The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)

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

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Alfred Lord Tennyson (poem), Michael Jacoby (original story) (as Michel Jacoby)

Stars:

Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Patric Knowles

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Errol Flynn	...	Maj. Geoffrey Vickers
Olivia de Havilland	...	Elsa Campbell (as Olivia De Havilland)
Patric Knowles	...	Capt. Perry Vickers
Henry Stephenson	...	Sir Charles Macefield
Nigel Bruce	...	Sir Benjamin Warrenton
Donald Crisp	...	Col. Campbell
David Niven	...	Capt. Randall
C. Henry Gordon	...	Surat Khan
G.P. Huntley	...	Maj. 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	...	Subadar-Major Puran Singh (as J. Carroll Naish)
Walter Holbrook	...	Cornet 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:

deception | lancer | attack | india | massacre | 

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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

The film was originally set entirely in India, but the Crimean War was added due to fears by Warner Brothers that the story was too similar to Paramount's The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935).

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Goofs

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.

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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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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: A convoy of British Lancers escorting Sir Humphrey Harcourt on an important diplomatic mission into Suristan.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version.

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Connections

Featured in The Trial of Lord Lucan (1994)

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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

Cannons All Around...

Michael Curtiz directed this fictionalized account of the real-life charge of the light brigade, based on the famous Sir Alfred Lord Tennyson poem. Errol Flynn stars as Major Vickers of the 27th Lancers in India circa 1856. He has been dealing with the local leader Surhat Kahn, who ends up attacking the regiment barracks, massacring the women & children stationed there, which causes Vickers to retaliate in kind, even though he has no such orders. Patrick Knowles plays his brother, a Captain stationed with him, and both men vie for the affections of Elsa Campbell(played by Olivia De Havilland). Rousing and well cast film is entertaining, but viewer should keep in mind how lopsided it is dramatically, and the horrific toll on the lives and safety it took in horses in its production.