Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
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- Grifman
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Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
This is an old BBC series from the 1990's that I've been trying to find a way to watch for a number of years now. The series really doesn't have an official name but it usually goes by "Sharp's Rifles" after the first movie in the series. The series originally consisted of 14 made for television movies from 1993 to 1997, with two additional movies in 2006 and 2008 following Sharp's postwar adventures in British India.
The movies star Sean Bean, as Richard Sharp, a sergeant in the British Army, fighting under Wellington in Spain during the Napoleonic Wars. In the opening scenes Sharp rescues Wellington from French cavalry and is given a battlefield commission as a lieutenant by a grateful Wellington. Sharp is given command of a unit of elite riflemen called "Chosen Men". Though supposedly elite, Sharp finds them ill disciplined and has to gain their respect while whipping them into shape. The subsequent movies follow Sharp (and Wellington) as the British Army clears Spain of the French and prepares to invade France to rid Europe of Napoleon.
Bean is great in the role (one of the few he doesn't die in ), these movies are what gave him his big break and they were extremely popular in the UK. It's all a very dashing action-adventure, with Sharp being sent off on some impossible mission, either by Wellington or his master of spies. There's also romance as Sharp also seems to grab the attention of some damsel in distress (and some that aren't in distress) in most episodes. It's all a lot of fun, and the BBC did well with the money they had. It's mostly small unit actions, but there are some larger set piece battles where they make a few troops look like a lot (there's even a re-enactment of Waterloo and the advance of the Imperial Guard), but sometimes the budget limitations are obvious. Sometimes I have to chuckle though as they don't do a very good job of keeping track of the number of troops. Sometimes you'll see Sharp and his men on a mission, and there's a battle and you see men die, but after the battle there's just as many troops afterwards. Or even outside of a battle while on mission, the number of troops vary from scene to scene. Also Sharp is a bit of a superhero - he'll get wounded, have to fight in a clearly wounded condition, yet the next battle a day or so later it's as if he was never wounded. One episode he's wounded in both is left arm and left shoulder but keeps fighting! He's just as powerful or weak as the scene requires it appears
However, beyond all the adventure, there is another very interesting undercurrent in the movie. As a commoner, an enlisted man "promoted from the ranks", Sharp is an officer but does not have the social standing of almost every other British officer he comes across (as they are also all titled aristocrats), many of whom have purchased their positions (yes, at one point, British aristocrats could pay money to obtain an officer's commission!!). No matter his exploits and heroism on the battlefield Sharp is their social inferior and he is reminded of it again and again. In addition, he faces resistance from the ranks (at least initially until he proves himself to his men) because he's seen as thinking himself better than the enlisted men because he became an officer. He's constantly torn between their two worlds, neither of which he totally fits in any longer. This is most seen in the episode where he comes back to England after Napoleon's first abdication where he is given command of militia cavalry unit whose main job is maintaining control over an area beset by labor unrest. He and his men (a bunch of local aristocrats who like to play soldier) are used to oppress the poor factory workers, same people that Sharp grew up with. And the show, to it's credit, gives no easy answers to any of these issues.
Anyway, I first looked for Blu Rays but the only ones compatible with the US sell for $600 on Amazon, twice the retail cost of $300. You can stream the show on Amazon Prime but they are only SD and I think only 4x3. However, I did find the HD wide screen version on Apple TV which you can buy for only about $3/episode, which is a great deal. I'll have to admit though that I found them on YouTube also first, but I plan to by the HD version from Apple because I really love this series. Unfortunately the two movies set in India are not available for sale but I did find it on the French version of YouTube, Daily Motion.
All in all, for some reason, I just love this series and Sean Bean's performance. It's a great set of movies - if you can find it.
The movies star Sean Bean, as Richard Sharp, a sergeant in the British Army, fighting under Wellington in Spain during the Napoleonic Wars. In the opening scenes Sharp rescues Wellington from French cavalry and is given a battlefield commission as a lieutenant by a grateful Wellington. Sharp is given command of a unit of elite riflemen called "Chosen Men". Though supposedly elite, Sharp finds them ill disciplined and has to gain their respect while whipping them into shape. The subsequent movies follow Sharp (and Wellington) as the British Army clears Spain of the French and prepares to invade France to rid Europe of Napoleon.
Bean is great in the role (one of the few he doesn't die in ), these movies are what gave him his big break and they were extremely popular in the UK. It's all a very dashing action-adventure, with Sharp being sent off on some impossible mission, either by Wellington or his master of spies. There's also romance as Sharp also seems to grab the attention of some damsel in distress (and some that aren't in distress) in most episodes. It's all a lot of fun, and the BBC did well with the money they had. It's mostly small unit actions, but there are some larger set piece battles where they make a few troops look like a lot (there's even a re-enactment of Waterloo and the advance of the Imperial Guard), but sometimes the budget limitations are obvious. Sometimes I have to chuckle though as they don't do a very good job of keeping track of the number of troops. Sometimes you'll see Sharp and his men on a mission, and there's a battle and you see men die, but after the battle there's just as many troops afterwards. Or even outside of a battle while on mission, the number of troops vary from scene to scene. Also Sharp is a bit of a superhero - he'll get wounded, have to fight in a clearly wounded condition, yet the next battle a day or so later it's as if he was never wounded. One episode he's wounded in both is left arm and left shoulder but keeps fighting! He's just as powerful or weak as the scene requires it appears
However, beyond all the adventure, there is another very interesting undercurrent in the movie. As a commoner, an enlisted man "promoted from the ranks", Sharp is an officer but does not have the social standing of almost every other British officer he comes across (as they are also all titled aristocrats), many of whom have purchased their positions (yes, at one point, British aristocrats could pay money to obtain an officer's commission!!). No matter his exploits and heroism on the battlefield Sharp is their social inferior and he is reminded of it again and again. In addition, he faces resistance from the ranks (at least initially until he proves himself to his men) because he's seen as thinking himself better than the enlisted men because he became an officer. He's constantly torn between their two worlds, neither of which he totally fits in any longer. This is most seen in the episode where he comes back to England after Napoleon's first abdication where he is given command of militia cavalry unit whose main job is maintaining control over an area beset by labor unrest. He and his men (a bunch of local aristocrats who like to play soldier) are used to oppress the poor factory workers, same people that Sharp grew up with. And the show, to it's credit, gives no easy answers to any of these issues.
