by Rifleman Moore
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Larger version of battlefield scene at right (slow: 116K)
Sharpe in Turkey
We made "Sharpe's Waterloo" on a Turkish Army training ground near Adapazari, about 100 miles east of Istanbul. Although not comparable to the open plains of the actual battle site, it gave us in one place several of the locations we needed to shoot the many scenes involving cavalry charges, infantry lines and artillery bombardments, and without a backdrop of empty spaces in which our limited budget couldn't fill with troops anyway. The ground was like concrete, it having rained with biblical ferocity for two days and then been baked hard by the terrific sun which was to plague us for the first five weeks of filming.
In between shooting scenes of mayhem and disorder amongst the infantry and cavalry, we muzzle-loaded our six cannons and fired them at some distant point on the horizon.
It was the first time we'd actually loaded them in the spirit of the original - some nervousness was experienced as the worms and wet sponges couldn't be located initially but we went ahead with what we had with care bearing in mind the horrible accidents I've witnessed in years gone by. The results were superb (in volume anyway) but the damn things wouldn't recoil - during the rain they'd sunk with their weight six inches into the earth and were now baked in hard! CUT! CUT! CUT!
Smoke and fire billowed out from "La Hougou-Sainte" (it looks like La Haye Sainte but some of the script action actually happened at Hougoumont in real life, so I gave it the nickname; see Military Modelling, December 1996) - in one day, the farmhouse and outbuildings crammed with over 250 soldiers, we put over four pounds of gunpowder through the large stock of muzzle-loaders we were using. This for us on past Sharpe's was a world record - I reorganised the armoury department this year to achieve a very high standard of efficiency faced with demands of this sort and the back-up to match.
The smoke machines were almost going into melt-down with overwork (rather like their operators too). The shell bursts (in addition to shattering the midden and covering everything and everybody with manure ) knocked holes in the real brick walls and set fire to the hay-barn and the pigeon loft, giving all (not already burned brown by the sun) a nice crisp coat of pork crackling, as the bucket brigade fell in almost straight out of the original painting of the KGL, hurling smelly water from the duck-pond over the blistering paint work. I used my shako as a bucket and regretted it later - the smell when it was dry was awesome! CUT! CUT! CUT!
The French Column appeared through the woods, trundling along in half-company column like the 9.15 from St Pancras, preceded by our voltigeurs - the poor devils elected as 'casualties' had nowhere to turn and could only fall over and get trampled by the following mob as they came under 'fire' from the defenders of the farmhouses and fell 'dead', getting up after the take covered in dust and footprints! CUT! CUT!
Cooler Scene
A prospective cooler scene was Bonaparte's Embarkation from Elba. Regrettably, on the day chosen the sea was running a terrific swell with two foot waves and us with a large launch with six rowers equipped with half-sized oars with miniature blades. Speaking as the coxswain on this occasion, I expected to make no progress at all when the time came (only straight down!) and once having got out there amongst the waves after a struggle, we couldn't very well get back again. Some skilful tiller work remedied the situation which almost resulted in Bonaparte going forth to conquer Davy Jones' locker instead. The chap playing Bonaparte retained his balance so skilfully some speculation was made as whether or not his boots were glued to the deck! C-U-UU-T!!
The other two episodes in 1997 are "Sharpe's Revenge" and "Sharpe's Justice" (filmed in Yorkshire in November 1996 using members of the ECWS as extras, and excellent they were too The weather once more played an ace as we were all snowed in suddenly on Ilkley Moor during filming and had to seek refuge in the Cow & Calf public house! "Sharpe's Return" is based on the best-selling novel by Bernard Cornwell, 'Sharpe's Waterloo' and is one of the three episodes that make up "Sharpe" Series Five which will be on T.V. around Easter 1997. This is probably the last of us you'll see (unless Sharpe goes off to India after publication of "Sharpe's Tiger").
Look out for Imperial Guard Grenadier Glaivet in the opening and closing scenes; fitted as he is with a false moustache. It is a peculiarity in film-making that I play him in the scene and someone else plays me, the elusive Rifleman Moore; who doesn't get filled with bullet holes and escapes with the Legion d'Honneur. To see how all this confusion transpires, watch the film and all will reveal itself (unless it all ends up on the cutting room floor). CHECK THE GATE!!!!
Inspiration
"Sharpe" over the years has inspired more than a few of you created a fresh interest in things Napoleonic (seen in the sudden influx of model figures, reprinted books, period screenplays, radio formats etc. etc.). It has brought pleasure to millions and spleen to about half a dozen. I've tried to bring history off the library bookshelf seen by the few and into the living rooms of the many and I tried my best to repay the past enjoyment I've had in twenty years of active membership with the NA - in the past I've been outspoken about the things I thought needed to be said because I believed in the things the NA used to stand for, and all my friends in it. I'd like to extend my best wishes to our many supporters, correspondents and visitors for their contributions over the past six years. 'Sharpe' couldn't have done it without You, and I hope you've enjoyed the result.
