Library Journal-Rezension

A&E hits the mark again with two new installments following up the popular original four-part series (Video Reviews, LJ 8/99). Welsh actor Ioan Griffudd reprises his role as Horatio Hornblower, as do Robert Lindsay (Admiral Pellew) and several other familiar faces from the first series. As Loyalty begins, we find that peace with France has forced Horatio to earn his living at the card tables of Portsmouth, where he also begins a rather tentative romance with his landlady's daughter, Maria. It doesn't take long for Admiral Pellew to enlist our hero for an undercover mission to France, for which he receives his first official command as the captain of the HMS Hotspur. After several adventures, betrayals, and an imprisonment in a French prison, Horatio saves the day for the British. In Duty, Horatio marries Maria, but his honeymoon is short-lived as Pellew sends him in search of the missing sloop Grasshopper, captained by their old friend Henry Bracegirdle. Along the way they rescue two strangers caught in a storm who aren't exactly who they claim to be. As usual, the acting and production values in this series are top-notch. There is plenty of drama and impressively staged land and sea battles. With the increased interest in seafaring adventures such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Master and Commander, these discs should prove very popular with new audiences as well as fans of the original series. Recommended for all collections.-Tom Budlong, Atlanta (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.