The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)

A major countermands orders and attacks to revenge a previous massacre of men, women and children.

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Alfred Lord Tennyson (poem), Michael Jacoby (story),

Stars:

Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Patric Knowles

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Errol Flynn	...	Major Geoffrey Vickers
Olivia de Havilland	...	Elsa Campbell (as Olivia De Havilland)
Patric Knowles	...	Captain Perry Vickers
Henry Stephenson	...	Sir Charles Macefield
Nigel Bruce	...	Sir Benjamin Warrenton
Donald Crisp	...	Colonel Campbell
David Niven	...	Captain James Randall
C. Henry Gordon	...	Surat Khan
G.P. Huntley	...	Major Jowett (as G.P. Huntley Jr.)
Robert Barrat	...	Count Igor Volonoff
Spring Byington	...	Lady Octavia Warrenton
E.E. Clive	...	Sir Humphrey Harcourt
J. Carrol Naish	...	Subahdar-Major Puran Singh (as J. Carroll Naish)
Walter Holbrook	...	Cornet Charles Barclay
Princess Baba	...	Prema's Mother (as Princess Baigum)

Storyline

Major Vickers is an officer at the 27th Lancers in India 1856. When the regiment is on maneuver, the barracks are attacked by Surat Khan and his soldiers who massacre British women and children. This leaves an inextinguishable memory and Vickers promises to revenge the dead.

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Plot Keywords:

lancer | india | attack | massacre | russia | 

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Taglines:

The reckless lancers sweep on and on - so that a woman's heart might not be broken! You're not fighting a single legion - you're fighting the entire British army, Surat Khan!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Carga da Brigada Ligeira

Filming Locations:

Agoura Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min 100 min (re-cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the filming of the charge sequence, a stuntman was killed when he fell off his horse and landed on a broken sword that was lying on the field where the charge was being shot, and was unfortunately wedged in such a position that its blade was sticking straight up.

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Goofs

When Vickers jumps off the ledge onto an attacker, the ground changes from sunny to shaded between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sir Humphrey Harcourt: How do you fellows manage to look so comfortably, Vickers?
Maj. Geoffrey Vickers: We may look it Sir, but we're not. They say the first 40 years are about the hottest up here on the frontier, after that you get used to it.
Sir Humphrey Harcourt: Really?

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Connections

Referenced in Boy Meets Girl (1938)

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Soundtracks

"God Save the Tsar"
(1833) (uncredited)
(Russian national anthem, 1833-1917)
Music by Alexis Lvov
In the score during the charge at Balaklava

User Reviews

It really was "Bring on the Empty Horses"

Director Michael Curtiz went all out in this 1936 version of "The Charge of the Light Brigade", and considering the era, he made a darn good job of it - sure, he threw history out of the window, and created a very fictitious story, but when it came to the actual Charge, it was a masterpiece of staging and direction. He was aided by that great pair

• Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland (lovely as usual!) who kept the

interest all the way through. The supporting cast was really star-studded, with Donald Crisp, Henry Stephenson, Nigel Bruce and Spring Byington, and in a very early role in his career, David Niven. If you had to pinpoint a weak link, it was Patric Knowles as Flynn's brother. But all that aside, it is a couple of hours of excitement and sheer entertainment while waiting for the Charge and what is going to happen to the nasty Surat Khan!! The remakes since, while having the benefits of far greater technical tools, falls way short of this epic.