"FLASHMAN AT THE CHARGE" (1973) Book Review

 

"FLASHMAN AT THE CHARGE" (1973) Book Review

Serving as the fourth entry in George MacDonald Fraser’s The Flashman Papers, this 1973 novel continued the story of Harry Flashman, a character previously from the 1857 novel, "Tom Brown’s Schooldays" and now a British Army officer in Fraser’s novels. This particular novel, "FLASHMAN AT THE CHARGE", recalled Flashman’s experiences during the Crimean War (1854-1856) and Imperial Russia’s expansion into Central Asia.

One could say that "FLASHMAN AT THE CHARGE" could almost serve as a prequel to Fraser’s 1975 novel about the Sepoy Rebellion, "FLASHMAN IN THE GREAT GAME". Almost. But it seemed quite obvious to me that the latter is a sequel to the 1973 novel. At least two supporting characters from this novel reappeared in "FLASHMAN IN THE GREAT GAME". And the theme of Imperial Russia’s attempts to wrestle control of India from Great Britain in the 1975 novel, began in this novel.

The 1973 novel began with Harry Flashman enjoying the London social scene with his beautiful wife, Elspeth. With Great Britain on the brink of war against Russia on Turkey’s behalf, the cowardly Flashman believed that the only way to avoid combat was to have his Uncle Bindley secure him a post with the Board of Ordinance – the British Army’s armory. However, Flashman’s luck failed to hold (not surprisingly) and his meeting with the young German prince, William of Celle (a relation of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert) led him to become a staff galloper for Lord Raglan, the British Army’s Commander-in-Chief. The new position drew Harry against his will into the chaos of the Crimean War and in becoming a participant of one of history’s most infamous cavalry engagements – the Charge of the Light Brigade. This famous military action also led him to becoming a prisoner-of-war at the estate of a Cossack nobleman named Count Pencherjevsky

At Count Pencherjevsky’s estate, Starkosk, Flashman has a reunion with a former Rugby schoolmate, Harry "Scud" East. After the two English prisoners learned of Russia’s plans to invade India and kick the British out, they decided to make their escape following a serf uprising at Starkosk. Unfortunately for Flashman, a sleigh accident led to his recapture by the Russians and a political officer named Count Nicholas Ignitieff. Flashy’s incarceration at Fort Raim led him to an acquaintance with two famous Muslim freedom fighters from the state of Kokodad, Yakub Beg and Issat Kutebar. Luck finally caught up with Flashman, when he and his two new acquaintances are rescued by Yakub Beg’s mistress, Ko Dali’s daughter, and a band of Kokodans. Following the rescue, Harry participated in one last action against the Russians against his will . . . so to speak.

I must admit that "FLASHMAN AT THE CHARGE" turned out to be a well-structured and well-written novel. Unless I am mistaken, the novel was written into three parts – the London prelude, Flashman’s Crimean War experiences that included his time as a prisoner-of-war at the Starkosk estate, and finally his incarceration at Fort Raim and experiences with the Kokadans. Fraser began the novel on a strong note and finished it in a similar manner. My only sole complaint centered on Flashman’s journey to Starkosk and his time at the estate. In short, it seemed to me that the sequence threatened to bog down the pace. I suspect that Fraser’s in-depth look into Imperial Russian serfdom during this sequence is responsible. As much as I found it interesting, I also wondered if Fraser got caught up in his subject, which would seem ironic considering his failure to explore American slavery in the 1971 novel, "FLASH FOR FREEDOM!". As much as I had enjoyed Flashman’s time spent with Count Pencherjevsky and his family on the Starkosk estate, no one felt more relieved than me when he and "Scud" East finally escaped, thanks to a serf uprising. I had become rather weary of Flashman’s period as a prisoner-of-war.

