Sharpe's Eagle (1993) (TV)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Tom Clegg

Writers:

Eoghan Harris (written by)
Bernard Cornwell (based on the novel by)

Release Date:

12 May 1993 (UK)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | History | War

Plot:

Sharpe is a Captain saddled with the South Essex, a battalion run by incompetents and filled with soldiers who have never been in battle...

Plot Keywords:

Fictional Biography | Whipping | Military | Blood | Sequel

Cast

Sean Bean	...	Sharpe
Brian Cox	...	Hogan
Daragh O'Malley	...	Harper
Assumpta Serna	...	Teresa
Michael Cochrane	...	Sir Henry Simmerson
David Troughton	...	Wellesley
Martin Jacobs	...	Lawford
Katia Caballero	...	Josefina
Michael Mears	...	Cooper
John Tams	...	Hagman
Jason Salkey	...	Harris
Paul Trussell	...	Tongue
Lyndon Davies	...	Perkins
Gavan O'Herlihy	...	Leroy
David Ashton	...	Lennox

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Spanish | French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-11 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Crimea, Ukraine

Company:

Celtic Films Entertainment

Trivia:

Historically, there was no Eagle taken at the battle of Talavera, though it was a victory for the British.

Goofs:

Plot holes: After the battle of Talavera, while the wounded are still being carried into the hospital, Countess Teresa informs Sharpe that London has created Wellesley Lord Wellington as a result of his victory. There is no way that London could have been informed of the results of the battle so quickly, let alone returned word of Wellesley's elevation.

Quotes:

Colonel Lawford: [on Wellesley] God, Hogan. Horse, foot, cannon... the French outnumber us three to one. Does he know something we don't?
Maj. Hogan: He knows three things, Lawford. He knows that on his left, the French will not attack the fort. He knows that on his right, Simmerson will run. And he knows that in the center, that Daddy Hill will stand. Means nothing to me either, Lawford. That's why he's a general, and we ain't.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Sharpe's Mission (1996) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Three Lovely Lassies

An accomplished second outing

In his second outing Sharpe is promoted captain, but can he keep this new rank? With a solid storyline about an incompetent regiment, bigoted colonel, and the quest for the titular Eagle, Sharpe excels in everything that makes this series - namely playing it fast and loose with rules, regulations and, it has to be said, women. Even the romantic interest retains the plausibility of the first episode, before the advent of the disastrous Jane.

An excellent performance by Sean Bean, ably supported by the Rifles, in particular Daragh O'Malley and Assumpta Serna, this is definitely a must see for any Sharpe fan, or indeed anybody interested in the Napoleonic Wars.