Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.

Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951) is a seafaring adventure from director Raoul Walsh that you can watch online on iFILM. Gregory Peck commands as a Royal Navy captain sent across the Atlantic on a secret mission at the height of the Napoleonic wars.

The year is 1807. His frigate HMS Lydia spends eight long months sailing for Central America to quietly back a rebel leader against Spain. Along the way Hornblower duels a Spanish ship of the line, deals with allies more dangerous than the enemy, and meets Lady Barbara (Virginia Mayo), who slips past his rigid sense of duty.

It's drawn from C.S. Forester's beloved novels — the same Hornblower who later inspired everything from Star Trek's captains to Master and Commander. The sea battles were staged for real, with full-rigged ships and actual cannon smoke, decades before any computer touched the genre. A young Christopher Lee turns up in a small part. Sturdy old-Hollywood spectacle for anyone who loves tall ships and broadsides. Stream Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) online on iFILM.