The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) User Reviews (73)

Classic movie with impressive charge into the valley of death by British 27th Lancers in Balaklava during Crimean War

[ma-cortes · 8/10 · 1 November 2014]

At the beginning the tale is set in Suristan , it could be seen as part of the "Great game" that was fought for nearly a century between the British and Russian empires for control in the Middle East . After that , a massacre takes place at Chukoti , it seared into the minds of the 27th Lancers , a livid scar never to heal . International events , however , were soon to overshadow it in the world at large ; for the hounds of war had been unleashed and England was pouring troops into the Crimea to oppose the Russian hordes , the wave of war preparations swept into Calcuta . This drama deals with the chronicle of events that led to the British involvement in the Crimean War against Russia . In Balaklava is the Allied Headquarters , Army of the Crimea , and the new post of the 27th Lancers . Later on , occurs the siege of Sevastopol and the fierce ¨Battle of Balaklava¨ on October 25, 1854 which climaxed with the heroic, but near-disastrous cavalry charge made by the British Light Brigade against a Russian artillery battery in a small valley which resulted in the near-destruction of the brigade . As military minds blunder and six hundred Britishers , sabers flashing , ride to their deaths . The film is dedicated "to the officers and men of the Light Brigade who died victorious in a gallant charge at Balaklava for Queen and Country - A.D. 1856." It is based on Lord Tennyson's famous poem : Half a league , half a league onward , all in the valley of death rode the six hundred . Cannon to right of them , cannon to left of them , cannon in front of them volley'd and thunder'd . ¨Forward , the Light Brigade ¡ Charge of the guns¨ he said , into the valley of death rode the six hundred . When can their glory fade ? O the wild charge they made ¡ All the world'd . Honor the charge they made ¡ Honor the Light Brigade , Noble Six Hundred ¡ .

Good film with lavish production values dealing with events leading up to British involvement in Crimean war with stunning final battle sequence . This epic movie contains feats , a romantic love story , adventures , thundering action , thrills , and historical events . The film was originally set entirely in India, but the Crimean War was added due to fears by Warner Brothers that the story was too similar to Paramount's The lives of a Bengali Lancer (1935). Exquisitely made battle scenes being magnificently directed by action specialist B. Reeves Eason . Although during the filming of the charge sequence, a stuntman was killed when he fell off his horse and landed on a broken sword that was lying on the battlefield . The original script used the real-life siege of a British fort at Cawnpore , and subsequent massacre of its survivors , during the Sepoy Rebellion -, a nationwide mutiny of Indian soldiers in the British army - as the reason for the famous Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava during the Crimean War . The second of nine movies made together by Warner Brothers' romantic couple Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn , here playing star-crossed lovers . The success of this film set the seal on Olivia and Errol Flynn's super-stardom . The support cast is frankly excellent such as Patrick Knowles , David Niven , C. Henry Gordon , Henry Stephenson , Nigel Bruce , Donald Crisp , EE Clive , Roger Barrat and J. Carrol Naish . The picture climaxes with one of the most dramatic and immortal cavalry charges in history . For the filming of the climactic charge, 125 horses were trip-wired ; of those, 25 were killed outright or had to be put down afterward . Superb and evocative cinematography in black and white by Sol Polito , though is also shown in a lousy computer-colored version . Breathtaking score by the maestro Max Steiner in his first one for Warner Brothers . The motion picture produced in big budget by Hal B. Wallis , Harry Warner and Jack Warner was compellingly realized by Michael Curtiz .

It really was "Bring on the Empty Horses"

[dougandwin · 8/10 · 21 June 2006]

Director Michael Curtiz went all out in this 1936 version of "The Charge of the Light Brigade", and considering the era, he made a darn good job of it - sure, he threw history out of the window, and created a very fictitious story, but when it came to the actual Charge, it was a masterpiece of staging and direction. He was aided by that great pair - Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland (lovely as usual!) who kept the interest all the way through. The supporting cast was really star-studded, with Donald Crisp, Henry Stephenson, Nigel Bruce and Spring Byington, and in a very early role in his career, David Niven. If you had to pinpoint a weak link, it was Patric Knowles as Flynn's brother. But all that aside, it is a couple of hours of excitement and sheer entertainment while waiting for the Charge and what is going to happen to the nasty Surat Khan!! The remakes since, while having the benefits of far greater technical tools, falls way short of this epic.

