Good Quality Entertainment I enjoyed watching this, and others from the series, tremendously. The period setting is colourful and adventurous and makes a welcome change from the usual bang bang of US TV programmes. Production quality is excellent and with Bean and other fine actors at the helm what more could you ask for. Well worth the cost of a box set!
Sharpe Vrs. Napoleon From the moment Richard Sharpe saves Arthur Wellesley from 3 French dragoons, his life is changed forever. As the future Lord Wellington advises this hard bitten British soldier, "You did me a damn good turn, now I'm going to do you a damn bad one", and promotes the brave man to the rank of Lieutenant. However, our hero Mr. Sharpe is not what his fellow officers consider a "gentlemen". Not being of privileged birth in a system steeped in social stratification, our Richard must continue to demonstrate his worth by deeds of honor and valor. And, prove himself he does. Through each installment of this enjoyable series, Sharpe and his trusted Sergeant Harper lead their group of "Chosen men" through one difficult scrape after the other. I love the entire Sharpe series but this first batch of four videos has some truly unforgettable moments. In the tradition of "Zulu" and "Gunga Din", if you love tales of the tenacious English soldier, testosterone and Napoleon, Sharpe is your man.
Very Good Sergeant Sharpe saves the life of Sir Arthur Wellsley soon to be the Duke of Wellington. You Need to have a sense of history to understand what is going on, and to understand that the Duke of Wellington was a upper class snob that hated common soldiers. Coming from a Grenadier Guardsman based at Wellington Barracks in London, this is quite a complement. Very Enjoyable.
A hero with a rough edge Four esisodes first shown in the US on Masterpiece Theater. A gritty tale of Sgt. Richard Sharpe and his rise from the ranks to the title of officer. It is a fine adaption and actually more watchable then Mr. Cornwells books are readable. It is dirty gritty and that dirt and grit makes it real. You also fine performances from Bean and O'Malley (and particualrly Pete Postlethwaite as his arch foe in episodes 3 & 4). Our first glimpse of Ducos is also a winner. (you may notice much of the same crowd with DiNero in RONIN.) A definate winner!
If there is anything to complain about in episode (Sharpe's Eagle) the scene leading to the fist fight between Sharpe and Berry is cut. It makes me wonder if we are missing anything else. Beyond that great!
High adventure at it's best! WONDERFUL!! The videos are as spellbinding as the novels! I can't take my eyes off Sean Bean - his Richard Sharpe is the kind of swashbuckling hero every woman dreams of! The rest of the series looks good, too - it draws the viewer into the nineteenth century and into the dirt, the frustration, the fear and the triumph of the common soldiers fighting for England against Napoleon. As a fan of anything hisorical, I enjoy a show that can allow me to feel like I got a priveleged, first hand peek into another time and place and this series does just that. If you are a fan of history, adventure, or great looking hunks,give this series a good, hard look and you won't be dissapointed!
Anything Goes Trivia
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