This one is my favorite; there are so many great characters, and a fantastic suppoprting cast. Major Hogan, Wellington, Lennox, Simmerson, Berry, et al. This one has it all.
"Good gravy!"
"Thank you. It's just brown and water."
Definitely my favourite of the Sharpes. I do prefer the earlier Wellington and as for Major Hogan, what can you say? The two conversations between Hogan and Simmerson and between Wellington and Simmerson after he has lost the King's colours are just masterpieces.
shareAh, that Hogan. What a way with words. It's a shame that Brian Cox left the series.
shareYes! I kept looking for him - and listening (the brogue was missed, too, along with the diabolical charm).
But then, the series was so well done... We limped along without him.
I didnt realise theres a very young Daniel Craig in this till i watched it again earlier today!
Fantastic episode to the series.
See this? This is my boom stick!
Yes, the "Eagle" was a fine entry...It was actually the first of the Sharpe books, which is confusing... 'Sharpe's Rifles' was the first of the movies.
I'm also fond of 'Sharpe's Regiment' which was a little off the beaten track. It showed us the flair for theatrics which we knew Harper had, but didn't suspect in Sharpe... "Sport some swank... We're going to visit the Prince of Wales!"
Actually, although Eagle was the first book written, chronologically Rifles is first.
Eagle is arguably the best of the films, but best performance has to be Pete Postlethwaite as Hakeswill in Company and Enemy.
I think you'll find that the first Sharpe novel (chronologically) is 'Sharpes Tiger' where he is a private serving in India, I think it's about time that Carlton got off there arses and made the rest of the novels into films and span the whole of Richard Sharpes career from 'Tiger' to 'Devil'. I suggest that you read them all they're better than the films anyway.
shareYeah, but Eagle was first written.
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Hear, hear! Postlethwaite is certainly one of the best villains I've seen... in or out of this series. When Sharpe says, "'e's Evil, is Obadiah" you sort of blink, because "evil" seems out of character for Sharpe. He kills the enemy because he's a soldier, but there's nothing personal about it (until he meets Ducos). Hakeswill is a personal enemy, and what he calls evil tells you as much about Sharpe as it does about Hakeswill... Who, for my money, really IS evil.
Well, the differences between Hakeswill and Ducos are quite significant. Ducos schemes, plots and does so [mostly] for personal gain or for France. Hakeswill is motivated only by cruelty and hatred - especially in India in the earlier novels.
Read the novels and you'll get more of a feel for the differences. I doubt Sharpe would have considered Ducos 'evil'.. But Obadiah... definately..
By the way, kudos to the casting director for Pete Postlethwaite. Brilliant casting! He personified Hakeswill exactly as I'd pictured him when reading the novel(s) (before I'd seen the TV/Films). Spot on!
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I only recently got the DVD with Rifles and Eagle out from a library and... wow.
Rifles? Eh, I could take it or leave it. A nice introduction story, but aside from that it was way too generic.
From what I've seen (Rifles-Honour, + Challenge) this is the best! It really has it all!
I wish they made longer seasons, though - just as soon as I'm used to Brian Cox and David Troughton, they disappear to never be seen again. Don't get me wrong, Nairn is brilliant as well, but he's never funny like Hogan was. That scene where Sharpe can barely even walk and Hogan's commending him and saying he'll be back on the front line in days had me in stitches...
And David Troughton, it goes without saying, is a brilliant Wellington. He doesn't quite look as much like the real article as Hugh Fraser does, but he just... to me he almost looks like Wellington should look. He's small and spindly... but there's something dangerous about his face. And his eyes. He seems powerful beyond his size. Definitely not somebody you want to mess with. In comparison Fraser seems a bit cuddly...
I suspect the problem is that you have too many paperclips up your nose
Sharpe and Brassed Off aside (incredible) I don't really rate Postlethwaite. Maybe he got lazy, or perhaps he needs good direction. Also rated Fraser more than Troughton but I suppose it's a personal choice. I liked all Wellington's intelligence men, the "Scotch bastard" Munro the most.
Hakeswill was clearly mad rather than evil, Ducos I have more evil as he was a cold killer with ambition, a political murderer.