The success of "Lives of a Bengal Lancer" starring Gary Cooper from 1935 led to a vogue in America for adventure films set in the British Empire. "The Charge of the Light Brigade" from the following year was one of these. Although it was made by an American studio, Warner Bros., and was shot entirely in California, there is not a single American character and most of the leading actors were British (or, in the case of Errol Flynn, Australian).
The film may take its title from an incident during the Crimean War, but for about three quarters of its length the action is set in British-ruled India. There are two strands to the plot. The first concerns a love triangle involving the main character, Captain Geoffrey Vickers, an officer with the 27th Lancers, and his brother, Perry, both of whom are in love with the same woman, Elsa Campbell. The second concerns the attempts by a treacherous Indian princeling, Surat Khan, to foment a rebellion against British rule; it culminates in the massacre by Surat Khan's men of the British troops and loyal Indian sepoys holding Chukoti, a remote frontier outpost, along with the civilians in the fort.
When the action eventually moves to the Crimea, Vickers discovers that Surat Khan, having fled India, has allied himself with the Russians. In order to avenge the massacre, he takes it upon himself to alter the wording of an order from the British commander Lord Raglan. As altered by Vickers, the order commands the Light Brigade, of which his regiment forms part, to attack the Russian positions where Surat Khan is known to be. The result is the famous Charge.
The Charge of the Light Brigade was of course an immense tactical blunder which led to the unnecessary deaths of many British soldiers, and historians have long debated exactly why it took place. (The main cause appears to have been an ambiguous order issued by Raglan to the cavalry commander Lord Lucan). The explanation given in this film, however is pure fiction; both Vickers and Surat Khan are fictitious characters. The scriptwriters' original idea was to have Vickers lead the charge to avenge the Cawnpore Massacre during the Indian Mutiny; upon being informed that the Mutiny did not take place until after the Crimean War was over, they rewrote the script to invent the "Chukoti Massacre".
Despite the historical absurdities, and despite too much time being taken up with the Geoffrey/Perry/Elsa triangle, this is actually a pretty exciting adventure film. (I will not compare it with the 1968 remake, which I have not seen for many years). Flynn had a limited range as an actor, but within that range he could be very good, and he is very good here as the dashing Vickers. The attack on Chukoti is a spectacular action sequence, and the depiction of the Charge even more so.
The Charge scene, however can leave a nasty taste in the mouth when one knows the story behind it. In the 1930s animal welfare was not a prime consideration on film sets, and tripwires were used to bring down the charging horses. As a result 25 horses were killed. Flynn, a keen horseman and animal lover, was outraged, and he and director Michael Curtiz came close to blows. (This incident, however, did not prevent them from working together; they were to make several more films, including "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "Dodge City"). The one good thing that came of it is that the public shared Flynn's outrage and this led to Congress passing legislation to ensure the safety of animals used in films. It is, however, this nasty taste which prevents me from awarding a higher mark. 7/10
Some goofs. The opening titles state that The Charge of the Light Brigade took place in 1856. It took place on 25th October 1854. The hunting sequence involving Surat Khan and Vickers is described as a "tiger hunt", but the animals we see are leopards, not tigers. Raglan's order, as originally worded, orders the Light Brigade to withdraw "three kilometres", but Britain did not use the metric system in 1854 (or, for that matter, in 1936).
Not a goof. Some have claimed that the words "Quis superabit?" used in the opening titles are an error for "Quis separabit?" (Latin for "Who shall separate them?"), the motto of several British regiments, especially those with an Ulster connection. "Quis superabit?" ("Who shall excel them?") is, however, a perfectly good Latin phrase, and there is no reason why the scriptwriters should not have used it as the motto of the 27th Lancers, a fictitious regiment. (Or at least they were fictitious in 1936. A real regiment of this name was raised several years later during the war).
The film may take its title from an incident during the Crimean War, but for about three quarters of its length the action is set in British-ruled India. There are two strands to the plot. The first concerns a love triangle involving the main character, Captain Geoffrey Vickers, an officer with the 27th Lancers, and his brother, Perry, both of whom are in love with the same woman, Elsa Campbell. The second concerns the attempts by a treacherous Indian princeling, Surat Khan, to foment a rebellion against British rule; it culminates in the massacre by Surat Khan's men of the British troops and loyal Indian sepoys holding Chukoti, a remote frontier outpost, along with the civilians in the fort.
When the action eventually moves to the Crimea, Vickers discovers that Surat Khan, having fled India, has allied himself with the Russians. In order to avenge the massacre, he takes it upon himself to alter the wording of an order from the British commander Lord Raglan. As altered by Vickers, the order commands the Light Brigade, of which his regiment forms part, to attack the Russian positions where Surat Khan is known to be. The result is the famous Charge.
The Charge of the Light Brigade was of course an immense tactical blunder which led to the unnecessary deaths of many British soldiers, and historians have long debated exactly why it took place. (The main cause appears to have been an ambiguous order issued by Raglan to the cavalry commander Lord Lucan). The explanation given in this film, however is pure fiction; both Vickers and Surat Khan are fictitious characters. The scriptwriters' original idea was to have Vickers lead the charge to avenge the Cawnpore Massacre during the Indian Mutiny; upon being informed that the Mutiny did not take place until after the Crimean War was over, they rewrote the script to invent the "Chukoti Massacre".
Despite the historical absurdities, and despite too much time being taken up with the Geoffrey/Perry/Elsa triangle, this is actually a pretty exciting adventure film. (I will not compare it with the 1968 remake, which I have not seen for many years). Flynn had a limited range as an actor, but within that range he could be very good, and he is very good here as the dashing Vickers. The attack on Chukoti is a spectacular action sequence, and the depiction of the Charge even more so.
The Charge scene, however can leave a nasty taste in the mouth when one knows the story behind it. In the 1930s animal welfare was not a prime consideration on film sets, and tripwires were used to bring down the charging horses. As a result 25 horses were killed. Flynn, a keen horseman and animal lover, was outraged, and he and director Michael Curtiz came close to blows. (This incident, however, did not prevent them from working together; they were to make several more films, including "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "Dodge City"). The one good thing that came of it is that the public shared Flynn's outrage and this led to Congress passing legislation to ensure the safety of animals used in films. It is, however, this nasty taste which prevents me from awarding a higher mark. 7/10
Some goofs. The opening titles state that The Charge of the Light Brigade took place in 1856. It took place on 25th October 1854. The hunting sequence involving Surat Khan and Vickers is described as a "tiger hunt", but the animals we see are leopards, not tigers. Raglan's order, as originally worded, orders the Light Brigade to withdraw "three kilometres", but Britain did not use the metric system in 1854 (or, for that matter, in 1936).
Not a goof. Some have claimed that the words "Quis superabit?" used in the opening titles are an error for "Quis separabit?" (Latin for "Who shall separate them?"), the motto of several British regiments, especially those with an Ulster connection. "Quis superabit?" ("Who shall excel them?") is, however, a perfectly good Latin phrase, and there is no reason why the scriptwriters should not have used it as the motto of the 27th Lancers, a fictitious regiment. (Or at least they were fictitious in 1936. A real regiment of this name was raised several years later during the war).