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Sword Of Honour [DVD] [2001]
 
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Sword Of Honour [DVD] [2001]

DVD ~ Will Adamsdale
2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Will Adamsdale, Nick Bartlett, Christopher Benjamin, Jane Bertish, Peter Blythe
  • Directors: Bill Anderson
  • Writers: Evelyn Waugh, William Boyd
  • Producers: Gillian McNeill, John Chapman, Peter Fincham, Ronaldo Vasconcellos
  • Format: Anamorphic, PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Cinema Club
  • DVD Release Date: 14 April 2003
  • Run Time: 191 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000056IGA
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 57,964 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
War is hell, but it can bring out the best in the unlikeliest of men. Sword of Honour, a splendid British miniseries, is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Evelyn Waugh. Waugh's alter ego in the film, Guy Crouchback, played with gravitas, fortitude, and a wee bit of vulnerability by a pre-James Bond Daniel Craig, joins the World War II effort as an older soldier because he feels a pure calling to fight evil. And fight he does, though the realities of war and army life are ultimately revealed to him in all their venality and haphazardness. The film sweeps across Europe, from pre-war England--where life for the upper crust is all crisp linen, martinis, and a fierce denial of the notion that the British Empire is, in fact, doomed--to Capt. Crouchback's missions in Vichy France, an utterly destroyed Crete, Egypt, and more. All the while, Crouchback fights his own demons along with the Nazis; his alluring ex-wife, Virginia (played with sultry sensuality by the American actress Megan Dodds, so memorable in the British series MI-5), to whom Crouchback is undeniably still drawn. The action and production values are topnotch, as is the ensemble cast. But the key is Craig, whose world-weary demeanor only barely masks the needs of a soldier--and a man--who is all too human. His performance is soul-stirring, and even those who think they aren't war-film fans will be captivated by the layered storytelling here. Extras include cast filmographies and a biography of Waugh. --A.T. Hurley

Special Features
Aspect ratio: 16:9 anamorphic
Soundtrack: English, stereo

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
2.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Well acted and imaginatively adapted.., 19 May 2004
By A Customer
Anyone who tries to adapt any novel for film or television is going to have to make some sacrifices and changes in order to make their version worth watching. In this sense William Boyd does an excellent job cutting down peripheral characters and storylines. What we are left with is a story about heroism, very different heroes, against a backdrop of the imcompetence on a grand scale of the British army of 1939-1945. Perhaps most vividly some excellent dramatisations of the evacuation of Crete, an often forgotten episode of the war.

Crouchback, the main character, begins the story idealistic at the prospect of conflict, though not in a jingoistic sense, rather Crouchback hopes the war will provide a chance to prove himself on a personal level. He is inspired by Ivor Clare, a dashing guardsman who is awarded the Military Cross at Dunkirk, although he is not all he seems. Trimmer, an oppourtunistic idler, is certainly not a hero, though is seized upon by the propaganda machine as an honest British peoples hero, and his image is cultivated in the press. Finally Ricthie Hook, is certainly brave enough to be a hero but comes accross as ultimately a tragic figure, only good for the business of soldiering.

The character of Apthorpe is very different to the Apthorpe in the book, yet is exceptionally played and provides much of the stories black humour. Naval experts may notice the Royal Navy type 22 frigate, probably launched late 1970's early 1980's used in one scene, but this is only minor - one for the ship spotters! I disagree with the other reviewer, i feel the atmosphere of wartime London was evoked quite well, and anyway only a few scenes are set in England, so I don't consider this especially important.

All in all worth a look

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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A well-woven story of faith and war., 3 Jan 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Sword Of Honour [2001] [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I have watched this on British TV Channel 4. The story is of a man with a firm catholic faith who is something of a minor war hero yet sees everyone else getting the credit. The perfomance by Daniel Craig is excellent in weaving his personal dramas, loves, losses and tregedies against the background of the second world war. This film fits into the cataory that the British do so well,of period dramas - well cast, well acted and well worth seeing.
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21 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars WARNING! do not purchase this item!, 15 April 2005
The Sword of Honour trilogy is a masterpiece and regarded by many well-educated pundits as the best and most important novels to come out of the Second World War. I love the books and read them every couple of years.
This mini-series, however, is appalingly bland. Whoever adapted it does not appear to have grasped the concept of irony, and has thus come to regard this hilarious, bitter, cynical magnum opus as a sort of Catherine Cookson with long words and the odd funny character thrown in.
If you are not familiar with Evelyn Waugh then the likelihood is that you will be put off becoming familiar with him. If you have read the books in advance, then you will be infuriated by the way the characters and story have been changed for no apparent reason. If you want an Evelyn Waugh film there are some very good ones to be had. the TV series of Brideshead Revisited is wonderful. There is also an excellent film from the 80s of A Handful of Dust with Kristin Scott Thomas and Rupert Graves.
The only thing that interests me about this film is my attempts to decide which i hate with more passion - this or Bright Young Things.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad
Any attempt to condense the Sword of Honour trilogy into one lengthy film (although I think it was shown originally as a two-parter?) was bound to be flawed. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mr. J. P. Shields

1.0 out of 5 stars Sword of Honour DVD
The essential point about Evelyn Waugh and his hero Guy Crouchback is that they presented an austere, forbidding persona. Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2003 by Hadders

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