Charge against History

[pw002662 · 7/10 · 19 May 2002]

Well, if you want to learn about crimean war or the famous attack, put into immortal words by Tennyson's poem, this one is definitely not for you. Turn to the 1968 GB movie of the same title for this. If you want thrilling entertainment and great battle scenes, this one is right for you. Errol Flynn at his usual best except loosing his usual love interest (O.d. Havilland) to his younger brother and his life to his revenge. The war scenes are staged perfectly alike Custer's fight in They died with their boots ... and the acting is good, also for younger side kicks like David Niven. Taking for the entertainment it is, not for anything serious and you will love it.

Errol Flynn's Inaccurate But Rousing Follow-Up to CAPTAIN BLOOD...

[cariart · 2 September 2003]

Errol Flynn, riding high with the spectacular success of CAPTAIN BLOOD, re-teamed with co-star Olivia de Havilland and director Michael Curtiz in this epic tale, owing far more to Rudyard Kipling's prose than Tennyson's poem, or any attempt at historical accuracy. As one of several 1930s Hollywood forays into India during British rule (GUNGA DIN, LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER, and WEE WILLIE WINKIE are other memorable examples), the films are often criticized today for 'whitewashing' British rule, and ignoring the plight of Indians, who were treated as 'second-class' citizens of the Empire. While this argument is valid, these films were produced as 'entertainments' at a time when America, still suffering from the Depression, craved escapism, not social commentary.

Flynn, with his trademark moustache restored, is Major Geoffrey Vickers, dashing British Lancer, who, as the film opens, saves the life of Indian ruler Surat Khan (played by veteran screen villain C. Henry Gordon) during a tiger hunt. While Khan despises the British, he has a blood debt to Vickers, which must be honored.

Between assignments, Vickers tries to be the devoted fiancé of beautiful Elsa Campbell (de Havilland), but in a twist from the usual Flynn/de Havilland teamings, she actually loves his brother, Perry (Patric Knowles, who would later play 'Will Scarlet' in ROBIN HOOD). The love triangle subplot is the least effective part of the story; fortunately, these interludes don't last long!

Courting favor with the Russians (represented by Stalin look-alike Robert Barrat), Khan gambles, correctly, that the British would never consider him capable of murdering women and children, so his attack on an undermanned Chukoti, and the subsequent massacre of all the inhabitants (save Vickers and Campbell, thus fulfilling his blood debt), creates a furor that rocks India, and a evokes a vow of revenge from Vickers and the Lancers, who'd lost all of their loved ones. Khan flees the country, joining his Russian allies in the Crimea.

Just in time to fulfill the title, the Lancers are reassigned to the Crimea, and discover that Khan is located with the cannon emplacements on the Balaclava Heights. Arranging to get his brother safely away from the action, Vickers forges orders to have the Light Brigade attack the Heights, and 'The Charge' begins...

While the Charge (created by second unit director "Breezy" Eason) is one of the most incredible scenes ever recorded on film, with hundreds of horsemen galloping in formation 'to the guns', there was a deadly price for the spectacle; the buried explosives and trip wires used to create realistic cannon blasts injured many horses, resulting in a large number of animals having to be 'put down'. Humane societies nationwide (and Flynn, himself, who was appalled by the needless slaughter) raised such an outcry that standards were established barring cruelty to animals, which are still in effect today.

Besides Flynn's heroic performance (yes, that really IS him, leaping a cannon on horseback), Donald Crisp, Henry Stephenson, and J. Carrol Naish (as an Indian) provide memorable support. And watch for a young David Niven, as Vickers' doomed fellow officer. Flynn and Niven were great friends, sharing a cottage in Malibu (nicknamed 'Cirrhosis-by-the-Sea', because of their wild parties), and their final scene together is far more poignant than any Flynn/de Havilland moments in the film!

While flawed, historically, and unquestionably bloody, THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE retains its position as a 'classic', and proved to the WB that Errol Flynn was not just a 'one hit wonder'. Great things were ahead for the young star!