"Meeting My Waterloo"
On a wet and windy day in February at Waterloo, I met Sean Bean to say the 'unofficial' goodbye to five years on 'Sharpe'. On the ferry crossing over, we discussed Waterloo; the battle, and its place in history - particularly modern-day history. The 25 year prologue to the Act One passed around a beer and a smoke; the three days preceding the battle - acts Two and Three - were dealt with over dinner that night, in the "Hotel Le 1815" on the battlefield 'cross-roads'. Outside the wind howled and the rain bucketed down - proper 1815 weather....
Hougoumont - muddy and windswept. Here we began as the battle did, tracing the first French assaults and the breach of the north gate (we have a similar event in the T.V. episode). A glance down the covered way; and over to the French monument in the orchard. A quiet word over the soldiers' grave, a coin or two in the bowl in the chapel - and another fond farewell.
La Haye Sainte - the owners have always been very generous in allowing me inside, and I was never more grateful today. This time, a very personal visit; the factual hot-spot around which much of the fictional T.V. episode is based. We traced real bullet scars with our fingers; walked where the sand-pit once was; broke out through the house passage; and walked back up to Wellington's tree.
Looking back over the fields then in the approaching sunset, Sean and I shook hands on it. It has become a very personal thing and a long road, and a long story too - the battles are over, the future remains to be seen.
But in that moment, the three of us met my Waterloo.
("Sharpe's Waterloo" will be screened on May 14th; the 'Real Waterloo' Trip will be featured in BBC Radio Times that week).
This article is dedicated to "Manny" - rest in Peace now, old friend - we did it.
Letter to Editor Response: FE#35
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The ghost of La Haye Sainte giggled the night away. Ever since the bomb went off in the midden and released (according to our mullah-men) the djinns and evil spirits it contained apertaining to the Teachings of the Prophet in the Holy Q'Ran, paranormal events had occurred at the place which meant even our shotgun-toting security men kept a very wide berth at night. Meanings and chain-rattlings, strange lights and creaking windows and a glimpsed hooded figure ... they were so scared it never occurred to them to try shooting at this manifestation - just as well, or you might never have been reading this!
Andrew Mollo, our Production Designer, drew up the first plans of the building, to be used as a set during the filming of "Sharpe's Waterloo", from the enclosure I sent him from a feature in 'Military Modelling' magazine dated October 1982. Because of the vagaries of film-making, we had to re-orientate the layout to suit, as the awkward sun 'was in the wrong place'. The finished article looked very well (as readers of the December issue of Mil Mod will have seen) and became very photogenic when garrisoned with green jackets and redcoats - and very wrecked at the end of the shoot.
We were very lucky in our recruits, nearly 1000 of them... this year they were almost the finest I'd ever worked with on "Sharpe". Never ask our extras to 'knuckle down' or accept army disciplines - too many come from backgrounds of recent social upheaval or civil strife - they have enough of that in daily life in countries that don't have too good a record of human rights. I lead them; I live with them, I establish friendly relations with them, I show them how to get the best from themselves and their weapons and stay alert and in one piece. I answer their questions and I show them what's important. I fetch water for them when they are thirsty, I eat with them and I look after their welfare; it takes a long time and much hard work... but we become One, and it shows and becomes very important when the pressure is on : and they look to me when they need support or advice. We don't have any accidents, we have fun after efficiency, and we do it all together.
"Will you tell those Curious-assers to sit still and shut up?" (the word was cuirassiers but it never seemed to catch on, and I never imagined there was so many ways of pronouncing it on a film set, all of them incorrect).
"L'Enforceur", the Smasher - Valera, an enormous Russian stuntman - left a trail of destruction in his wake with the felling axe some well-meaning person gave him to practice with - he sort of just left a Pioneer-shaped hole in whatever he came across such enthusiasm - you ducked or you died! After the first rehearsal, he was given a replacement wooden axe by 'Props,' good actors being hard to replace.
After ten hours of hot, sweaty, energy-draining work, we had almost reached the point where the Old Guard was to Recule. The sun was going down fast, and we had three shots to do. My lips and those of the chaps around me were cracked and sore from the sun, no water, and the bloody dust. The bearskins acted as incubators, cooking your brains. We had to raise enough Spit and Fire to look like Bonaparte's imperial Guard attacking to win the battle - boy, it was hard. We all just wanted to lie down (not permitted as the uniforms got scruffy) and go to sleep we were so shagged out. Nobody hit on the idea of stacking up a crate of cold beer and asking us to charge that! That would have got a result! Maybe the course of history would've been changed ... CUT! CUT!
My Special Thanks to: The Durkin Family, The 9th Foot, Dr Christopher Perko, Sarah B Juniper, The 21eme Infanterie de Ligne, The 68th Display Team, 'First Empire' magazine, The 12th Light Dragoons, 3 RGJ, Military Modelling, The 95th Rifles of Waterloo, X troop, X Sqdn., SAS Regmt.
Goodbye, everybody.
Next day, the hotel staff had disappeared and we were left alone. An improvised breakfast (not of stirabout, but scrambled eggs and coffee, and whatever else was in the hotel kitchen fridge) was devoured as the skies cleared - as the doors were locked we left by a window. A good start - it couldn't have been planned better; very period - humbugged, By God!