Despite some of my problems with the novel, I cannot deny that "FLASHMAN AT THE CHARGE" is a well-written novel. Fraser did an excellent job in recapturing London during the early and mid 1850s and Great Britain’s pro-war mood on the cusp of the Crimean War. He also expertly drew readers into the world of the British Army during the first months of the war. His description of the Army caps and hospitals at Alma just before the Battle of Balaclava literally had me cringing in my seat a bit:

"So the siege was laid, the French and ourselves sitting down on the muddy, rain-sodden gullied plateau before Sevastopol, the dismalest place on earth, with no proper quarters but a few poor huts and tents, and everything to be carted up from Balaclava on the coast eight miles away. Soon the camp, and the road to it, was a stinking quagmire; everyone looked and felt filthy, the rations were poor, the work of preparing the siege was cruel hard (for the men, anyway), and all the bounce there had been in the army after Alma evaporated in the dank, feverish rain by day and the biting cold by night. Soon half of us were lousy, as some wags said, who’d holiday at Brighton if he could come to sunny Sevastopol instead?"

Another memorable passage featured Flashman’s participation in the Light Brigade Charge. Fraser did a superb job in describing not only the Battle of Balaclava, but particularly the Light Brigade Charge. I found his description of the famous military charge filled with heady action, chaos and terror – especially from Flashman’s point-of-view:

"I had only a moment to look back – my mare was galloping like a thing demented, as I steadied, there was Cardigan, waving his sabre and standing in his stirrups; the guns were only a hundred yards away, almost hiddenin a great billowing bank of smoke, a bank which kept glaring red as though some Lucifer were opening furnace doors deep inside it. There was no turning, no holding back, and even in that deafening thunder I could hear the sudden chorus of yells behind me as the torn remnant of the Light Brigade gathered itself for the final mad charge into the battery. I dug my heels, yelling nonsense and brandishing my sabre, shot into the smoke with one final rip from my bowels and a prayer that my gallant little mare wouldn’t career headlong into a gun-muzzle, staggered at the fearful concussion of a gun exploding within a yard of me – and then we were through, into the open space behind the guns, leaping the limbers and ammunition boxes with the Russians scattering to let us through, and Cardigan a bare two yards away, reining his beast back almost on its haunches."

However, one of my favorite chapters in the novel featured Flashman and the Kokordans’ attempts to destroy the Russian gunboats filled with weapons to be used against the Kokordans and the invasion of India. Before this battle took place, Ko Dali’s daughter drugged the cowardly officer with hashish (bhang) in order to force him to overcome his fear for the operation. The scene of the cowardly Flashy acting like George Armstrong Custer on crack struck me as one of the funniest passages in the entire series:

"God, what a chaos it was! I was galloping like a dervish at Kutebar’s heels, roaring 'Hark forrard! Ha-ha, you bloody foreigners, Flashy’s here!', careering through the narrow spaces between the sheds, with the muskets banging off to our left, startled sleepers crying out, and everyone yelling like be-damned. As we burst headlong onto the last stretch of open beach, and swerved past the landward end of the pier, some stout Russian was bawling and letting fly with a pistol; I left off singing 'Rule, Britannia' to take a shot at him, but missed, and there ahead someone was waving a torch and calling, and suddenly there were dark figures all around us, clutching at our bridles, almost pulling us from the saddles towards a big go-down on the north side of the pier."

George MacDonald Fraser did take historical liberties with one particular character – the novel’s main villain, Count Nicholas Ignatieff. The author described the Russian character in the following manner:

"And as our eyes met through the cigarette smoke I thought, hollo, this is another of those momentous encounters. You didn’t have to look at this chap twice to remember him forever. It was the eyes, as it so often is – I thought in that moment of Bismarck, and Charity Spring, and Akbar Khan; it had been the eyes with them, too. But this fellow’s were different from anything yet: one was blue, but the other had a divided iris, half-blue, half-brown, and the oddly fascinating effect of this was that you didn’t know where to look, but kept shifting from one to the other.