The usual polished and impeccable Warner Brothers production values as well as their usual disdain for history!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 2 January 2007]

In the mid 1930s and well into the 40s, Warner Brothers made many fine films starring Errol Flynn that were very high on production values and fun but also of dubious historical value. While historically speaking this is not the worst of the lot (that honor goes to SANTA FE TRAIL), this film doesn't seem to have a lot to do with the Tennyson poem or the Crimean War and in fact, much of the movie is set around the same region of the world as GUNGA DIN--around Pakistan or Afghanistan. So, assuming you aren't looking for a history lesson, the film is packed full of excellent acting, sets and fast-paced fun. Part of the reason I particularly liked it was because it teamed Errol Flynn with Olivia de Havilland--a wonderful combination that began with CAPTAIN BLOOD and lasted for seven films. So, if you like this film, check out all their other films together--especially CAPTAIN BLOOD and THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD. Their chemistry was always excellent and it is further enhanced by such wonderful supporting actors as Henry Stephenson, Nigel Bruce, Donald Crisp and David Niven.

Flynn plays hero(or fool?) in Asian versions of The Alamo plus Custer's Last Stand equivalents

[weezeralfalfa · 7/10 · 28 July 2014]

A largely fictionalized mishmash of two historic disasters in two quite distinct British wars in the 1850s. Most of the film deals with the misadventures of the Indian British army in connection with a largely fictional Surat Khan, who seems to be a tribal war lord in present northern Pakistan(arid and mountainous). The attack of the Khan on the isolated outpost of Chukoti, somewhere in the general vicinity of the regional headquarters in Lohora(presumably, present Lahore, PK), and subsequent slaughter of the survivors, after Flynn and Olivia escaped on a raft, clearly is a reference to the historic massacre of Brits by Indian rebels at Cawnpore, which was located in present northeastern India. Then, suddenly, in the last part, we switch to the historically prior Crimean War, and have Surat Khan allied with the Russians against the Turks and Brits, hence allowing the transferred Indian Brit cavalry an opportunity to extract revenge on the khan. Although Flynn's character, who leads this dramatic misguided charge on the entrenched cannon-rich Russians does manage to kill the khan, he, as well as the rest of his cavalry, pay the ultimate price for their pyrrhic revenge. As scripted, Flynn's character is really more of an insubordinating fool than a hero. Reminds me of a rather similar dramatic ill-fated charge in the later "Fort Apache".

Flynn had traded mortal wounds with the khan, hence conveniently ending the romantic triangle problem with his brother and Olivia's character. But, Olivia and his brother don't appear after the battle. Instead, we have a conference between the 3 commanders involved in the Balaclava fiasco with Henry Stephenson, who seems to have been the governor general of India, located in Calcutta, now strangely transferred to the Crimea. He implies that all 600 in the charge died: the British equivalent of Custer's Last Stand. Historically, this is far from the truth. Also, Lord Cardigan, who led the charge and hence was being played by Flynn, survived the charge. Historically, this charge by the sword and lance -wielding light cavalry was the result of confusion in officer communications. Central to this confusion was Captain Nolan, who was also the first to die in the charge. Thus, Flynn's character relating to this charge is an amalgam of Cardigan and Nolan. His character had previously incorporated some of Nolan's prior activities.

Returning to the middle portion of the film, a huge army of natives armed with anachronistic modern repeating rifles surrounds the frontier town/fortress of Chukoti, intent on massacring its inhabitants. Unfortunately, the fort commander(played by Donald Crisp) had previously ordered most of the cavalry out on a detail, leaving Flynn as the effective commander of the few remaining. Looks like an Alamo situation. The tribals use their many ladders to scale the wall , and it looks like they will soon kill all. But, suddenly, we switch to the women and children huddled in a room, and the attack seems to stop for no reason?? Later, when the escaped Flynn returns with reinforcements, they find all dead: mostly women and children. Flynn vows revenge, and eventually gets his chance when he learns that the khan has allied himself with Russia against the Brits and Turks in the Crimea.....Incidentally, the original screenplay didn't include the Crimean War segment. However, it was feared that it was too similar to the recently released popular "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer"

Henry Stephenson, who generally played fatherly authority figures in many films of the '30s and '40s, returns from Flynn's first starring role, in "Captain Blood"(as well as the award-winning "Mutiny on the Bounty) of the previous year. In the finale scene, he tells the 3 commanders involved in the charge fiasco that he takes full responsibility, after receiving a letter from Flynn's character admitting that he rewrote Stephenson's orders after having failed to convince Stephenson that his light cavalry unit deserved a chance to try to extract vengeance upon the khan. Stephenson burns his letter, preferring to take the blame in place of than his fallen 'hero'.