Anyway, I first looked for Blu Rays but the only ones compatible with the US sell for $600 on Amazon, twice the retail cost of $300. You can stream the show on Amazon Prime but they are only SD and I think only 4x3. However, I did find the HD wide screen version on Apple TV which you can buy for only about $3/episode, which is a great deal. I'll have to admit though that I found them on YouTube also first, but I plan to by the HD version from Apple because I really love this series. Unfortunately the two movies set in India are not available for sale but I did find it on the French version of YouTube, Daily Motion.
All in all, for some reason, I just love this series and Sean Bean's performance. It's a great set of movies - if you can find it.
Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. – G.K. Chesterton
- Max Peck
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
If you're OK with streaming the series rather than buying it, it's available on BritBox. They appear to have all of the episodes and movies, and they're flagged as HD.
https://www.britbox.com/ca/show/Sharpe_p04m203d
https://www.britbox.com/ca/show/Sharpe_p04m203d
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
- Grifman
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
The last thing I need is another streaming service.Max Peck wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 5:10 am If you're OK with streaming the series rather than buying it, it's available on BritBox. They appear to have all of the episodes and movies, and they're flagged as HD.
https://www.britbox.com/ca/show/Sharpe_p04m203d
And I’d like to have them in some way so I could watch them again sometime in the future.
Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. – G.K. Chesterton
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
Talk to Jeff V
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- Max Peck
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
I believe they still have a 7-day free trial. If nothing else, that would give you a chance to watch the two movies that aren't available from Apple.Grifman wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:46 amThe last thing I need is another streaming service.Max Peck wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 5:10 am If you're OK with streaming the series rather than buying it, it's available on BritBox. They appear to have all of the episodes and movies, and they're flagged as HD.
https://www.britbox.com/ca/show/Sharpe_p04m203d
And I’d like to have them in some way so I could watch them again sometime in the future.
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
- Grifman
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
That's what I would have done if I had not found them "elsewhere". But I just don't want to go through the whole deal of signing up, giving them my credit card and then canceling and being on their email list forever with reminders to sign upMax Peck wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 9:54 amI believe they still have a 7-day free trial. If nothing else, that would give you a chance to watch the two movies that aren't available from Apple.Grifman wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:46 amThe last thing I need is another streaming service.Max Peck wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 5:10 am If you're OK with streaming the series rather than buying it, it's available on BritBox. They appear to have all of the episodes and movies, and they're flagged as HD.
https://www.britbox.com/ca/show/Sharpe_p04m203d
And I’d like to have them in some way so I could watch them again sometime in the future.
Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. – G.K. Chesterton
- LawBeefaroni
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
I have the cedar crate DVD set of this. Might be time to break it out again. Wife and I used to enjoy watching back in the day, when we had time to sit down and watch TV.
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
Me too! And the original series of books too. I remember looking forward to watching it when PBS was showing them. Might be time to either dig up the DVDs or reread the series.LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 10:42 am I have the cedar crate DVD set of this. Might be time to break it out again. Wife and I used to enjoy watching back in the day, when we had time to sit down and watch TV.
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
I have all of the DVDs of these, but the set that I have they have this 2 minute commercial on the front of every episode that you can’t skip past. Annoys the hell out of me.
But a tremendous series. Been a fan for years.
But a tremendous series. Been a fan for years.
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
I remember seeing Sharpe’s Challenge years ago and loving it. Now that I know the rest are on Britbox I may sub for a bit so I can watch them.
He won. Period.
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
I actually have all of these movies on DVD. When I sold off my DVD collection to some online store years ago, for whatever reason they had no interest in this series. It was very good, i'm inclined to watch it again someday.
The books, of course, were more awesome even though they had approximately 100% less Sean Bean.
The books, of course, were more awesome even though they had approximately 100% less Sean Bean.
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
Apparently the later books do have at least a little Sean Bean.
Cornwell was so impressed with Bean's portrayal that he expanded Sharpe's backstory to have him growing up in Yorkshire to account for Bean's accent. The author also avoided further mention of Sharpe's black hair (Bean's hair being blonde).
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
- Grifman
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
Since I love this series, I may have to get the books also. I am also a fan of "The Last Kingdom" on Netflix, another Cornwall series about Anglo-Saxon Britain, and I may pick that book series up also. Both series are just excellent fictional portrayals of history, with great actors playing the leads.
Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. – G.K. Chesterton
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
I lost track of The Last Kingdom after season 2, when BBC appeared to bail on it and it's future was in doubt. How many seasons are there and is it still in production? I just read the last book in the series last week.
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
4 seasons on Netflix.
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
Jeff hates Netflix. He calls it The Devil’s Drive In.
He won. Period.
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
I was a subscriber of Netflix in the early days, when they renting DVDs for $6 apiece. I kept them until about 7 years ago, when they became a casualty of my wife's anti-entertainment pogrom. Now she's demanding everything be gone since I've not been able to find a job in more than a year.
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Re: Sharp's [Rifles] - BBC, Wellington, Napoleon & Sean Bean
And a final 5th season coming up. Great series!
Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. – G.K. Chesterton