Le Rouge et le Noir is a novel by Stendhal. It's been adapted numerous times for the screen , but I particularly remember the BBC version from the early 90s. The central character Julien Sorel gets a commission in the French Army. The uniform was especially good. It probably had a large influence on how Nikolai Dante eventually looked. Have men ever gone to their deaths dressed more flamboyantly than this? The central role was rather demurely played by Ewan McGregor and his love interest was played by Rachel Weisz ( she made a bigger impression on me at the time...cough )