After the joyous romance of Flynn and Olivia's characters at the end of "Captain Blood", it's curious that Flynn is cast as the odd man out in the triangular love affair in this next pairing, especially since the historical leader of the charge he plays survived the charge. Flynn's character would, of course, again die in "They Died With Their Boots On", in another foolhardy cavalry incident. Again, Olivia played his love interest in their eighth and final film pairing.

At least we are spared the gruesome details of the historical massacre of mostly women and children at Cawnpore. Professional butchers were sent and literally hacked the victims to pieces. This instigated a furious response by the British, who slaughtered or burned thousands of Indians in retribution, with the battle cry "Remember Cawnpore".

I think it's a toss up whether we see more falling horses during the charge or in "The Comancheros". In the latter, at least the cruel and often lethal use of trip wires to make the horses fall when desired had long since been abandoned.

Ambitious, great credentials, but weirdly slow and uninspired

[secondtake · 6/10 · 2 July 2010]

Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)

Michael Curtiz is a director with a beautiful sense of place, of interiors especially, and of night scenes. Sol Polito, the cinematographer, knows how to make even boring scenes visually rich, and is known for some first rate film noirs. And Olivia de Havilland, the lead woman in this historical drama, is an actress with extraordinary nuance to her psychological portrayals.

On that score, this is a really well made film, an achievement. But it is one that doesn't use any of its main contributors to their absolute best. What they give is quite amazing--the direction is fast and smart, the photography sharply seen and nuanced, and de Havilland gives a moving, if minor and intermittent, performance. The last of the main contributors is Errol Flynn, who is charming, and gives this action adventure movie some good action and adventure. In a way, he's the only one in his element.

Not that movies can be reduced to their parts this way. But I've been straining to see why this movie struggles, even with the best of credentials. The story itself might be partly to blame, or more exactly the way the historical aspects of this famous military tragedy were forced to fit a romance of de Havilland's character with two brothers in the military. The telling of this tale fails to do what Gone with the Wind did three years later, layering a moving personal fictional story into a great war.

Curtiz does make it solid, given the story line he has to work with. An impressive, ambitious movie, overall. The bright, sunlit battle scenes are kinetic, for sure, and the actual "charge" that gives the movie its name takes up only the last ten minutes of the movie. The rest is a lot of foreshadowing.

Noble Six Hundred

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 1 July 2007]

Anyone who is expecting a factual retelling of the famous charge at the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War had better look to Tony Richardson's film from 1968. This particular Charge of the Light Brigade is a nice action adventure tale from the British Raj in the Kipling mold.

Of course this is all fictional. There's no such person as the evil Moslem ruler played by C. Henry Gordon who massacred a British garrison at a place called Chukoti in 1854. The reason for the famous cavalry charge did not happen so that the regiment could get to nail this dude for his crimes. Yet one thing I found contained more than an element of truth about British rule in India and some of our problems today.

At the very beginning Errol Flynn is accompanying E.E. Clive on a goodwill mission to Gordon. It seems as though there was a treaty with a promised subsidy from Her Majesty that expired with the death of his father. Even though they're not paying him any more to be the British friend, Clive still hopes for Gordon's friendship.

This in fact was how the British acquired 'friends' all over India, they ruled very little of it outright. They won a bidding war that was as acrimonious as the military conflict with other European powers which concluded with the French out of there altogether after the Seven Years War and the Portugese left with a couple of enclaves on the coast.

Clive in fact is one very large fathead, Flynn knows it only too well. In fact though this is how we're still acquiring 'friends' in that region which is now Pakistan.

Thrown into the politics is the rivalry between Errol Flynn and his brother Patric Knowles for Olivia DeHavilland. Originally Anita Louise was supposed to be slated for the part. But after the rave notices started coming in from Captain Blood before some of the romantic stuff was to be shot, Louise was substituted for Olivia DeHavilland and poor Olivia was typecast as the crinolined heroine until she left Warner Brothers.

