Obviously I've always been a fan of the 1951 movie starring Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo, so when it became available on DVD I picked it up and finally got around to watching it last month in sections as I finished the underlying books. C.S. Forester is credited with the screenplay, and it's nice to see how he condenses the three original books, covering the same ground quicker and better.
As always, although I completely agree with the Sultan of Morocco's statement that Virginia Mayo's beauty was proof of the existence of God, I still think that she was miscast. She's too beautiful for the role, and who the hell did her hair? I think the role would have been better suited for someone with the grace but a little less beauty. Gregory Peck is said to have wanted Margaret Leighton, and after seeing her picture, I can see why. She's spot-on to what I thought Barbara would look like - a little longer in the face and less like a pinup. Not that looking like a pinup is a bad thing, and in the grand scheme of things it's not bad to have an excuse to watch Virginia Mayo every few years. But she just didn't seem the character to me. Specifically when she's saying goodbye to Hornblower in the carriage, and pouting terribly, while it's probably her most beautiful appearance in the film, it has nothing of the grace and coolness and maturity that would have marked the same scene with the fictional Barbara. Again, I like it fine, it is just reminds you that this really isn't Forester's Barbara - it's Hollywood starlet.
Where was I? Oh yes, there was a movie. Anyway, grand movie - really enjoyed it.