). Stephen (Justin Girdler) and Geraldine (Florence Hoath). Endlessly curious, full of spark and life, Lizzie soon learns about the Secret Garden and wants to find out more. But Martha is fearful of its mysteries and has forbidden any of the children from venturing inside - a strictly observed ...
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