Sharpe's Rifles - Reaction Post
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I’ve just noticed that when Sharpe inspects his Chosen Men for the first time, he is shown ?downhill? from them and significantly shorter. This goes against the way he is portrayed in most of the movies, because I’d always assumed he was 6ft tall like in the books, and was gobsmacked to discover Sean Bean is only 5ft 9.
Mind you, he’s also portrayed “downhill” from Dragomirov in the clip where he attacks Barabbas.
So at what point do they start showing him standing tall and implied the same height as others?
When he meets Dunnett and Murray for the first time he is bent over, looking small and whipped. Ditto the first time he meets Teresa, with Blas Vivar.
Over The Hills And Far Away is introduced at about 2:15.
I didn’t spot it on the first ten viewings, but when he’s saving Sir Arthur, after he’s shot the first guy and he starts backing up, Wellesley is immediately behind him on his back in the water, so he has to be careful where he steps so as not to tread on him. He stands immediately in front of him but is definitely constrained in what he can do. Presumably the reason he turns as the 2nd guy goes by is to defend Wellesley more directly.
When Hogan arrives he doesn’t just look relieved, he looks pleased, and from the direction he’s looking, I think he’s looking at Sharpe. So maybe TV!Hogan already had his eye on Sharpe.
As he hands back the “chelin” at the end of his mission briefing, we see that his uniform, acquired from Hogan, has a hole in the left elbow.
This CD is maybe a Spanish edition or something, because the actual Spanish speech isn’t subtitled. The English speech is translated and subtitled in Spanish, while the little French speech there’s been so far is subtitled in French. Someone commented somewhere that it’s the version that was broadcast in Spain.
12:09 establishing Teresa’s gang as fighting the French, and the little box as important to be saved.
15:49 - presumably the first time Sharpe has ever demanded "Name! Rank!"
La tropa - the ranks
Jodido - damned, bloody, etc.
Quien rayos - who the blazes
It’s very sad that Sharpe feels the way to assert his authority over the Chosen Men is to shout, sneer and deride them. This shows very clearly the kind of interactions he’s had with officers in the past.
18:10 Ah, they call him a proper bastard at the end of their very first encounter with him. Teresa later says Harper explained to her that when the English wish to honour a man of courage they call him a “proper bastard”.
A qué se dedicaba? - Previous employment
Furtivo - poacher
They’ve translated "now’s the time" as "say it now", which is fair.
Potboys => muñecos
27:48 First full-on arse shot lol. I can only think that someone identified very early on in filming what a pert posterior Sean Bean has.
It’s been subtitled as "That’s the man we need", but what Teresa actually says is "Es es mi hombre. Lo necesito." Foreshadowing. [Hold on, is that bit subtitled in English?]
42:39 Harper showing that even though he’s a prisoner he is still observing everything that may be of use to them.
By 57 minutes we’re seeing Sharpe higher or taller than the men. Is this because they’ve seen him fight?
Alisté - signed on ie enlisted
Interesting that they don’t bother subtitling the Latin either.
"Trust me."
"It’s very hard to trust a man who wants to borrow your picklock, sir." One of the best lines of the entire series.
Usted lo hace - you do
1:28:00 by the time the choristers cross the square we have Sharpe and Harper working together, shooting each other little looks. And a few minutes before that Sharpe put his hand at Harper’s waist as he moved round the back of him to take up a firing position.
1:35:00 Harper actually grins about Perkins getting Chosen, and looks very approving as Sharpe walks away.
Una buena tunda - a damn good thrashing.
mas contento que unas pascuas - pleased as punch. Bit weird.
And by the end of the first episode - 1hr 40m - we have seen a lot of character development for Sharpe. He’s now 1st Lieutenant, he knows how to lead his men (a lot of which he got from Teresa), he’s shown he’s brave, cunning, and clever (worked out who Mrs Parker was) and never tries to hide where he came from.
And Harper is now almost on side.
ETA: Sean Bean has said that first scene he shot as Sharpe was a battle*. Which means that saving Sir Arthur wasn't the first scene he shot. Which means that he deliberately went back and changed the character for that scene, and again for the one where he gets his briefing from Wellesley.
*This is confirmed in Jason Salkey's book; he says Sean's first scene was in the battle of Talavera.