Jack Warner spent a lot of money on this film. The whole garrison at Chukoti where the massacre took place was built from the ground, up; no miniatures were used. Thousands of horses were bought and about 200 were destroyed in the making of the final charge. So many animals were hurt the ASPCA stepped in and Charge of the Light Brigade got a lot of bad publicity among animal lovers. It did receive an Oscar for Best Assistant Director for the second unit work in depicting the charge when that was a category at the Academy Awards.

Errol Flynn said it was the roughest film he ever made in terms of pure physicality. It was pretty rough on Olivia DeHavilland as well who Flynn accidentally cold-cocked during a scene. These crinolined heroines do have it rough.

One of my favorite character actors, Henry Stephenson, plays the fictional Charles Masefield in this film. Stephenson in every film he did always embodied the stiff upper lip, attention to your duty ethic that the United Kingdom prides itself in. He's always a man of class and refinement. And he firmly believes in the John Ford mantra, when the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

Which is what Alfred Lord Tennyson gave us when he wrote that poem extolling the young men of that generation who died at Balaclava. We're watching the legend here.

Cannons All Around...

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 4 November 2013]

Michael Curtiz directed this fictionalized account of the real-life charge of the light brigade, based on the famous Sir Alfred Lord Tennyson poem. Errol Flynn stars as Major Vickers of the 27th Lancers in India circa 1856. He has been dealing with the local leader Surhat Kahn, who ends up attacking the regiment barracks, massacring the women & children stationed there, which causes Vickers to retaliate in kind, even though he has no such orders. Patrick Knowles plays his brother, a Captain stationed with him, and both men vie for the affections of Elsa Campbell(played by Olivia De Havilland). Rousing and well cast film is entertaining, but viewer should keep in mind how lopsided it is dramatically, and the horrific toll on the lives and safety it took in horses in its production.

And what a charge it was!

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 24 June 2006]

The movie starts of as your average period drama with a love triangle and formulaic, typical '30's dramatic moments. However about halve way through the movie its story takes a turn and turns into a delicious action filled epic, with the charge of the light brigade at the ending as the icing on the cake.

I watched this film without really knowing what to expect of it. I knew Errol Flynn was in it, so I expected an adventurous movie with lots of memorable action sequence. The movie started of just like Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor", with a love triangle story between the Errol Flynn character, his brother played by Patric Knowles and Olivia de Havilland. Flynn and de Havilland surely are one of the best screen couples of all time, so those moments are still better and more enjoyable than your average '30's love filled drama. But just like "Pearl Harbor" the best moments of the movie are in the second part, in the action sequences. The movie takes epic proportions in its action sequences, which are big and spectacularly brought to the screen. It makes the first part of the movie feel kind of obsolete and yes, it is definitely true that you can basically skip the whole first part of the movie, with the exceptions of a few sequences maybe, which are important for the development of the story and certain characters.

The story itself is quite fascinating, with the exception of the whole love triangle thing of course. It's based on true events, although the movie takes lots of liberties with the story but this really does the movie no harm. It doesn't make the actions of the light brigade seem any less noble or heroic, so the movie does the true story justice in my opinion. The several plot lines of the story are well developed in the story. I especially like the sequences with the political game between Surat Khan and the Russians with the British. There are some subtle sequences with some very well written and clever dialog. The drama in the movie is also surprisingly heavy. When you watch an Errol Flynn action flick you expect to see some lighthearted fun action sequences but in this movie the action is heavy, powerful and dramatic.

The cast is great! Errol Flynn is in his element as the popular and noble gentleman Maj. Geoffrey Vickers. Olivia de Havilland is also fine as always and it also was great to see David Niven in one of his first roles before he received real fame as an actor. It's amazing to see that he basically already looked the same in this movie as he did in movies that were made 40 years later. His role is quite small and not really significant but his presence is notable. Also really great was C. Henry Gordon as the cold-hearted villain Surat Khan, which starts of like a much warmer character. As the movie progresses he becomes more and more ruthless and he turns into almost a James Bond like villain, which works actually very well for such an adventurous action filled epic like this movie.

Based purely on all those things I just mentioned I would had rated this movie an 7 out of 10. But then came the ending...