For the rest, he had a gingerish, curling hair and square, masterful face that was no way impaired by a badly-broken nose. He looked tough, and immensely self-assured; it was in his glance, in the abrupt way he moved, in the slant of the long cigarette between his fingers, in the rakish tilt of his peaked cap, in the immaculate white tunic of the Imperial Guards. He was the kind who knew exactly what was what, where everything was, and precisely who was who – especially himself. He was probably a devil with women, admired by his superiors, hated by his rivals, and abjectly feared by his subordinates. One word summed him up: bastard."

The above passage described Flashman’s opinion of Ignatieff during their first meeting on the road to Starkosk. They met for the second time, when Flashman and "Scud" East overheard Ignatieff, Czar Nicholas I and other Russian officials discuss plans to invade India during a secret meeting at Starkosk. And their third and final encounter happened after Flashman was recaptured, following his escape from Starkosk and attempt to reach the British lines on the Crimean peninsula. It was Ignatieff who tossed Flashman into the prison at Fort Raim. From what I have read, the real Ignatieff had never been quite the villain as portrayed in "FLASHMAN AT THE CHARGE". Fraser even admitted that he had taken liberties with the character in order to provide the novel with a main villain. Mind you, I believe he could have done that a lot easier with a fictional character. Why he had decided to take a historical figure and change his character in order to make him an effective villain is beyond me.

After reading "FLASHMAN AT THE CHARGE", it is easy to see why it remains very popular with many fans of Fraser’s novels. It is a well written comic-adventure tale filled with interesting characters – fictional and historical. The novel also featured two very unique passages, namely the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade and the usually cowardly Flashman behaving in a brave and aggressive man during a major battle. "FLASHMAN AT THE CHARGE" also happened to be one of those rare Flashman novels that began and ended on a strong note. Not only does it remain popular with many Flashman fans, but I also personally consider it to be one of Fraser’s better works.

"VANITY FAIR" (2004) Photo Gallery

 

Below is a gallery featuring photos from the 2004 version of William Makepeace Thackeray's epic novel, "VANITY FAIR". Directed by Mira Nair, the movie starred Reese Witherspoon:

"VANITY FAIR" (2004) Photo Gallery

"BLEAK HOUSE" (1959) Review

 

"BLEAK HOUSE" (1959) Review

I never thought a trip to Great Britain would reveal the existence of many television adaptations of certain Victorian novels. But it did. I took a trip to Europe and discover that the BBC had produced older television adaptations of famous novels - including those written by Charles Dickens.

One of the adaptations I had stumbled across was the 1959 version of Dickens' 1852-1853 novel, "Bleak House". First aired in eleven 30-minute episodes, I had been forced to binge watch the entire miniseries at a friend's house due to a time constraint. Eric Tayler, known for his work with the BBC in Great Britain and the ABC in New Zealand, served as the producer. And Constance Cox, who had a reputation for adapting classic literature for the stage and television, had served as the screenwriter for the five-and-a-half hours production. How did they do?

Before I offer my opinion of the miniseries, allow me to provide a recap of this adaptation of Dickens' story. "BLEAK HOUSE" centered around Jarndyce and Jarndyce, a long-running legal case in the Court of Chancery, due a testator having written several conflicting wills. Among the characters directly affected by Jarndyce and Jarndyce are:

*John Jarndyce - a beneficiary of the case, and benevolent landowner and owner of the Bleak House estate
*Richard Castrone - one of Mr. Jarndyce's wards and another beneficiary
*Ada Clare - Mr. Jarndyce's other ward and another beneficiary
*Esther Sommerson - Mr. Jarndyce's third ward, whom he hired to serve as his housekeeper and Ada's companion
*Honoria, Lady Dedlock - the wife of baronet Sir Leicester Dedlock, another beneficiary and Esther's illegitimate mother

Although the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case directly affect some, other characters - like Esther - are indirectly affected by the case:

*Sir Leicester Dedlock- wealthy baronet and Lady Dedlock's husband
*Mr. Tulkinghorn - Sir Leicester's solicitor, who becomes aware of Lady Dedlock's past, due to her reaction to the affidavit
*Nemo aka James Hawdon - a former British Army officer, Esther's illegitimate father and law writer, whose penmanship of a Jarndyce and Jarndyce affidavit alerts his presence to his former lover, Lady Dedlock
*Jo - a poor young street sweeper whom Nemo had befriended
*Miss Flyte - an elderly woman, whose family had been destroyed by a long-running Chancery case similar to Jarndyce v Jarndyce, and who befriends Mr. Jarndyce's wards
*Krook - a rag and bottle merchant and collector of papers, who is also Miss Flyte and Nemo's landlord

Although Mr. Jarndyce remained unconcerned with the case, Richard develops an obsession over it, an act that leads to his estrangement from his guardian. This estrangement leave both Esther and Ada caught between the pair. Lady Dedlock seemed more concern with the identity of the man who had been hired to write the Jarndyce and Jarndyce affidavit. Her concern is noticed by Mr. Tulkinghorn, who becomes obsessed with connecting the two in an effort to protect Sir Leicester's good name. His search for Nemo's identity and Lady Dedlock's secret end up affecting other characters.

I had expected to dislike this version of "BLEAK HOUSE" . . . or merely express contempt for it. To my surprise, I found myself impressed. Granted, I believe it had its share of flaws, which I will eventually discussed. But overall, "BLEAK HOUSE" proved to be more than a solid adaptation of Dickens' novel. Thanks to Constance Cox's screenplay and the group of directors, the eleven-part miniseries moved at a steady pace that kept me alert and interested in the story. And although Bryan Langley's camera work lacked the artistry and sweep of the two adaptations that followed, I thought he managed to provide some artistic touches in the productions, especially those moments featuring Esther, Richard and Ada's arrival at Bleak House, Esther and Inspector's Bucket's search for the missing Lady Dedlock later in the series, the miniseries' final shot and especially the murder of a major character around the end of the ninth episode. What I find interesting is that many of these "artistic" touches had occurred near the end of an episode.

I noticed that this version of Dickens' novel had removed several supporting characters from the adaptation. Those missing included Mr. Jarndyce's old friend, Lawrence Boythorn; the Jellyby and Turveydrop families; the former servant of Esther's aunt, Mrs. Chadband and her minister husband; Rosa, Lady Dedlock's second maid; Watt Rouncewell, Rosa's intended; and Robert Rouncewell, Watt's industrialist father and the older son of the Dedlocks' housekeeper. This led screenwriter Constance Cox to create another excuse for Lady Dedlock to dismiss her French maid, Madam Hortense. I cannot help but wonder if this was an attempt to portray Lady Dedlock's treatment of her personal servants in a more positive light. There were characters whose roles had been reduced by Cox and producer Eric Tayler. Among them were George Rouncewell's right-hand man, Phil Squod; the memorable, yet malignant moneylender, Joshua Smallweed; and his granddaughter Judy Smallweed. Because of this reduction of Smallweed's character, Lady Dedlock needed another reason to flee Chesney Wold, other than blackmail and the threat of exposure. The elimination of one particular character nearly left a hole in the production - namely Harold Skimpole, the selfish and amoral friend of Mr. Jarndyce, with his penchant for sponging from others.

The lack of Mr. Skimpole proved to be a problem for me. Without his presence, I found Richard Carstone's gradual interest in the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case, his growing hostility toward Mr. Jarndyce and his hiring of the greedy Chancery lawyer, Mr. Vholes, less easy to accept. Correct me if I am wrong, but it seemed to me Skimpole had played a major influence in Richard's growing obsession with the Jarndyce case. Without his presence in this production, there were times when Richard's arc seemed rushed. But I had a few more issues with "BLEAK HOUSE", but not as severe as the one surrounding the Skimpole character. The miniseries had failed to explain Miss Flyte's whereabouts, during her landlord Mr. Krook's moment of spontaneous combustion. Where was she? The old lady had already moved to other lodgings in the novel. And in the two adaptations following this one, she had encountered law clerk William Guppy outside of Krook's shop, while returning home. Granted, this adaptation proved to be more faithful regarding the circumstances of Krook's death with the addition of the Tony Jobling character. I just wish it had explained Miss Flyte's whereabouts.

