MovieChat Forums > Sharpe's Justice (2006) Discussion > Sharpe and Rossendale 'Friends'?

Sharpe and Rossendale 'Friends'?

posted 14 years ago by thatsnumberwang
3 replies | jump to latest

Did anyone catch that line? That Sharpe and Rossendale were once "friends"? Where and how was that supposed to have taken place? Was that in the books?

That's my beef against the Sharpe films. They often suggest plot points that were never shown or have no background in the films. Teresa and Sharpe being "married" for example. He asks her if they should get married, they don't show a ceremony, and for the rest of the films until her death he refers to her as his wife. Were they married or not?

Likewise as I have mentioned on other boards, when Jane first comes on screen, it is clear that Sharpe has a previous history/acquaintance with her, but we the film audience have no idea what that would be. Supposedly in the books he has long "admired her from afar" as a previous acquaintance. That would go a long way to explaining the psychology behind his rash proposal to her as well as it's contradiction to his character (He's Sharpe, he's got a constant flow of female attention all the time, it's not like him to marry whatever broad comes along...) Too bad the film audience didn't get that memo.

My point is, I don't mind a little backstory once in a while, indeed I prefer it. But don't just insert information that is unexplained. Especially for those of us who haven't read the books.

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[–] crawfrordboon 14 years ago

I think Rossendale made a very brief appearance in Sharpe's Regiment, the film.

You're right about Theresa - in the books they were married in Sharpe's Company.

The books do refer to a previous meeting between Sharpe and Jane. He first found out about her after killing Gibbons in Sharpe's Eagle, Gibbons has a picture of her in a locket - she is Gibbons' sister. The books refer to a subsequent meeting in an English parish church - presumably Sharpe had gone there to attend Gibbons' funeral.

Another odd one in this movie was the re-appearance of Harry Price (possibly this was in Sharpe's Waterloo). In the novels, he lives to the end of the war, but in the films he had been killed by Hakeswill defending Theresa at Badajoz in Sharpe's Company!

"Are you a professional bore, or is it just some kind of hobby?"

[–] crawfrordboon 14 years ago

There was also the mysterious resurrection of Pierre Ducos. He is seen to be killed in Sharpe's Honour, but returns in subsequent episodes.

In the books, he survives Sharpe's Honour and appears in the next books as he does in the films, finally dying in Sharpe's Revenge.

"Are you a professional bore, or is it just some kind of hobby?"

[–] sara.banda 11 years ago

Rossendale does appear in Sharpe's Regiment played by Alexander Armstrong. The character's more comical and foppish in that episode so I think the producers wanted someone who looked a bit more like a Mr Darcy type to 'steal' Jane from Sharpe. Much as I love Armstrong as a comic actor and comedian, you wouldn't really believe him as the kind of guy Jane would fall for.