Sharpe: ITV Series - The Complete Classic Collection + DVD Exclusive Special Features Including Shooting Legend (8 Disc Box Set) [DVD]

all 14 of the televised episodes are put together in this boxed-set which follows Sharpe & his band of men through the peninsular war & onto waterloo.Each episode is loosly based upon the books by Bernard Cornwell, & although they have been 'downsized' for television, (regiments being portrayed by a handful of men etc)they still manage to draw you into the plot. There are a few inconsistencies between the books & the screenplays (Cornwell's Sharpe is a londoner whereas Bean's Sharpe is from yorkshire, yet in Sharpe's Regiment he also claims to have London roots) OK, so i'm nit-picking a bit, however these minor points in no way detract from the excellent storylines or the presentation.The stories follow Sharpe on his quest to rise through the ranks and later for his revenge against his cheating wife. This usually involves a mission that only Sharpe & his band of men can complete, which of course they do, although not without the occasional casualty, which goes to show that no-one is indestructible, except of course, the gallant Sharpe! So, with the mission complete, the damsel saved (including the likes of Liz Hurley & Abigail Cruttenden) Sharpe makes it back to Wellington in time for tea & medals. Sean Bean is an excellent choice to portray Sharpe with his arrogance & hatred towards his fellow officers who hold their ranks & titles through financial means rather than the abilities that are shown by Sharpe on the battlefield, a comparison to todays forces perhaps???All that is missing is a Miss Moneypenny & some fancy gadgets, then we would have a 200 year old 007! Thoroughly recommended for anyone wether you have read the books or not. Congratulations to Bean et al.The boxed set itself contains 14 discs in a 7 box set.Each disc has a single episode, a photo gallery showing screen shots from the episode that runs like a powerpoint brief & gives a quick synopsis of the film. There is also a section of 'Sharpe Facts' containing such things as the weaponry used, some of the battles & other historical facts. There are also tokens to receive a further disc.Unfortunately my original set contained 4 faulty discs out of 14, but i am sure this is an exception rather than the rule.

Top series back in the day. Watched time and time again now

The complete series of Richard Sharpe and his men is fantastic.Bare in mind that the series didnt have a large budget to work with compared to big Hollywood movies but everyone involved has done a sterling job.The series is compelling viewing and Sean Bean and fellow cast members are superb and you follow there exploits right up till the Battle of Waterloo Unfortunately to truly enjoy the series you will need to get the whole set consisting of 15 DVDS but well worth it and I would say well worth the value for quality viewing.Sean Bean is one of my favourite actors and no matter what hes in you are guaranteed quality acting which is a great attribute to the calibre of the man.If you like historial viewing The Sharpe series is a absolute must,action,romance,battles,great scenery.Treat yourself you will really enjoy this excellent collection.New footnote as of 29th Jan 2010.A further two additions of new adventures is now available.Sharpes Peril and Sharpes Challenge both movies set in India and must say both highly enjoyable,the adventures are a continuation for Sharpe after Waterloo and am pleased to say format has stuck to the original series so you wont be dissapointed,so now you will have to get all 17 dvds to complete the collection;WWWWhhhhhooooops'Well worth the loot and superb entertainment.Hope review is of some help.

All good here, bought for brother in law who can’t get outside so much.

I started reading the Sharpe novels by Bernard Cornwall back in the 80s; and I introduced my mother to these books. When they turned them into the TV films, I was a bit worried that this would spoil them, but that was from the case.Sean Bean makes a superb Richard Sharpe; he has made the role his own. Equally Daragh O'Malley is a brilliant Patrick Harper. The films were shot on location in eastern Europe, but the landscape is not too dissimilar to what would have been the real Spain or Portugal of the early 1800s.If I were to criticise, they didn't have the budget for the number of extras that would have been required to be entirely faithful to the books; in many cases, the books refer to a company, but the film shows a squad of men. Similarly the regiment of around 800 is portrayed by about 80!In all, ths is a good set of stories. The box set includes an extra DVD which is supposed to be the memoires of one of Sharpe's men and contains clips from the other films. It doesn't include the 2 later films that were set in India after the Peninsular War, as these were made several years after the boxed set came out.

Great value for money

I have read all of Bernard Cornwell's 'Sharpe' books available so far and find this DVD set is as accurate as can be in reducing a book onto a feature length film.Yes, some artistic licence appears, but not to the detriment of the story line in the book. However I am mystified by 'Sharpe's Mission', was it between Talavera and Almeida or after Almeida? There isn't book covering this event! And 'Sharpe's Justice', supposedly in 1814 when Richard was (by the books) settling into a pleasant life in Normandy with Lucille, so why is he back in England?However, they are still good stories in the 'Sharpe' tradition. I am a bit biassed, since I spent 22 years in the British Army (1963 to 1985) and had the chance to 'play' with Peninsula War weapons during that time. Thank goodness the 'Sharpe' cartridge is now self-contained, slide it in. fire it and replace! Yes, I got powder burns! But good fun!My only complaint is that the boxed set is not compiled in the chronological order of events in the Peninsular War. I have now labelled mine in the correct time sequence, but come on Carlton, do make some effort to keep us 'Sharpe' fans happy!Overall, out of 5 stars, my recommendation is 4+ stars. I love it.

It's region 2 so you will need one.Enjoying the series so far.

have no complaints about this Series excellent and worth the wait and the cost --but--without the JINHOD all regions dvd player i could not have watched this series --other than that excellent series --rating 5 star

Have you ever been distressed about that really cute actor only appearing for the glimpse of the moment on screen (Ronin, Henry VIII, Lord of the Ring)? - no matter how couragous or powerfull the appearance - or how much credit given to this man, wondering why he never stars in the leading role?(Richard) Sharpe is the ultimate collection for any fan of Sean Bean - next to his really stunning piece of acting and vocal skills (you learn to love this Sheffield accent - though the subtitles sometimes help to really understand what he's saying), you learn a lot about the english-french war in the time of "Boney" (Napoleon Bonaparte).It leaves just one question: "When are we going to see more?"Buy it - you'll love it!

My husband and I have been fans of Sharpe since first finding him decades ago on PBS. We made the video tapes, we transcribed them to CDs and even got our Library's copies. Those Sharpe films were great but the colors were washed out (heat of a Spanish summer perhaps).When I saw the reasonably priced set remastered, I took a chance. Brilliant move on my part.The colors are so much more vibrant and the details, even the uniform details are wonderous. The real kicker is that the closed captioning opens a whole additional level of appreciation. We feel as if we've watched a whole new and improved version. Which it is, for us.Yes, its' for Region 2. So we 'splurged' and bought another DVD player from Amazon and it works like a dream. It's made me order two additional series from Great Britain, which aren't available in Region 1, and the shipping and handling is half the price that US sellers put on theirs.For the closed captioning, you've just got to get this series. For the sharper colors, that's just a really wonderful langniappe.

Loved it !!