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The Sharpe series is outstanding. Made by ITV, it is nowhere near as stuffy and slow-paced as it would have been on the BBC. Sean Bean stars as Richard Sharpe, the son of a prostitute and a soldier trying to make his way in the British army in the Peninsula War. He saves Wellington's life and finds himself made a captain, quite a step up considering his poor background in an era of unashamed snobbery. Sharpe finds his company of men, the rifles, and has a rude introduction, including a fight with Harper, a bawdy Irishman. As the film progresses, Harper proves his worth and in later episodes became Sharpe's right-hand man. Played by Daragh O'Malley, Harper is in many ways the star of the show, quick witted and always good for a one-liner. The central plot of Sharpe's Rifles involves the new captain getting to grips with his men, before a deadly mission involves them all. Along the way, double-dealing Spaniards have to work with him and Sharpe meets his future bride, Teresa, a Spanish spy. The French forces who serve as the enemy, are out to cause havoc, but Sharpe puts them down well. The series is excellent fun and offers a good glimpse of how war was fought in the early 1800s, with a few liberties of course. The real Wellington detested raising from the ranks (see Richard Holmes' book The Iron Duke, a good read). The Sharpe series is one to own, and this opener is amongst its best.
score /10
Corky1984 7 March 2006
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1309162/ |
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31-3-2021 00:05:36