The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

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

Release Date:

20 October 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance | War

Tagline:

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!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Massacre | India | Attack | Lancer | Henpecked Husband

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

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)
Charles Sedgwick	...	Cornet Lawrence Pearson
Scotty Beckett	...	Prema Singh
George Regas	...	Wazir
Helen Sanborn	...	Mrs. Jowett
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jimmy Aubrey	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Frank Baker	...	Officer (uncredited)
Dick Botiller	...	Native (uncredited)
David Cavendish	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Phyllis Coghlan	...	Woman at Ball (uncredited)
Charles Croker-King	...	Lord Cardigan (uncredited)
Jack Curtis	...	Sepoy (uncredited)
George David	...	Suristani (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Majordomo (uncredited)
Martin Garralaga	...	Panjari (uncredited)
Lumsden Hare	...	Colonel Woodward (uncredited)
Gordon Hart	...	Colonel Coventry (uncredited)
Ben Hendricks Jr.	...	Officer (uncredited)
Holmes Herbert	...	General O'Neill (uncredited)
Shep Houghton	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Brandon Hurst	...	Lord Raglan (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten	...	Officer (uncredited)
Boyd Irwin	...	General Dunbar (uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	Major Anderson (uncredited)
Crauford Kent	...	Captain Brown (uncredited)
Jon Kristen	...	Panjari (uncredited)
Frank Lackteen	...	Panjari (uncredited)
Wilfred Lucas	...	Captain (uncredited)
Lal Chand Mehra	...	Sepoy (uncredited)
Carlyle Moore Jr.	...	Junior Officer (uncredited)
Stephen Moritz	...	Sepoy (uncredited)
Georges Renavent	...	General Canrobert (uncredited)
Carlos San Martín	...	Court Interpreter (uncredited)
Harry Semels	...	Sepoy Chief (uncredited)
Reginald Sheffield	...	Bentham (uncredited)
R. Singh	...	Orderly (uncredited)
George Sorel	...	Surwan (uncredited)
Arthur Thalasso	...	Sepoy (uncredited)
David Thursby	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Michael Visaroff	...	Russian General (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Curtiz

Writing credits
Alfred Lord Tennyson		(poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade")
Michael Jacoby		(story) (as Michel Jacoby)
Michael Jacoby		(screenplay) (as Michel Jacoby) and
Rowland Leigh		(screenplay)

Produced by
Samuel Bischoff	....	associate producer (uncredited)
Hal B. Wallis	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Jack L. Warner	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Max Steiner

Cinematography by
Sol Polito		(photography by)

Film Editing by
George Amy

Art Direction by
John Hughes

Costume Design by
Milo Anderson		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Ray Romero	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Frank Mattison	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
B. Reeves Eason	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Frank Heath	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Jack Sullivan	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Fred Tyler	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Harper Goff	....	set designer (uncredited)
John More	....	props (uncredited)
Herbert Plews	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Harold Hanks	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Nathan Levinson	....	sound (uncredited)
C.A. Riggs	....	sound (uncredited)
Frank Weixel	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Dick H. Williams	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Fred Jackman	....	special photographic effects
Hans F. Koenekamp	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Frank Baker	....	stunts (uncredited)
Yakima Canutt	....	stunt double: Errol Flynn (uncredited)
Iron Eyes Cody	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Herbert Holcombe	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buddy Mason	....	stunt double: Errol Flynn (uncredited)
Leo J. McMahon	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Montgomery	....	stunts (uncredited)
Spike Spackman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom Steele	....	stunts (uncredited)
Don Turner	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buster Wiles	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Evans	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Frank Flanagan	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Al Green	....	second camera operator (uncredited)
Mac Julian	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Harold Noyes	....	grip (uncredited)
John Polito	....	second camera operator (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Lloyd Ward	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mary Dery	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Allan Taylor	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Henry West	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
R.H. Bassett	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Maurice De Packh	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Sam Harris	....	technical advisor: military drills and tactics (as Major Sam Harris Ret. A.L.H.)
Stanley Logan	....	dialogue director
E. Rochfort-John	....	technical advisor (as Captain E. Rochfort-John)
Frank Fox	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Irving Rapper	....	dialogue director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1936) (USA) (theatrical)
• Vitaphone Corporation, The (1936) (USA) (theatrical) (as The Vitaphone Corp'n)
• Dominant Pictures Corporation (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Western Costume Company  costumes (uncredited)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #2156) | Australia:G | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/12 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Agoura Hills, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The second of nine movies made together by Warner Brothers' romantic couple Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After the massacre, Flynn sympathetically listens to Major Singh crying over the body of his murdered son Prema who is clearly wiggling his toes in the foreground of the scene.

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?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995) (TV)

Soundtrack:

God Save the Tsar

Into the Valley of Death Rode the Six Hundred

The premise of this movie is based on the epic poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Historic inaccuracies abound but this isn't the History Channel, so what the hell. Enjoy it for what it is.....if you are an Anglophile, the poem and the film will bring a tear to eye.

Errol Flynn is dashing as the hero and is surrounded by a great cast. Especially good in support are C. Henry Gordon, Donald Crisp, Henry Stephenson and yes, even Patric Knowles. But make no mistake, Flynn is the star. The love triangle among Flynn, Olivia DeHavilland and Knowles is secondary to what everyone is waiting for.....the suicide charge on the Balaklava Heights.

And what a charge it is! Under the second unit direction of B. Reaves "Breezy" Eason, it is as realistic as any battle in modern movie making. It can be tough to watch, knowing that men and animals were injured or killed during its making. But if you can get by that, you'll be cheering the Light Brigade as they thunder forward with the Union Jack flying.

(It is said that this is the film in which director Michael Curtiz, the master of malaprops and non sequitars said "Bring on the empty horses".)

To quote Tennyson:

"Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of Hell

Rode the six hundred"

So watch this rousing film and throw aside any knowledge that you may have about the Crimean War or the abilities of Lords Lucan and Cardigan.....it doesn't count here....just enjoy!