Quite honestly, I was blown away by the ending. I simply did not expected to see such a large scale, complex action sequence in a 1936 movie. The charge in which literally hundreds of cavalry men, attack a Russian stronghold which is supported with numerous cannons is impressive to say the very least. Seeing all those hundreds of cavalry men, with Errol Flynn of course in front, riding up through the valley of death to an almost certain doom is extremely powerful. These are not CGI horses like for most part was the cast in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this is the real thing! Horses and men flying around by the firing cannons and Errol's friends dying around him, as they come more and more closer to the Russians and Surat Khan. It such a arousing and spectacular filmed sequence that it still holds up by todays standards. Unfortunately also hundreds of horses and one stunt person got killed during the filming of the end charge. But to be honest, 1 person seems so few when you look at that sequences. I mean, men are flying and dropping from their horses like puppets, while horses ride around them within close range!

A classic epic. See this movie, if already alone for the unforgettable, arousing end charge of the light brigade.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Insultingly inaccurate and pretty lazy

[shoobe01-1 · 6/10 · 19 February 2022]

Not sure why people find things like this "entertaining" or a "spectacular." My rating ignores the contempt for history or even for a good story in favor of the random fever-dreams of a band of writers.

But it does include the results. It's a bunch of random vignettes tied together very very very loosely with an obviously tacked on 1) Love story, I guess? Zero chemistry, and needless triangles and disapproving fathers.

2) Aristocratic but vaguely not-white bad guy, improbably in multiple continents.

It's a bit of stilted action, a lot of talking that makes not too much sense, bad planning, a dance or three only because there's no excuse for nightclub acts, interminable travel scenes, and a few fights that mostly have gaps in logic that make them only entertaining if you like to not think about your entertainment.

This sort of movie is the Transformers of the 30s. Mindless, and it's annoying to me they are still beloved by so many.

Fictional version of historical charge is highly entertaining...

[Doylenf · 8/10 · 28 June 2005]

As usual, Warner Bros. bent historical facts to provide ERROL FLYNN with some noble heroics in epics like this one and THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON. And as in BOOTS, it takes quite a bit of fictional footage to get to the climactic charge, but it's well worth waiting for.

Flynn has a role tailor-made to his specifications, the noble hero who looks even more splendid than ever wearing a trim mustache and military uniform. The script, in a twist, has his brother (PATRIC KNOWLES), who looks enough like Flynn to be his real brother, winning over the heart of the heroine (OLIVIA de HAVILLAND) at a military outpost in India. Flynn, as Major Vickers, decides to avenge the massacre of British women and children at the fort, thus forging the orders that lead to the famous charge.

All of it is strictly meant to entertain, offering political background of a confusing sort to give an idea of the events surrounding the charge. While all of it has been falsified for the sake of providing a screenplay that makes Flynn the noblest of heroes, there is no denying the epic sweep of the derring do and romance.

Flynn and screen partner de Havilland make a handsome couple and they are supported by a fine bunch of actors from Hollywood's British film colony, notably Patric Knowles, David Niven and Donald Crisp. Max Steiner has provided one of his best military background scores that gives added dimension to the exciting battle scenes.

For Flynn fans, this is a must see. For anyone expecting to see an historical account of the Charge, better tune in to the History Channel for that sort of stuff. But as entertainment, CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE delivers the goods and should make Flynn and de Havilland fans happy.

"Our objective is Surat Khan!"

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 23 May 2014]

Errol Flynn says to heck with orders and leads his men into battle against villainous Surat Khan (C. Henry Gordon) to avenge Khan's massacre of men, women, and children. Highly enjoyable adventure yarn, loosely based on historical events. Superb action scenes, fine Max Steiner score, and great Michael Curtiz direction. It's always nice to see Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland together, although this has the surprising twist of Olivia preferring Patric Knowles to Errol. Exceptional Warner Bros. supporting cast includes David Niven, Donald Crisp, Henry Stephenson, J. Carrol Naish, and many other familiar faces. Judging by some of the reviews here, it would appear the history police have written many tickets for this one. At the risk of incurring their terrifying wrath, I'm gonna say nerts to them! Just enjoy the movie. If you want to learn about the history behind the movie, read a book.

