The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film)
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- This article is about the 1936 film . For the 1968 film, see The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968 film).
| The Charge of the Light Brigade | |
|---|---|
 Original Film poster |
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| Directed by | Michael Curtiz |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros |
| Release date(s) | 20 October 1936 |
| Running time | 115 min |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Charge of the Light Brigade is a 1936 historical film made by Warner Bros. It was directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Samuel Bischoff, with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer, from a screenplay by Michael Jacoby and Rowland Leigh, from a story by Michael Jacoby based on the poem The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson. The music score was by Max Steiner and the cinematography by Sol Polito.
The film starred Erroll Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. The story is very loosely based on the famous Charge of the Light Brigade that took place during the Crimean War (1853-56).
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[edit] Plot Synopsis
The film is set in 1854 in India, during the British Raj. Major Geoffrey Vickers (Errol Flynn) and his brother Captain Perry (Patric Knowles) are stationed at Chukoti (a fictional city) with the 27th Lancers in the British Army. Both love the same woman, Elsa (Olivia de Havilland). The regiment is having rough relations with a local tributary rajah, Surat Khan (C. Henry Gordon). Surat Khan eventually massacres the inhabitants of Chukoti, and allies with the Russians, whom the British are fighting in the Crimean War.
The love triangle and the quest for vengeance against Surat Khan is resolved at the Battle of Balaklava.
[edit] Cast
- Errol Flynn - Major Geoffrey Vickers
- Olivia de Havilland - Elsa Campbell
- Patric Knowles - Captain Perry Vickers
- C. Henry Gordon - Surat Khan
- David Niven - Captain James Randall
- Nigel Bruce - Sir Benjamin Warrington
- Spring Byington - Lady Warrington
- Donald Crisp - Colonel Campbell
- Henry Stephenson - Sir Charles Macefield
- G. P. Huntley - Major Jowett
- E. E. Clive - Sir Humphrey Harcourt
- Robert Barrat - Count Volonoff
- J. Carrol Naish - Singh
[edit] The Charge sequence
The film comes to a climax at the Battle of Balaklava, subject of Lord Tennyson's poem The Charge of the Light Brigade. The lancers charge into the valley and brave the Russian cannons, and many are killed. Text from Tennyson's poem is superimposed on the screen, coupled with Max Steiner's musical score.
Director Michael Curtiz, who did not have an excellent command of English, shouted "Bring On The Empty Horses", by which he meant "riderless horses". David Niven used this as the title of his autobiography.
The battlefield set was lined with trip wires to trip the cavalry horses. 200 horses were killed during filming, which forced U.S. Congress to ensure the safety of animals in motion pictures. The ASPCA banned trip wires from films as well.
One horseman was killed upon falling off his horse and landing on a sword lying on the battlefield.
[edit] Inaccuracies
The film originally featured the Siege of Cawnpore during the Sepoy Rebellion. When someone pointed out that the Sepoy Rebellion took place three years after the Battle of Balaklava, the name of Cawnpore was hastily changed to Chukoti, and the rebellion was turned into a fictional uprising led by the fictional Surat Khan.
The reason for the Charge of the Light Brigade - arguably the most famous military blunder ever - was shown in the film as being because the 27th Lancers changed the direction of the manoeuvre so as to invade the Russian camp to kill Surat Khan. It was actually as a result of a dispute between Lord Cardigan and Lord Raglan.
The Battle of Balaklava did not result in the fall of Sebastopol, as is erroneously stated in the film.
Surat Khan is the leader of the fictional country of Suristan. Suristan is in fact an ancient Persian name for Syria.
The Union Jack is being held upside down during the charge sequence.
[edit] Awards
Jack Sullivan won the Academy Award for Best Assistant Director for his work on the film, and the film was also nominated for the Academy Award for Sound and the Academy Award for Original Music Score.
