"Battle Magic at Waterloo" Topic

I have just watched the episode of the BBC's 'Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrel' which features Waterloo. It is only 5 minutes or so but begins with a zoom over the battlefield with the French cavalry attacking the allied squares and then zeros into what is obviously meant to be Hougoumont where Strange is helping the defence with water on fires and killer vines. It also features the break-in by L'Enfonceur and the fighting around that. Sure enough, the man himself is there with an axe and wearing the 1812 pattern leger uniform. Also, whereas in earlier episodes set in Spain the British were in stovepipe shakos, here they were in Belgics (which is more than Sharpe managed). Hougoumont itself was only an approximation but I was impressed with the CGI and the care taken to get it right. High marks for the BBC. Why cannot others especially in the cinema do so well?

Might be because it's a Brit series and all things Waterloo are flooding the TV / Net? They they have a set dresser who has a keen interest in the period? Whatever the reason, it does help with the suspension of belief.

It's been great fun and a lot of effort has gone into what have been only small parts of the series.

Only spotted two errors – in Spain the Royal Artillery men with red and white plumes (Costume Department only had infantry shakos I assume) and a bit where Wellington and his staff were eating a meal had what appeared to be a Sargent sitting at the table. Seemed a bit egalitarian for his lordship!