Shipbucket

What about a movie about the Old Ironsides? I would watch that.

Master and Commander? That piece of not-so subtle French bashing trash! I rather watch my dryer for two hours than that crap movie! When are someone going to make a good movie about, say d'Estaing's victory at Grenada, 1779 or, for American affairs most pivotal clash at the Chesapeake, 1781?

Colosseum wrote:...on par with Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World...

You may have read Foresters novels, but ITV made a good TV adaptation of Hornblower a few years ago, I recommend it if anyone here is into that sort of thing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornblower_(TV_series)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129686/

jabba wrote:

Colosseum wrote:...on par with Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World...

You may have read Foresters novels, but ITV made a good TV adaptation of Hornblower a few years ago, I recommend it if anyone here is into that sort of thing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornblower_(TV_series)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129686/

I can whole-heartedly add my recomendation to that. I have all 8 movies on DVD and have watched them several times. I just wish they would have continued and finished the series instead of stopping at book 3 (or maybe it was book 4. memory escaping into the ether at then moment)

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bezobrazov wrote:Master and Commander? That piece of not-so subtle French bashing trash! I rather watch my dryer for two hours than that crap movie! When are someone going to make a good movie about, say d'Estaing's victory at Grenada, 1779 or, for American affairs most pivotal clash at the Chesapeake, 1781?

Honestly, I rather enjoy Patrick O'Brian's series of 21 books that movie was based on. The movie itself was taken mostly from book 10. I hate it when they start in the middle of the damned series.

I was weaned on Hornblower, and by and large the t.v.series makes a decent version, and does anyone recall the filum? Gregory Peck no less, at the time excellent casting to capture the hero's character. But of course Patrick O'Brien, gave the definitive portrayal of Nelson's navy. The film is excellent, but for the miscasting of Russel Crowe as Captain Jack, but then I'm no fan of Crowe.

Portsmouth Bill wrote:I was weaned on Hornblower, and by and large the t.v.series makes a decent version, and does anyone recall the filum? Gregory Peck no less, at the time excellent casting to capture the hero's character. But of course Patrick O'Brien, gave the definitive portrayal of Nelson's navy. The film is excellent, but for the miscasting of Russel Crowe as Captain Jack, but then I'm no fan of Crowe.

Oh yes, I do indeed remember that movie! I was hoping to see the series take on that particular book, but alas they never made it that far into the series.

Meh, Crowe wasn't awful, but it could have been better. Just can't think of who would have been better as Aubrey off the top of my head though. Not enough coffee yet, apparently.

I know what you mean, guys. I was raised with Hornblower et al. but I took a fancy to the other side eventually, I e the French and Spanish navies, and as I studied their history, I realized how jingoistic those books really were! Even many Americans nowadays blithely and ignorantly belittle and ridicule their efforts during the American Revolutionary War, not realizing that, were it not for Count de Grasse, there might never have been a United States of America at all! It is true that during the following wars, both navies declined, the French more rapidly so, though they still possessed competent leaders, such as Villaret de Joyeause, Vanstable, Allemand, Cornic Dumoulins, Latouche-Treville and, last but not least, Pierre Charles Silvestre de Villeneuve, an officer who actually could read Nelson's mind quite uncannily, but never got the chance to prove his thesis because of imperial policy making.
The Spaniards had several excellent officers too, groomed during Carlos III:s successful reign, and they fought with incredible tenacity and valor.

Oh, I give credit where credit is due. The French navy of that period had excellent ships and quite a few truly talented officers. Unfortunately, Napoleon didn't have the first clue as to what a navy is for, and the ships and crews were allowed deteriorate sitting at anchor in harbor, and eventually stripped of their men and guns to form "naval battalions" for his ground campaigns. Napoleon may have been a genius at army organization and land tactics, but he was worse than a neophyte when it came to anything sea related.

And I would agree, the Battle of the Saints and the Battle of Virginia Capes were very significant and most Americans do ignore them because of the "no americans involved" attitude many have.

Well, not to be outdone, the SyFy channel was advertising a movie "American Warships" - a low budget "Battleship" movie for this weekend.
I guess everybody is into having the USN kick alien butt....

Well, go to cinema: check, buy ticket on Battleship: check, see the movie: check.

And ... it was good. Just dont think about things like get main engine full power of a steam battleship in ... what 1h ? or other things. See a lots of effects, nice effects, booms, kabooms, pow-pows torpedos, missiles, cannons ... and old good Big Mo in action.

EDIT: one more thing ... ACDC RULES !!!