Charge of the Light Brigadeby Anonymous
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July 27, 2004:
Tony Richardson's 1968 satire of Victorian imperialism set during the Crimean War of 1854-1855. A clever film with subtle humor that is very rich in covering the details of Victorian society such as clothing, mannerisms, class structure, institutions, etc. Although it has somewhat of an uneven plot with strange editing, this film is very well acted with beautiful cinematography. The film is primarily a satirical tragedy as opposed to being an action-drama typical of your standard war films such as 'Saving Private Ryan' for example. The film therefore focuses primarily on the characters' development within their social ranks, how they interact with each other, and what effect their interactions have on society or on them collectively. The film primarily focuses on the character of Captain Lewis Edward Nolan of the 15th Hussars, a historical character who was a veteran of the wars in India. Nolan was on very bad terms with his commander, Lord Cardigan (Howard), a boorish man with little concern for his men. Captain Nolan is also best friends with Mr. Richardson (Mark Burns) and, unfortunately, more than best friends with Mrs. Richardson(Vanessa Redgrave.) Both Nolan and Richardson are longing to see some action with their cavalry regiment and their wishes are soon fulfilled when war breaks out with Russia. Under the command of Earl Lucan and Cardigan (who both hate each other immensely), they are shipped off to the Crimea to join the French and the Turks against the Russians. Again, the title of the film is somewhat deceptive as the legendary charge of the light brigade takes but last 15 minutes of the 2 hour film. Interestingly engough, the duration of the film battle sequence is about the same length as the actual charge: less than 20 minutes. The film is pretty accurate as to the battle but omits the details of the first engagements that took place on October 25, 1854, at the battle of Balaklava. The film does show how the ill prepared British and allied forces were driven back from the Causeway Heights by the Russians and how their canons were taken. The film also shows how Lord Raglan (John Gielgud) issued a rather ambiguous order to recouperate the 'Russian guns' without saying which ones. As such, the Light Brigade headed directly through the valley towards the furthest Russian gun emplacements to the East as opposed to charging East and then immediately South towards the Causeway Heights. This meant an extended charge through a valley in which the enemy commanded three sides with artillery, infantry, and cavalry contingents. Although the brigade succeeded in dislodging the artillery and routing the Russian cavalry, their numbers were too few to take advantage of the charge. Starting with approximately 600 men, they returned with only about 200 men. Despite the blunder, their mad charge was undertaken with such order and discipline that they instilled a general paranoia of the British cavalry among the Russians throughout the rest of the war. In sum, this film is primarily a social and political satire on Victorian England and, one would probably have more of an appreciation for this film if one is familiar with the social and political norms of that period. This is not a war film per se as most of the plot unfolds in the peaceful and stuffy surroundings of Victorian London. I agree with the other reviewers that the animated political cartoons are a little overdone. The humor in this film being so subtle, the...
Charge of the Light Brigadeby Anonymous
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August 12, 2003:
Just watched the extremely well updated version of this movie on DVD with superb color and sound. Much better than the original movie or VHS Video. Be sure to read Lord Alfred Tennyson's poem on this subject.
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