The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)

Director:

Tony Richardson

Writer:

Charles Wood (writer)

Release Date:

11 October 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

"Theirs not to reason why..."

Plot:

A chronicle of events that led to the British involvement in the Crimean War against Russia and which...

Plot Keywords:

Crimean War | Anti War | Animated Title Sequence | Political Cartoon | Bare Chested Male

Awards:

Nominated for 6 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Trevor Howard	...	Lord Cardigan
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Mrs. Clarissa Morris
John Gielgud	...	Lord Raglan
Harry Andrews	...	Lord Lucan
Jill Bennett	...	Mrs. Fanny Duberly
David Hemmings	...	Capt. Louis Edward Nolan
Ben Aris	...	Capt. Fitz Maxse
Mickey Baker	...	Trooper Metcalfe (as Micky Baker)
Peter Bowles	...	Paymaster Capt. Henry Duberly
Leo Britt	...	Gen. Scarlett
Mark Burns	...	Capt. William Morris
John J. Carney	...	Trooper Mitchell (as John Carney)
Helen Cherry	...	Lady Scarlett
Chris Chittell	...	Trooper (as Christopher Chittel)
Ambrose Coghill	...	Lt. Col. Douglas

Runtime:

139 min | West Germany:112 min (theatrical version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo | 6-Track Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Anatolia, Turkey

Company:

Woodfall Film Productions

Trivia:

John Hallam's first film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the first battle, the British infantry's bayonets can be seen wriggling as the soldiers advance - showing that they are rubber rather than steel.

Quotes:

Lord Raglan: It will be a sad day for England when her armies are officered by men who know too well what they are doing- it smacks of murder.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

Superb period details

We have to wait nearly two hours for the eponymous event which climaxes this film. Prior to this we see a series of apparently unconnected episodes which give the viewer an insight into the workings of Victorian society, including anti-intellectuallism and idleness among the 'upper' classes, and brutality and theft among the 'scum' recruited in the slums.

While almost plot less this section of the film does follow a core of characters whose lives are connected by army service. The main character is Captain Louis Nolan, an idealistic professional in an army of amateurs. "England is looking well" he says in the first scene of the film. The irony is that the country that looks so good is a cruel and mismanaged place. Unlike his fellow officers, who have bought their posts, he has worked his way up the ranks of the Indian Army by merit. He despises them and they feel he isn't a 'gentleman'.

Nolan has very definite views on how war should be fought. Faced with the reality of battle and the inadequacies of the commanders (the senile Raglan and the childish Lucan and Cardigan) his impatience and temper have tragic consequences as he impetuously points the Light Brigade ("There, my Lord, is your enemy, there are your guns!") towards the bloody fiasco of which he is the first victim. The man who seems to know best makes the biggest blunder of all. Eye-witnesses said the hideous scream Nolan gave when he was hit stayed with them all their lives and the film re-creates it in a truly chilling way.

Although the film does reflect 1960's attitudes to war and politics (and I actually prefer these to the attitudes of the 21st Century) its setting is so perfectly realized that it hasn't dated as a '60s film'. In fact it seems better with the passage of time. If you can free yourself from the idea of a narrative history and give yourself up to a series of impressions which add new layers of understanding 'Charge of the Light Brigade' makes a fine historical film.