The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) YTS

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 6 / 10

If you’re looking for Errol Flynn and David

If you’re looking for Errol Flynn and David Niven here, then you’ll be disappointed. Unlike the Hollywood version of the story from 1936, this one focuses far more on a critique on the command and control structures in the British Army at the start of the Crimean War. It’s principle target is Lord Cardigan (Trevor Howard) who is portrayed as an arrogant and frequently drunken sot without the skills to command himself much less others and one reeking with upper-class entitlement. Unfortunately for the young “Capt. Nolan” (David Hemmings), he manages to upset his commanding general and with a dishonourable discharge looming is praying for some sort of intervention. Rather drastically, that comes in the form of the war into which he is to be despatched. Under the overall command of Lord Raglan (Sir John Gielgud) the cavalry are to be led by Lord Lucan (Harry Andrews) with Cardigan in charge of the Light Cavalry. The Russians are entrenched above the vital port of Sebastopol and so with battle lines drawn, a perilous game of chess now ensues. That game is played with astonishing foolhardiness and bloody-mindedness by a group of men whose rank in society (an Earldom was usually most useful) dictated their qualifications to order the lives of thousands of private soldiers who were at best treated with disdain, at worst - well floggings were just one of the weapons available to these autocratic idiots. I suppose my difficulty with this was that once it had made it’s point - in no small measure thanks to an enthusiastic Howard - it proceeded to labour it, time and time again, to the point where it became a little bit sterile and preposterous. Could they really have been that ridiculous and inept? All of them? There is a bit of bawdy comedy now and again and that language of the gutter was not limited to those of street-rank, and that’s also the source of some of the more entertaining banter as it’s clear Lucan and Cardigan would cheerfully have slaughtered each other rather than their foes. It looks great and much effort has gone into keeping the costumes and locations authentic looking, but at well over two hours long and the vast majority of that reinforcing the politically established preamble, I struggled to remain engaged until the sharp end. Unfortunately, it’s not as if we don’t know what happens at the conclusion even if we’re not so up on our Tennyson.

Reviewed by rjm-geo 6 / 10

A Lost Opportunity

So much of the hard part of making a movie about the Crimean War and those who fought there they got right, it's a shame the film-makers couldn't nail the last 30%.The reenactment of Victorian society is impeccable. In dress, manner, and speech. The battle scenes, too, are remarkably faithful to the original locations and deployments, given the obvious limitations in budget and pre-CGI effects.The actors playing they major characters, Raglan (Gielgud), Lucan (Andrews), and Cardigan (Howard) all do an excellent job.And I actually likes the Punch-style animated cut scenes. There was, after all, no way they could show a fleet of several hundred war ships sailing into the Black Sea. Best not try.So, the problems:The charge, a comparatively minor screw-up book-ended by major Allied victories at the battles of the Alma and at Inkerman, was the result of a combination of small oversights, fog of war, and bad luck. So while there is a story to tell here there are no clear cut heroes except for the soldiers themselves, and certainly no villains.So, to make a movie, you can choose either to change history and make larger than life, cartoon characters based on the exaggerated media reports of the day, and the 1950's book which was something of a anti- Cardigan hit piece, ... or you can play it straight, say "this is what it was like" and try to relate the experience, the esprit-de-corps, and yes, the interpersonal tensions, as raw as possible from the top of the command chain to the bottom.This movie tries to have it both ways, it's cartoony but only for the intention of scoring cheap anti-war satire (all generals are imbeciles!), rather than to actually make the movie more enjoyable or engaging. When the war gets close and personal, it reverts back to just showing events... realistically, but with little or no emotional investment. The mechanics of the charge itself are done well, though.And then the movie just ends, way too suddenly.Now maybe, just maybe, Captain Nolan was supposed to be the "hero", the romantic sub-plot (distracting and totally irrelevant to the movie) seems to suggest it, but instead he just comes across as an impatient, vain, inexperienced know-it-all, a thin and unflattering caricature.So, worth watching, but in better hands it could have been so much more.

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The Charge of the Light Brigade

1968

Drama / History / War

The Charge of the Light Brigade

1968

Drama / History / War

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If you’re looking for Errol Flynn and David

A Lost Opportunity

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