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David McK (3562 KP) rated Sharpe's Rifles in TV

Jul 11, 2021  
Sharpe's Rifles
Sharpe's Rifles
1993 | Action
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
Sean Bean as Sharpe (0 more)
Lack of Budget sometimes shows (0 more)
The first of the Sharpe adaptations from the early-to mid '90s, based on what was then the earlies set novel in Bernard Cornwell's long-running series set during the Napoleonic Wars.

I say what-was-then, because - since the culmination of the various TV movies, and even right up to date (the most recent to be released in a few months time, in late 2021), Cornwell has released plenty more such novels, quite a few of which are set even before the start of the Napoleonic Wars, never mind those set 'in-between' the core set of novels; said set of which provided the basis for the TV adaptations.

And that is what these are: an adaptation, rather than a straight re-telling. Sharpe, for instance, is supposed to be a dark haired Londoner rather than fair-haired Cockney (although Sean Bean's portrayal would win over Cornwell, who would later 'retrofit' his character to be closer to Sean Bean). That is probably for the better: literature and film, after all, are two distinct mediums: what works in one may not work in another.

To this day, though, I would still love to see a proper big-screen adaptation, with the budget to match, of one of these stories ...