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Fresh from winning accolades for the capture, Hornblower
must now sail through enemy waters and return the duchess,
despatches and the prize ship back to England. A dangerous
job, but the prize money will make him considerably richer.
However, on the foggy return journey the ship finds itself
in the middle of the Spanish fleet and, when the mist clears,
there is no escape.
Sent to a seaside prison, the internal disagreements between
Hornblower and Hunter become open conflict. To add to his
woes, an old friend is dangerously ill and the duchess - to
whom he has given secret despatches - is very friendly with
the Spanish commander.
As usual, in this terrific series, everything is just about
perfect. The uniforms, the ships, the locations and the acting.
Ioan Gruffudd IS Hornblower. He has made the role his that
any future attempts to film the character will have this placed
as the very high benchmark.
Cherie Lunghi is marvellous as the over-the-top duchess and
she swings brilliantly between raucous and friendly, or coquettish
and secretive. Lunghi definitely enlivens this tale.
Hunter is played as a psychotic brute by Christopher Fulford
and the characterisation works a treat. There is nothing you
want to do more than smack him around the head or throw him
in irons for his pig-headed aggression that endangers them
all.
Ronald Pickup is the urbane and charming Spanish prison commander.
He is benevolent and, until crossed by Hunter, treats the
jailed British well.
The Duchess and the Devil has it all. Tension, internal bickering,
suspense and full-on action.
It is the most multi-layered of the plots, so far, and is
a worthy addition to the collection.
The video transfer is excellent. It is sharp, has beautiful
colour saturation and even the night scenes have little obvious
grain.
Conclusion: Movie 90%, Extras 60%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
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