Sharpe's Eagle (TV programme)

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Sharpe's Eagle
Based on Sharpe's Eagle
by Bernard Cornwell
Directed by Tom Clegg
Starring Sean Bean
Brian Cox
Daragh O'Malley
Assumpta Serna
Theme music composerDominic Muldowney
John Tams
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time100 minutes [1]
Original release
Network ITV
Release12 May 1993 (1993-05-12)
Related

Sharpe's Eagle is the second in the series of Sharpe historical war television dramas, based on the 1981 novel of the same name. Shown on ITV in 1993, the adaptation stars Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley and Assumpta Serna.

Contents

Plot summary

In 1809, Sir Arthur Wellesley, commander of the British forces in the Iberian Peninsula, prepares to invade French-controlled Spain. He orders Lieutenant Richard Sharpe and his band of "chosen men" to accompany the arrogant, incompetent, newly arrived Sir Henry Simmerson and his South Essex Regiment on a mission to destroy a bridge vital to French troop movements. Simmerson, his nephew Lieutenant Gibbons and Lieutenant Berry despise Sharpe for his low birth. However, Major Lennox, who knows Sharpe from their days in India, and American-born Captain Leroy appreciate his military expertise.

The bridge is taken without resistance and Sharpe's men start to place explosives. When Simmerson spots a small French patrol on the other side of the river, he orders Lennox to take a small detachment and drive them off. Lennox strenuously objects, but obeys the command. His fears are realised when a hidden French cavalry unit overruns the British; Lennox is fatally wounded and the King's colours are lost. Sharpe and his men go to the rescue, while Simmerson panics and orders the bridge to be blown up, even though some of his men are still on the other side. Afterwards, the dying Lennox asks Sharpe for a French Imperial Eagle to wash away the shame of losing the colours.

Wellesley promotes Sharpe to captain for his part in the skirmish, instead of Gibbons (though he cannot guarantee that Sharpe will be able to keep his new rank). Enraged, Simmerson tells Berry to dispose of Sharpe. Berry deliberately provokes Sharpe by abusing Countess Josefina, a woman Sharpe had rescued from Gibbons and taken under his protection. To forestall a duel, Wellesley orders a night patrol to be led by Sharpe and Berry. They run into the French; during the fighting, Berry shoots Sharpe from behind, but is killed by Harper before he can finish the job.

The next day, the Battle of Talavera is fought. Simmerson, seeing a French column approaching his position, flees. Sharpe steadies the South Essex, much improved by his training, and leaves them under the command of Leroy. They succeed in stopping the French attack. At just the right moment, Sharpe and his riflemen attack the wavering French soldiers in the flank, sending them into headlong retreat. Sharpe captures the unit's Eagle, making him famous throughout Britain and ensuring that he remains a captain.

Afterwards, Sharpe plants the Eagle on Lennox's grave. Simmerson is protected by his influential friends and escapes punishment. Meanwhile, Josefina finds a new protector in Captain Leroy.

Cast

It was David Troughton's second and last appearance as Sir Arthur Wellesley; due to illness, he was replaced by Hugh Fraser. Brian Cox would also leave the series after this film, due to poor working conditions in the Crimea. [2] He was replaced by Michael Byrne playing a different character. Paul Trussell's character of Isaiah Tongue does not appear in later episodes.

Differences from the novel

While both the novel and the film follow a similar plot, many of the characters and events are altered from the former, often in order to minimise production costs. An incomplete list follows:

Related Research Articles

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<i>Sharpes Peril</i> 2008 British television film

Sharpe's Peril is a 2008 British TV film, usually shown in two parts, which is part of an ITV series based on Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction novels about the English soldier Richard Sharpe during the Napoleonic Wars. Unlike most parts of the TV series, Sharpe's Peril and the preceding Sharpe's Challenge are not based on Cornwell's novels. Both are set in 1817, two years after Sharpe has retired as a farmer in Normandy, so chronologically they come after Sharpe's Assassin (1815) and before Sharpe's Devil (1820–1821). In Sharpe's Challenge and Sharpe's Peril, Sharpe and his comrade-in-arms, Patrick Harper, are called out of retirement and asked to go to India.

References

  1. ↑ "SHARPE - SHARPE'S EAGLE". British Board of Film Classification . Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  2. ↑ Programme end credits
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