Sharpe's Challenge (2006) (TV)

Director:

Tom Clegg

Writers:

Bernard Cornwell (novels)
Russell Lewis (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 2007 (Russia)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | History | War

Plot:

Sean Bean is back as the swashbuckling hero in Sharpe's Challenge, an action packed mini-series to be shot on location in Rajasthan...

Plot Keywords:

India | Duke Of Wellington | British Army | British Empire | Flashback

Cast

Sean Bean	...	Richard Sharpe
Daragh O'Malley	...	Patrick Harper
Toby Stephens	...	William Dodd
Padma Lakshmi	...	Madhuvanthi
Aurélien Recoing	...	Gudin
Lucy Brown	...	Celia Burroughs
Michael Cochrane	...	General Sir Henry Simmerson
Alyy Khan	...	Mohan Singh
Peter-Hugo Daly	...	Sgt Shadrach Bickerstaff (as Peter Hugo-Daly)
Thierry Hancisse	...	Bonnet
Karan Panthaky	...	Khande Rao
Nicholas Blane	...	Crosby
Michael Elwyn	...	Sir Samuel Rawlinson
Diana Perez	...	Ramona Harper
Shruti Vyas	...	Lalima

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Hindi | French

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:15 | USA:TV-14 | Australia:MA | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Amber Fort, Amber, Rajasthan, India

Company:

Celtic Films Entertainment

Trivia:

Sergeant Bickerstaff is a creation based on the character of Mary Bickerstaff in the novel 'Sharpe's Tiger'. Mary is a half Indian, half white woman that is the love interest for Sharpe. She eventually marries a wealthy Indian noble at the end of the novel.

Quotes:

Richard Sharpe: What do you reckon then, Pat? This Khande Rao can be taken?
Patrick Harper: Well he has a reputation of being a real monster.
Mohan Singh: [comes up from behind a tent] If he is a monster, Mr. Harper, then he's one of British making.
Richard Sharpe: How's that, Captain?
Mohan Singh: The Company have only maintained the peace here, by keeping the princes at each other's throats. Khande Rao's father: he feared his neighbours more than he hated the British. And so it was your country that kept him supplied with arms.
Patrick Harper: That sounds just like the English: getting someone else to do its dirty work!
Mohan Singh: The son is not the father, however: Khande Rao wants you out of our country; once and for all. It is a view with which I cannot say I do not have some sympathy.
Richard Sharpe: So why are you fighting with us?
Mohan Singh: Khande Rao is... a sworn enemy of my blood. And that makes you my enemy's enemy, and therefore, a necessary evil. Good day to you
[inclines his head]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Follows Sharpe's Battle (1995) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Nightingale/The Banks of Red Roses

A welcome addition to the series.

When I first heard about this film I had just finished watching the somewhat disappointing region 1 DVD set published by BFSs. As a result my expectations were somewhat mixed. I had high expectations for the film itself, but figured on another poor PALCAM video translation to NTSC format. Fortunately this wasn't the case. :-) What's more is that the locations, actors, props, sets, and everything one could expect from a Sharpe production were staged and coordinated with great care. This was the kind of scale of production that is a TV producer's dream. The ability to shoot large scale action on location must have been a thrill. It took the expectant production values from the original Sharpe series, and kicked them up a notch higher.

There's been some complaint by Sharpe fans about the apparent cobbling of the original stories by Bernard Cornwall into what one might call a "ex-post-facto" revisit to where Sharpe started. The only drawback that I can see is the fact that Sean Bean is a little old to be playing his younger self in the opening scenes. I don't want to be nitpikcy, but that's partially the fault of makeup and partially the fault of the cinematographer for not trying to make Bean look a little younger. Ironically enough Bean looks younger in the making of featurette included on this disk than he does in the actual production. Probably due to a softer lens and lower level of information gathered by video.

The only thing missing from this latest installment of Shapre were some panoramic shots of the location. With all of the natural scenery available I'm surprised it wasn't taken more advantage of. Even so the film is rich with detail of all sorts. Definitely a high water mark in the Sharpe series.

The acting is on par for this series. It's not Oscar material, but right for a Sharpe adventure. Bean gives Sharpe a little more world weary demeanor. Sharpe is a soldier who's fought, and is not looking forward to the possibility of more battle. He's also domesticated, which reinforces his reluctance for the challenge presented to him. Other cast members deliver respectable performances, though Simerson's character wasn't as cold hearted and self centered as I recall from the previous films.

An unexpected plus was seeing corrected crisp footage from the previous films included in the making of featurette. Those clips showed that the original films, though shot on either 16mm or low grade 35mm film stock, provided more detail and richer colors than what is currently available from the North American BFS release. Kudos to the BBC for producing this film and providing this DVD.

My only real complaint is that the film is short. Compared to the other Sharpe films it may actually be a bit longer, but it looks like there was a lot of footage cut from the film.

Regardless, even though Sharpe is more mature and older, and acknowledges this as a character, he's still Sharpe, and keeps his zest for right and wrong when the moment of truth comes. Enjoy! :-)