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IMDbPro

The Charge of the Light Brigade

  • 1968
  • PG-13
  • 2h 19m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
3.7K
YOUR RATING
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
A chronicle of events that led to the British involvement in the Crimean War against Russia which led to the siege of Sevastopol and the fierce Battle of Balaclava which climaxed with the heroic, but near-disastrous calvary charge made by the British Light Brigade against a Russian artillery battery in a small valley. An error of judgement and rash planning by the inept British commanders resulted in the near-destruction of the brigade.
Play trailer3:16
1 Video
99+ Photos
DramaHistoryWar

In 1854, during the Crimean War, poor planning leads to the British Light Brigade openly charging a Russian artillery position with tragic consequences.In 1854, during the Crimean War, poor planning leads to the British Light Brigade openly charging a Russian artillery position with tragic consequences.In 1854, during the Crimean War, poor planning leads to the British Light Brigade openly charging a Russian artillery position with tragic consequences.

  • Director
    • Tony Richardson
  • Writers
    • Charles Wood
    • Cecil Woodham-Smith
    • John Osborne
  • Stars
    • Trevor Howard
    • Vanessa Redgrave
    • John Gielgud
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    3.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Tony Richardson
    • Writers
      • Charles Wood
      • Cecil Woodham-Smith
      • John Osborne
    • Stars
      • Trevor Howard
      • Vanessa Redgrave
      • John Gielgud
    • 68User reviews
    • 23Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 7 BAFTA Awards
      • 7 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 3:16
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos124

    Corin Redgrave chatting with his sister, Vanessa, as they wait to shoot a scene for the movie "The Charge of the Light Brigade"
    The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
    The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
    John Gielgud in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
    The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
    The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
    The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
    John Gielgud and Harry Andrews in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
    John Gielgud in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
    The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
    The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
    Trevor Howard and Harry Andrews in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Trevor Howard
    Trevor Howard
    • Lord Cardigan
    Vanessa Redgrave
    Vanessa Redgrave
    • Clarissa Morris
    John Gielgud
    John Gielgud
    • Lord Raglan
    Harry Andrews
    Harry Andrews
    • Lord Lucan
    Jill Bennett
    Jill Bennett
    • Mrs. Duberly
    David Hemmings
    David Hemmings
    • Capt. Lewis Nolan
    Ben Aris
    • Lt. Maxse
    Micky Baker
    • Trooper Metcalfe
    Peter Bowles
    Peter Bowles
    • Paymaster Capt. Duberly
    Leo Britt
    • Gen. Scarlett
    Mark Burns
    Mark Burns
    • Caplt. Morris
    John J. Carney
    John J. Carney
    • Trooper Mitchell
    • (as John Carney)
    Helen Cherry
    Helen Cherry
    • Lady Scarlett
    Christopher Chittell
    Christopher Chittell
    • Trooper
    Ambrose Coghill
    • Lt. Col. Douglas
    Howard Marion-Crawford
    Howard Marion-Crawford
    • Lt. Gen. Sir George Brown
    • (as Howard Marion Crawford)
    Christopher Cunningham
    • Farrier
    • (as Chris Cunningham)
    Mark Dignam
    Mark Dignam
    • Gen. Airey
    • Director
      • Tony Richardson
    • Writers
      • Charles Wood(screenplay)
      • Cecil Woodham-Smith(additional source material "The Reason Why")
      • John Osborne(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Filming was immensely problematic. Director Tony Richardson fired a stunt coordinator whose manic swordplay killed several horses. An earthquake destroyed the hotel used by the production. David Hemmings was extremely temperamental on-set. The crew and extras, many of whom were Turkish soldiers, fought verbally and physically with local villagers who resented their incursion into the area. Richardson's strange mixture of perfectionism and historical flippancy grated on both his crew and advisers. While filming the final battle, the soldiers were called away for a NATO war exercise, forcing Richardson to shoot the scene with only a few dozen stuntmen.
    • Goofs
      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: 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.

    • Crazy credits
      In the animation over the opening credits, the English lion roars just as "A Woodfall Film" appears onscreen (mimicking Leo the Lion at the start of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movies).
    • Alternate versions
      Although the cinema version was complete the 1993 UK video release was cut by 7 secs to edit footage of horse-falls. The 2008 Optimum DVD has the cuts length extended to 14 secs and features the 6 minutes shorter print as mentioned below.
    • Connections
      Featured in Otley (1969)
    • Soundtracks
      The Girl I Left Behind Me
      (uncredited)

      Traditional

      Arranged by Trevor L. Sharpe

      Heard before the Battle of the Alma

    User reviews68

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Stark anti-war film which does not quite bring its ideas to fruition
    Tony Richards was an ideas man, in some loose sense a lot like his contemporary 60s director Richard Lester. The two of them were mavericks, often eschewing traditional and reliable modes of film making in preference to trying out unchartered techniques - born out of nothing else but their own imaginations. Lester did this to achieve an original knockabout and racy product, and Richardson did it to achieve a more stark and poignant effect for the supposed thinking-man's 'swinging' audience of the time. However, not all these ideas worked well in practice. The Charge of the Light Brigade is an example of one of these misfires.