I do have some complaints regarding the production's casting, but I will get to that later. Some have pointed out that this adaptation lacked the sweeping visuals of the 1985 and 2005 versions. I cannot deny this. But this "BLEAK HOUSE" was a television production from the late 1950s. It seemed unrealistic to expect the miniseries to possess the same visual sweeps from the two adaptations that followed. With the exception of the mid-19th century hairstyle worn by actress Elizabeth Shepherd, the other major female cast members had their hair (or wigs) swept into late 1950s beehives. If that was not enough, I also had some issues with the women's costumes. Dickens' novel had been published between 1852 and 1853. The costume designs for the 1985 and 2005 adaptations had reflected this time period. But I had noticed that the women's costume designs for the 1959 adaptation reflected a later period - between the late 1850s and early 1860s - when women's skirts were more wider, due to the innovation of the cage crinoline petticoat in 1856. Had it been the intention of producer Eric Tayler to set this adaptation during the later years of the 1850s?

With the exception of one or two actors, I did not have a problem with the performances featured in "BLEAK HOUSE". I certainly had no problems from the likes of Elizabeth Shepherd, John Phillips, Jerome Willis, Angela Crow, William Mervyn, Wilford Brambell, Richard Pearson, Michael Aldridge, Gerald Cross, Eileen Draycott, Leslie French and Annette Carrell. I especially have to commend Shepherd, Phillips, Aldridge and Carrell for being standouts among the supporting cast. The only reason I could not regard John Phillips' portrayal of the lawyer Mr. Tulkinghorn as among the best of the series is that although I found his performance rather intimidating at times, I thought he had lacked the high level of menace and spite that both Peter Vaughn and Charles Dance had managed to infuse into their portrayals.

There were performances that I found questionable. David Horne's portrayal of the aristocratic Sir Leicester Dedlock struck me as a bit too theatrical or hammy - especially during the miniseries' last two episodes. Terence Soall's performance as the moneylender Mr. Smallweed seemed not only a ghost of Dickens' original character. The malice and sharp temper seemed to be missing in Soall's interpretation of the character, leaving the actor's Mr. Smallweed to be nothing more than a man who resorted to passive-aggressive sniveling to get through life. And to my surprise, I believe he was only featured in one or two episodes. I finally come to Malcolm Knight, who portrayed the impoverished street-crossing sweeper, Jo. I am not claiming that he gave a bad performance. If I must be honest, the actor had given his all to inject as much pathos as possible into the role. But . . . if I must be honest, at the age of 23 or 24 years old, Knight had been too old to portrayed the 10-to-12 years-old Jo. No amount of pathos in his performance could overcome this issue.

For me, the outstanding performances came from six cast members. Although Cox's transcript did not touch upon Esther's bouts insecurity - a product of the emotional abuse she had endured, while being raised by her aunt - I thought Diana Fairfax did an excellent job of conveying Esther's sometime frantic need to be liked. Andrew Cruickshank was equally superb as the warm-hearted landowner, Mr. John Jarndyce, who seemed torn between his efforts to protect his charges and his anguish over Richard's unfounded hostility toward him. I also noticed that both Fairfax and Cruickshank had generated a very strong screen chemistry - which would be repeated by those who had portrayed Esther and Mr. Jarndyce in future adaptations. All of the actors I have seen portray the young Richard Carstones had been first-rate. But I believe Colin Jearvons gave the best portrayal of the fleckless but good-natured ward, transformed over time by the character's growing obsession with the Jarndyce case and his own resentment toward Mr. Jarndyce's disappointment in his failure to find a profession. Ironically, Jeavons had appeared in six Dickens adaptations, including two adaptations of "Great Expectations" and two of "Bleak House". Iris Russell did a first-rate job in infusing a good deal of pathos into the Honoria, Lady Dedlock role without resorting to any hammy acting. This especially seemed to be the case in the one scene in which Lady Dedlock revealed herself as Esther's mother to the latter. I believe Miss Flyte must be one of those roles that prove very difficult not to indulge in theatrical acting. Fortunately for this production, Nora Nicholson had been cast in the role of Miss Flyte, the elderly and eccentric woman who had developed an obsessive in other Chancery cases like Jarndyce and Jarndyce, following the destruction of her own family over a similar case. Nicholson managed to keep her performance under control, while conveying Miss Flyte's eccentric nature. Finally, Timothy Bateson really impressed me in his portrayal of the ambitious, yet very funny law clerk, William Guppy, who worked for Mr. Jarndyce's solicitor. I have to say . . . that man had possessed a superb comic timing that not only suited the character very well., but should have been the envy of many comic actors.