I’ve just noticed that when Sharpe inspects his Chosen Men for the first time, he is shown ?downhill? from them and significantly shorter. This goes against the way he is portrayed in most of the movies, because I’d always assumed he was 6ft tall like in the books, and was gobsmacked to discover Sean Bean is only 5ft 9.
Mind you, he’s also portrayed “downhill” from Dragomirov in the clip where he attacks Barabbas.
So at what point do they start showing him standing tall and implied the same height as others?
When he meets Dunnett and Murray for the first time he is bent over, looking small and whipped. Ditto the first time he meets Teresa, with Blas Vivar.
Over The Hills And Far Away is introduced at about 2:15.
I didn’t spot it on the first ten viewings, but when he’s saving Sir Arthur, after he’s shot the first guy and he starts backing up, Wellesley is immediately behind him on his back in the water, so he has to be careful where he steps so as not to tread on him. He stands immediately in front of him but is definitely constrained in what he can do. Presumably the reason he turns as the 2nd guy goes by is to defend Wellesley more directly.
When Hogan arrives he doesn’t just look relieved, he looks pleased, and from the direction he’s looking, I think he’s looking at Sharpe. So maybe TV!Hogan already had his eye on Sharpe.
As he hands back the “chelin” at the end of his mission briefing, we see that his uniform, acquired from Hogan, has a hole in the left elbow.
This CD is maybe a Spanish edition or something, because the actual Spanish speech isn’t subtitled. The English speech is translated and subtitled in Spanish, while the little French speech there’s been so far is subtitled in French. Someone commented somewhere that it’s the version that was broadcast in Spain.
12:09 establishing Teresa’s gang as fighting the French, and the little box as important to be saved.
15:49 - presumably the first time Sharpe has ever demanded "Name! Rank!"
La tropa - the ranks
Jodido - damned, bloody, etc.
Quien rayos - who the blazes
It’s very sad that Sharpe feels the way to assert his authority over the Chosen Men is to shout, sneer and deride them. This shows very clearly the kind of interactions he’s had with officers in the past.
18:10 Ah, they call him a proper bastard at the end of their very first encounter with him. Teresa later says Harper explained to her that when the English wish to honour a man of courage they call him a “proper bastard”.
A qué se dedicaba? - Previous employment
Furtivo - poacher
They’ve translated "now’s the time" as "say it now", which is fair.
Potboys => muñecos
27:48 First full-on arse shot lol. I can only think that someone identified very early on in filming what a pert posterior Sean Bean has.
It’s been subtitled as "That’s the man we need", but what Teresa actually says is "Es es mi hombre. Lo necesito." Foreshadowing. [Hold on, is that bit subtitled in English?]
42:39 Harper showing that even though he’s a prisoner he is still observing everything that may be of use to them.
By 57 minutes we’re seeing Sharpe higher or taller than the men. Is this because they’ve seen him fight?
Alisté - signed on ie enlisted
Interesting that they don’t bother subtitling the Latin either.
"Trust me."
"It’s very hard to trust a man who wants to borrow your picklock, sir." One of the best lines of the entire series.
Usted lo hace - you do
1:28:00 by the time the choristers cross the square we have Sharpe and Harper working together, shooting each other little looks. And a few minutes before that Sharpe put his hand at Harper’s waist as he moved round the back of him to take up a firing position.
1:35:00 Harper actually grins about Perkins getting Chosen, and looks very approving as Sharpe walks away.
Una buena tunda - a damn good thrashing.
mas contento que unas pascuas - pleased as punch. Bit weird.
And by the end of the first episode - 1hr 40m - we have seen a lot of character development for Sharpe. He’s now 1st Lieutenant, he knows how to lead his men (a lot of which he got from Teresa), he’s shown he’s brave, cunning, and clever (worked out who Mrs Parker was) and never tries to hide where he came from.
And Harper is now almost on side.
ETA: Sean Bean has said that first scene he shot as Sharpe was a battle*. Which means that saving Sir Arthur wasn't the first scene he shot. Which means that he deliberately went back and changed the character for that scene, and again for the one where he gets his briefing from Wellesley.
*This is confirmed in Jason Salkey's book; he says Sean's first scene was in the battle of Talavera.