Sword of Honour (2001) (TV)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Bill Anderson

Writers:

William Boyd (writer)
Evelyn Waugh (novel)

Release Date:

2 January 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Will Adamsdale	...	HOO headquarters officer
Nick Bartlett	...	Popforce soldier
Christopher Benjamin	...	Doctor
Jane Bertish	...	Mme Kanyi
Peter Blythe	...	Gen. Graves
Nicholas Boulton	...	Bertie
Monica Brady	...	Hotel receptionist
Tim Briggs	...	Sgt. Glass
Selina Cadell	...	Angela Crouchback
Rebecca Cardinale	...	Italian woman
Katrin Cartlidge	...	Julia Stitch
Simon Chandler	...	Maj. Irvine
Josh Cole	...	Sapper Capt. Beech
Richard Coyle	...	Trimmer McTavish
Daniel Craig	...	Guy Crouchback
Graham Crammond	...	Bellamy's barman
Abigail Cruttenden	...	Kerstie Kilbannock
Robert Daws	...	Maj. Hound
Megan Dodds	...	Virginia
Christoph Dostal	...	Blackshirt #1
Dan Fredenburgh	...	Radio operator
Pier Gardini	...	Blackshirt #2
Adam Godley	...	Apthorpe
Peter Gunn	...	Sgt. Tozer
Patrick Hannaway	...	Drill sergeant
Barry Harrison	...	Squad Sergeant
Guy Henry	...	Ludovic
William Hope	...	General Clayton
Richard Huw	...	Captain Fremantle
James Innes-Smith	...	Landslide Lieutenant (as James Innes Smith)
Sidney Kean	...	Capo blackshirt
Chris Lennard	...	Dakar Beach soldier
Joseph Long	...	Italian priest
Nick Lucas	...	Halberdier lecturer
Clunie Mackenzie	...	Mrs. Tickeridge
Stephen Mangan	...	Frank De Souza
Ivan Marevich	...	Bakic
Lloyd McGuire	...	Mugging victim (as Lloyd Maguire)
Sean McKenzie	...	Sgt. Smiley
Oliver Montgomery	...	Sergeant Woods
Euan Morton	...	Wounded Soldier
Ruaraidh Murray	...	Messenger
Richard Norton	...	Australian sergeant
Robert Paterson	...	Stratton concierge
Edward Petherbridge	...	Perigrin Crouchback
Leslie Phillips	...	Gervase Crouchback
Robert Pugh	...	Brig. Ritchie-Hook
Nick Reding	...	Squadron Leader Cape
Julian Rhind-Tutt	...	Ian Kilbannock
Serge Soric	...	Partisan General
Yuri Stepanov	...	Partisan Minister
Craig Stokes	...	Destroyer nurse
Malcolm Storry	...	Maj. Tickeridge
Geoffrey Streatfield	...	Eddie
Rafferty Tellett	...	Little Gervase
Rupert Vansittart	...	Commander-in-Chief
Mark Wakeling	...	Halberdier sergeant
Damian Warren	...	Australian Sergeant
James Weber-Brown	...	Tommy Blackhouse
Simon Williams	...	Maj. Sprat
Tom Wisdom	...	Ivor Claire

Runtime:

191 min (2 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Australia:M | UK:15

Company:

TalkBack Productions

Movie Connections:

Version of "Sword of Honour" (1967)

A Splendid Effort But...Read The Book

This is a splendid effort by all concerned, especially given the time constraint of about 200 minutes. As well as men and women are still marching off to war to save Western civilization, the movie has a contemporary message. The brevity of the movie, given that it tells a story, originally told in three novels goes against it. So much plot and many characters have been left out seriously compromising Waugh's comic vision. Waugh's original novels contain very amusing dialogue and much of the novels are just dialogue, the writer creating character out of what people say. Although the script used snippets of Waugh's dialogue,there is lots and lots unused. However, the script writers and all the people involved in the production did a masterful job of salvaging something of Waugh's original story. The other major flaw is in the casting of Daniel Craig as Guy Crouchback. Craig does not have the aristocratic presence to play Guy. His features, stature,and movement suggest a working class hero; he is great for contemporary characters where class is not an issue. But Waugh's works are all about class and Daniel Craigdoes not look the part of an aristocrat. He would be fine as a Lawrencian hero, Birket in Women in Love, for example. The rest of the casting is more or less spot on with some splendid choices of actors for Guy's father, Virginia, Ivor Claire, Ritchie-Hook,and Trimmer and everybody else. The book is both so much more outrageously funny and profound about life than the movie. Read the book but enjoy the movie,too; the chaps who made the film have obviously put on a good show in difficult circumstances. I am now going to reread the book for the umpteenth time. The movie inspires that.