On Heroes and Horatios

I found a new hero!

Horatio Hornblower, the young midshipman of C. S. Forester’s novels as presented by A&E is a terrific example of a principled man who has bold courage to spare. This is probably not new to anyone who may happen to read this on purpose, but in case anyone stumbles by, check out Horatio Hornblower – you won’t be disappointed. Thanks to Kim who mentioned how great it was so that I finally got off my duff (well really, back on my duff) and watched it! I have watched only the first, but am very excited that there are 7 more which I expect will be as good as the first.

Update (4/14/08): We just finished the 8th and final movie last night. We both felt Horatio took an ugly personal turn toward the end of the 7th and in the 8th movie. His strong sense of duty (as he is a solider) went awry. Even with this tainted ending, it was an exceptionally series and Horatio is an exceptional hero. Awesome naval battles.



The second part of Scott Powell’s In Defense of “Heroification” post is up at History at Our House. It discusses the proper “heroification” of George Washington in Emmanuel Leutze’s painting George Washington Crossing the Delaware. Part 1 of the planned 3 part series looks at the sculpture of George Washington by Horatio Greenough which was offered by author James Loewen as an example of why “heroificiation” is wrong. It’s an interesting theory except that no one thinks of George Washington as a Greek god.

Finally, if you like Ken Burns or road trips like I do, you might like Horatio’s Drive, a film about Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson and the first American road trip. Sure, we’ve owned this movie as a part of the excellent Ken Burns American Lives series for years, but have never gotten around to watching it. I hope to change this soon.

Comments

tm said…
I have really been enjoying watching my 9 year-old on the edge of her seat and cheering as Horatio finds a way out of a terrible situation. Not to mention the amazing (as usualy for the A&E videos, from the BBC I think) production.

Glad you're enjoying them!
April 8, 2008 at 10:38 PM
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