The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)

Director:

Tony Richardson

Writer:

Charles Wood (writer)
(more)

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 | Battle | Siege | Attack | Discipline

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
Howard Marion-Crawford	...	Lt. Gen. Sir George Brown
Christopher Cunningham	...	Farrier (as Chris Cunningham)
Mark Dignam	...	Gen. Airey
Michael Dillon	...	Dying Highlander
Alan Dobie	...	Riding Master Mogg
Georges Douking	...	Marshall St. Arnaud
Clive Endersby	...	Trooper
Andrew Faulds	...	Quaker preacher
Derek Fuke	...	Trooper
Willoughby Goddard	...	Squire
Derek Gray	...	Officer
Richard Graydon	...	Lord Bingham
John Hallam	...	Officer
Ian Hanson	...	Singing trooper
Barbara Hicks	...	Mrs. Duberly's maid
Rachel Kempson	...	Mrs. Codrington
T.P. McKenna	...	William Russel
Michael Miller	...	Maj. Gen. Sir John Campbell
Declan Mulholland	...	Farrier
Roger Mutton	...	Cornet Codrington
Valerie Newman	...	Mrs. Mitchell
Roy Pattison	...	Regimental Sergeant Major
Corin Redgrave	...	Capt. Featherstonhaugh
Norman Rossington	...	S.M. Corbett
Dino Shafeek	...	Indian servant
John Trenaman	...	Sgt. Maj. Smith
Colin Vancao	...	Capt. Charteris
Donald Wolfit	...	Macbeth in 'Macbeth'
Peter Woodthorpe	...	Valet
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harry Fielder	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Margaret Flint	...	(uncredited)
Laurence Harvey	...	Russian Prince (uncredited)
James Payne	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Joely Richardson	...	Extra (uncredited)
Natasha Richardson	...	Flower girl at wedding (uncredited)

Directed by
Tony Richardson

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Osborne		uncredited
Charles Wood		writer

Produced by
Neil Hartley	....	producer

Original Music by
John Addison

Cinematography by
David Watkin

Film Editing by
Kevin Brownlow
Hugh Raggett

Art Direction by
Edward Marshall

Costume Design by
David Walker

Production Management
Julian Mackintosh	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Clive Reed	....	assistant director

Art Department
Richard Rambaut	....	draughtsman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Kevin Connor	....	sound editor
Gerry Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer
Simon Kaye	....	sound

Special Effects by
Robert MacDonald	....	special effects
A. Paul Pollard	....	special effects
Peter Hutchinson	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Stunts
Richard Graydon	....	stunt coordinator
John Landis	....	stunt performer
Nosher Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan McCabe	....	camera operator
Bernie Prentice	....	gaffer (as Bernard Prentice)

Animation Department
Ted Gerald	....	animation unit
Roy Jackson	....	animation unit
Errol Le Cain	....	animation unit
Pat Savage	....	animation unit (as Patrick Savage)
Richard Williams	....	titles and animation

Editorial Department
Sarah Ellis	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Michael Moores	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Angela Allen	....	continuity
Lynne Courtemanche	....	nurse
Geoff Freeman	....	unit publicist
Bob Simmons	....	action sequences by

Production Companies

• Woodfall Film Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1979) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Krause & Schneider Multimedia (KSM) (2012) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Lee Lighting  lighting
• Twickenham Film Studios  sound recording

Also Known As:

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:

Laurence Harvey had planned to make a film about the charge, even to the extent of bidding for the original Light Brigade bugle when it appeared for auction in 1964. As part of a settlement with Woodfall Films, he was cast as a Russian prince in the film but his part was cut out completely. He can, however, briefly be seen in the theatre audience sitting near Trevor Howard as the crowd shouts out, "Black bottle."

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The character called Featherstonehaugh (played by Corin Redgrave) has his name pronounced more or less as it is written, with four syllables. An upper-class Englishman of the mid-19th century (or, indeed, today) would pronounce it "Fanshawe".

Quotes:

Lord Raglan:Young ladies should concern themselves with what is pretty. England is pretty... babies are pretty... some table linen can be very pretty...

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Prince Albert's March

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.