Thoughts on the Sharpe series
Aug. 15th, 2006 01:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rusty_haloI just finished watching the Sharpe series. (Sorry, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
queenofthorns! I certainly wouldn't mind watching some of it again if you're still up for another Sharpe night.) What particularly struck me was the seemingly unrealistic buffoonery of so many of the officers that Sharpe is constantly clashing with. How could these people possibly stay alive--let alone maintain power--while being so utterly stupid?
And then I'd turn off the DVD player and watch The Daily Show, and realize that the world really hasn't changed very much.
(Speaking of The Daily Show, if Jon and Stephen don't stop this crossover stuff soon, I'm going to be forced to start reading Stewart/Colbert slash....)
My other thoughts on Sharpe:
* Sean Bean is ridiculously hot, and he plays wounded/righteous/tragic anger so beautifully
* Teresa was by far his best girlfriend
* Jane was incredibly irritating even before she betrayed him
* The true love story of the series was Sharpe/Harper
* The redshirt-of-the-week deaths are ridiculously predictable
* I like how completely fed up Sharpe was at the end by all the stupidity he kept witnessing (though I don't know how he managed to drum up such righteous outrage every single time some noble fool did some horrible new thing, seeing as you'd think he'd just start expecting it at some point).
* I thought the writing was really interesting; there was such a strange mix of really obvious and emotionally manipulative cliches together with some incredibly subtle and layered storytelling.
* Sharpe's Eagle was my favorite, while Sharpe's Gold was the worst.
Also, thank yougrrm for saying some stuff that really needed to be said. Now go write your book!
queenofthorns! I certainly wouldn't mind watching some of it again if you're still up for another Sharpe night.) What particularly struck me was the seemingly unrealistic buffoonery of so many of the officers that Sharpe is constantly clashing with. How could these people possibly stay alive--let alone maintain power--while being so utterly stupid?And then I'd turn off the DVD player and watch The Daily Show, and realize that the world really hasn't changed very much.
(Speaking of The Daily Show, if Jon and Stephen don't stop this crossover stuff soon, I'm going to be forced to start reading Stewart/Colbert slash....)
My other thoughts on Sharpe:
* Sean Bean is ridiculously hot, and he plays wounded/righteous/tragic anger so beautifully
* Teresa was by far his best girlfriend
* Jane was incredibly irritating even before she betrayed him
* The true love story of the series was Sharpe/Harper
* The redshirt-of-the-week deaths are ridiculously predictable
* I like how completely fed up Sharpe was at the end by all the stupidity he kept witnessing (though I don't know how he managed to drum up such righteous outrage every single time some noble fool did some horrible new thing, seeing as you'd think he'd just start expecting it at some point).
* I thought the writing was really interesting; there was such a strange mix of really obvious and emotionally manipulative cliches together with some incredibly subtle and layered storytelling.
* Sharpe's Eagle was my favorite, while Sharpe's Gold was the worst.
Also, thank you
grrm for saying some stuff that really needed to be said. Now go write your book!![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-15 06:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-15 08:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-15 09:26 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-15 06:46 pm (UTC)Heeeee! YES!!!!! Yes he does ...
Sharpe's Eagle was my favorite, while Sharpe's Gold was the worst.
No arguments AT ALL!!!
Now, when you say you've watched ALL the "Sharpe" series, does this include the new one set in India that just came out this spring? I got the DVDs from the UK, but haven't watched yet, so would LOVE to do that with you and jaydk (err, after I get back from my long September trip, though ;)) And maybe we could all watch "Eagle" together. I could watch that about 800 times (and probably have!)
GRRM needs to NOT read LJ comments - I was so horrified when he discovered them :P
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-15 07:46 pm (UTC)There's a "making of" that airs on 8/26.
As for GRRM - I know! WRITE THE BOOK!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-15 08:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-16 06:43 pm (UTC)And ... sigh ... yes, GRRM, WRITE THE BOOK!!!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-15 08:54 pm (UTC)I am totally up for an evening of watching that and Sharpe's Eagle. Let me know when you'll have time for it!
I know, I thought Martin had the comments off on purpose. Silly, silly man. I do NOT want the addictive nature of LiveJournal to cause another five year wait!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-16 03:33 am (UTC)I'm very afraid of how LJ is going to cut into Martin's work schedule... YIKES!!!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-15 07:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-15 08:50 pm (UTC)