Put aside the unimaginative title and ignore the underlying storyline ostensibly concerning maritime insurance in Georgian England, as this really is a highly enjoyable vintage Hollywood historical drama.
Even if it contains almost no major action scenes, bar the briefest snippet of the great naval Battle of Trafalgar near the end and not even the expected, at least by me, climactic duel between Tyrone Power's Jonathon Blake and George Sanders' dastardly Lord Stacey principal characters, it only makes me appreciate all the more how clever director Henry King and his writers were to create such an entertaining feature with Nelson's great victory as its backdrop and yet only afford the heroic admiral barely a few minutes screen-time on board the Victory and even those only at the moment of his death. That is of course if you discount the prologue which features child actor Freddie Bartholomew as the young Blake, where we see he and a youthful Nelson establish their lifelong friendship.
Of course Nelson grows up and goes into the navy to make his name and disappears from the film for the next ninety minutes while young Blake grows up into Power and the leader of a syndicate of shipping investors at Lloyd's. Before he does that though Blake has already audaciously rescued Madeleine Carroll's Lady Stacey from being seemingly the only English woman in France just when all English nationals are decreed enemies of France. In the process the couple fall in love but the beautiful and wealthy M'lady is however, unhappily married to Sanders' cold, idle and parasitic nobleman Lord Stacey which would make you think there's no future in the lovers' relationship.
Fate however brings the star-crossed duo back together again but in a film of many ups and downs, their own destinies are intertwined with those of Nelson and through him the imperilled futures of Lloyd's the institution and Great Britain itself before the outcome of the Battle of Trafalgar brings a happy ending for all, although not of course for Nelson himself.
I must admit I love these old-time studio-system classics even if I appreciate that you would likely fail any history exam on the Napoleonic Wars using the evidence shown here as a revision aid.
Instead, just sit back and roll with the waves, admiring as you do a charismatic breakthrough performance by the handsome young Power, a vivacious outing by Carroll and a delicious boo-hiss display by Sanders, all expertly helmed by director King in this imaginative, top-notch period feature.
Even if it contains almost no major action scenes, bar the briefest snippet of the great naval Battle of Trafalgar near the end and not even the expected, at least by me, climactic duel between Tyrone Power's Jonathon Blake and George Sanders' dastardly Lord Stacey principal characters, it only makes me appreciate all the more how clever director Henry King and his writers were to create such an entertaining feature with Nelson's great victory as its backdrop and yet only afford the heroic admiral barely a few minutes screen-time on board the Victory and even those only at the moment of his death. That is of course if you discount the prologue which features child actor Freddie Bartholomew as the young Blake, where we see he and a youthful Nelson establish their lifelong friendship.
Of course Nelson grows up and goes into the navy to make his name and disappears from the film for the next ninety minutes while young Blake grows up into Power and the leader of a syndicate of shipping investors at Lloyd's. Before he does that though Blake has already audaciously rescued Madeleine Carroll's Lady Stacey from being seemingly the only English woman in France just when all English nationals are decreed enemies of France. In the process the couple fall in love but the beautiful and wealthy M'lady is however, unhappily married to Sanders' cold, idle and parasitic nobleman Lord Stacey which would make you think there's no future in the lovers' relationship.
Fate however brings the star-crossed duo back together again but in a film of many ups and downs, their own destinies are intertwined with those of Nelson and through him the imperilled futures of Lloyd's the institution and Great Britain itself before the outcome of the Battle of Trafalgar brings a happy ending for all, although not of course for Nelson himself.
I must admit I love these old-time studio-system classics even if I appreciate that you would likely fail any history exam on the Napoleonic Wars using the evidence shown here as a revision aid.
Instead, just sit back and roll with the waves, admiring as you do a charismatic breakthrough performance by the handsome young Power, a vivacious outing by Carroll and a delicious boo-hiss display by Sanders, all expertly helmed by director King in this imaginative, top-notch period feature.