    The film is a classic piece of late sixties film making; both in the bizarre arty techniques used, and in the bold anti-war message. The idea of the film is to shamelessly point out the blind arrogance that lies behind the decisions made by those at the top to go to war. Arrogance, the film conveys very clearly, which is based purely upon blissful ignorance. The audience is invited to feast upon the bumbling Lord Raglan (John Gielgud), who nonchalantly sits at his desk in the war office and calls the shots based only on his devotion to England's great past, rather than on any rational thought. We meet, and are disgusted with, Lord Cardigan (Trevor Howard) whose arrogance is the driving force behind all he does. He believes that he is always right no matter what, simply because as the captain he is in charge. He's more concerned with what his men drink out of in the mess, and punishing them for their wrongdoings, rather than on running a well oiled military machine. To him, he is the most important part of that machine.

    In contrast to these men is Nolan (David Hemmings), an idealistic military man with 'principles'. He believes in good sound leadership and decision making, and as such is constantly at odds with the stuffy and arrogant attitudes of his superiors - they are always right and he should speak when he's spoken to, even if he has a valid idea. Note Lord Raglan's line: "It is a sad day for Britain when her officers know too much what they are doing." Nolan is the man trying to fight vainly against the ignorance-entrenched system.

    All this happens to the backdrop of Britain choosing to join in on a foreign war - to save Turkey from Russia. It is a war Engalnd should not have been involved in, but the arrogant big wigs made the decision to go. In true 60s anti-war style, the arrogance of those in charge of the war machine brings about its own destruction. Nolan was right, Raglan and Cardigan were wrong and didn't care to accept that, the light brigade was lost, and a blaming game ensues. While riding over the corpse of Nolan, Cardigan threw the blame on Lord Lucan, Lucan in turn threw the hot potato to Raglan, and Raglan laid the blame on the poor innocent man who wrote the order that Raglan himself dictated to him. As such, the pointlessness of war, and the destructive capability of blind ignorance based on an arrogance derived solely from power was brought forth clearly.

    However, the directing techniques to bring this powerfully stark message to life were not up to the task. Too many dreamy sequences were used which just distract the audience; the script was at times just downright boring; and too often, in the director's eagerness to achieve an arty effect, the powerful meaning of an entire scene was lost. It is one of those films that you really have to pay attention to and concentrate on the whole way through; and this isn't just because The Charge of the Light Brigade is a thinking-man's film, it is because the meaning of many of the scenes is hidden, shrouded behind quite a bit of self-indulgent (or imaginative) imagery. Too often Tony Richardson's 'ideas' simply confuse the audience.

    However, as I have said, the film does have a point to make, and this point is evident to all at the end of the film, no matter how many scenes were a little too cryptic. Therefore the film was successful. In addition, there were many great scenes, such as the one where Lord Raglan rides straight through a peaceful anti-war demonstration on his horse, destroying banners and calling the demonstrators traitors. The scene where the British soldiers were seen dying of heatstroke on the plains before even reaching Sebastopol was done well, especially when the scene cut straight to London, where it was reported in the newspapers, untruthfully, that Sebastopol had already fallen. This scene went straight for the jugular in its anti-propaganda and anti-government stance. And of course there is the brilliant period animation showing England as the saviour of the world, and the encourager of world industry and prosperity. These animations contrasted beautifully with the scenes of petty bickering and war-mongering in Lord Raglan's corridors of power.

    A great cast and a stark and powerful idea make The Charge of the Light Brigade an interesting film, and at least a good production. The film still rings through in todays international and political climate, and especially shows how not so far we have come, and how many mistakes we have not learned from since the 1960s, and even since the 1850s. However, a sharper script and clearer direction would have helped immeasurably, and would have probably transformed this film into a classic powerhouse, rather than the languishing near miss it is. 6/10
    helpful•41
    11
    • gus81
    • Mar 7, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 11, 1968 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • Juris lake konjice
    • Filming locations
      • Pecenek, Turkey(charge in the Valley of Death)
    • Production company
      • Woodfall Film Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $8,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      2 hours 19 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • 4-Track Stereo
      • 6-Track Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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