I am not going to pretend that "BLEAK HOUSE" should have been faithful to Dickens' novel. That would have been an impossibility for any television or movie production. Some of the changes made by the screenwriter failed to harm the miniseries. But there were a few changes - namely the exclusion of the Harold Skimpole character - that struck me as minor mistakes. However, I thought Constance Cox did a first-rate job in adapting Dickens' novel. And those who had directed the eleven episodes did an excellent job in maintaining the production's pace and also the narrative's continuity. I believe their work had been ably supported by a first-rate cast led by Diana Fairfax, Andrew Cruickshank, Colin Jeavons and Elizabeth Shepherd. I would gladly watch this miniseries again. Unfortunately, it is currently unavailable in the U.S. and I do not see myself in paying for another trip to the U.K. just to watch it. Hmmmm . . . pity.

Favorite Episodes of "STAR TREK DEEP SPACE NINE" Season Three (1994-1995)

 

Below is a list of my favorite episodes from Season Three of "STAR TREK DEEP SPACE NINE". Created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller; the series starred Avery Brooks as Commander Benjamin Siesko:

FAVORITE EPISODES OF "STAR TREK DEEP SPACE NINE" SEASON THREE (1994-1995)

1. (3.26) "The Adversary" - The Federation's Ambassador Krajensky informs newly promoted Captain Benjamin Sisko that there has been a coup on Tzenketh. During the journey to Tzenketh, Sisko and the crew discover that a Changeling from the Dominion may be hiding aboard and sabotaging Deep Space Nine's only ship, the U.S.S. Defiant. Lawrence Pressman guest starred.

2. (3.09) "The Defiant" - Commander William Riker of the U.S.S. Enterprise shows up unannounced and the station's second-in-command, Major Kira Nerys shows him the Defiant, where he reveals his true motives for coming to Deep Space Nine. Jonathan Frakes and Tricia O'Neil guest starred.

3. (3.21) "The Die is Cast" - Former Cardassian spy-turned-tailor Elim Garak reluctantly tortures Odo for information to prove his loyalty to his former mentor, Enabran Tain, as a joint Tal Shiar/Obsidian Order attack on the Founders in the Omarian Nebula is underway, without Starfleet's involvement. Paul Dooley and Leland Orser guest starred.

4. (3.11-3.12) "Past Tense" - A transporter accident sends Sisko, Dr. Julian Bashir, and Lieutenant Jadzia Dax back to Earth's dark past in the 21st century, a time just before the Bell riots, a violent civil disturbance in opposition to Sanctuaries which are controlled ghettos for the dispossessed. Bill Smitrovitch, Jim Metzler and Clint Howard guest starred.

5. (3.19) "Through the Looking Glass" - Sisko is kidnapped and forced to impersonate his deceased mirror universe counterpart in order to convince Jennifer Sisko to defect to the Terran Rebellion. Felecia M. Bell and Tim Russ guest starred.

Honorable Mention: (3.24) "Shakaar" - Vedek Kai Winn, who has become a political leader on Bajor, needs Kira to convince the former resistance leader Shakaar, now a farmer, to return soil reclamators needed elsewhere in Rakantha, which used to be Bajor's most productive agricultural region. Duncan Regehr and William Lucking guest starred.