Title Generally Misleading

[paulfuller-3 · 3/10 · 27 July 2010]

A lot of the reviews seem to focus on the issue of historical accuracy. I recognize this is a work of fiction and couldn't care less whether it's historically accurate or not, but if you create a movie called "The Charge of the Light Brigade", you should at least be creating a fiction based largely on the subject of the Crimean War. Instead, a fictional connection is made to India, which becomes the scene of 3/4 of the movie. If you want to see a fictional movie about the British in 19th century India, with a brief epilogue involving the Charge, this may be the movie for you. Don't expect to see much of the Crimea in this movie, though.

Charged Up

[rmax304823 · 14 December 2003]

My vade mecum on battles, the Dupuy's "Encyclopedia of Military History," describes the engagement this way. "The Light Cavalry Brigade, though circumstances never satisfactorily explained, now charged the Russian field batteries to their front, riding up a narrow mile-long valley, exposed at the same time to fire from the captured Turkish guns on their right flank and other Russian guns on their left. They reached the guns, rode through them, clashed with the Russian cavalry beyond, and then the survivors rode back through the crossfire of the "Valley of Death"....doomed to death by the arrant stupidity of Brigadier General . . . Lord Cardigan . . . and Lord Lucan." The Dupuys are rarely so editorial.

Those "unexplained circumstances" probably don't involve Errol Flynn rewriting his orders to get even with his old enemy, Surat Kahn.

Sevastopol must have been an interesting place at the time. Not only were Raglan and Cardigan there (two sweaters, aren't they?) but Florence Nightingale too, her initial experience at the battlefield. Also observing was George MacLellan, later Lincoln's commander of the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. He learned a lot about siege warfare and even invented a saddle based on his experiences. Maybe he learned to respect siege warfare too much. It was almost an impossible task to get him to move at more than a snail's pace as Lincoln's commander. Old Abe said of MacLellan that "he has a case of the slows."

This is a love triangle wrapped around a couple of battle scenes. Olivia DeHavilland in 1936 seemed tiny, vulnerable, loving, sweet, and entirely innocent, so much so that it would be an affront to even think about her ankles. She's engaged to Flynn but falls in love with Flynn's rather dull brother, for reasons known only to the screenwriters. Flynn rarely loses the girl during this period in his career. The story begins in India with a chronologically out of order battle against some insurgents, the treacherous swine. They lie, shoot innocent women and children, summarily execute prisoners, and break windows. The scene in which the survivors of Chukoti wade out to the boat trying to escape was shot at Lake Castaic. Try getting into Lake Castaic today without paying a million dollars for a shabby condo.

The uniforms are very snappy though -- tan, criss-crossed with black belts and other equipment, and closely enough tailored to make a viewer wonder exactly how this got past the censors. It's hard to imagine that some of the actors weren't embarrassed, although this certainly wouldn't have bothered Flynn.

The battle scenes are excitingly done, although next to completely improbable. (During one ambush by the Kahn's troops, Flynn jumps off a cliff, dehorses and kills one of the sleazebags, dons his black robe and black feathery headdress, and in this unlikely getup rides among the Kahn's troops shouting in their language that more English troops are about to arrive. The enemy believe him and take off in a panic.)

During the final charge the Light Brigade die enthusiastically as they charge the Russian guns in order to even the score for the Kahn's treachery at Chukoti. The horses die, too, a lot of them. At the time, a device called "the running W" was in use, thin wires attached to the horses' legs, and when the wires ran out to their full extent the horses' legs were yanked out from under them. It isn't recorded whether the horses died enthusiastically, there being no equine version of Tennyson. (Or maybe there is and we don't know about it? Horses may have an entire oral folklore describing how they've been exploited and mistreated by humans, not to mention being eaten by hyenas and whatnot. We may be to horses what Grendel was to the Danes.)

Anyway I kind of enjoyed it. Everyone has such a stiff upper lip, the women included. It's completely unpretentious, and Curtiz shot it with no aim other than entertainment. He achieved his goal.

love triangle strikes again

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 13 March 2019]

In 1854, the 27th Lancers of the British Army, led by Major Geoffrey Vickers (Errol Flynn) and his brother Captain Perry Vickers (Patric Knowles), escorts Sir Harcourt on a diplomatic mission to Suristan. Surat Khan (C. Henry Gordon) rejects the British. Perry's fiancee Elsa (Olivia de Havilland) falls for Geoffrey. Geoffrey is assigned to the remote outpost Chukoti. He is joined by Elsa and her family. With flawed British strategy, the outpost is left undermanned. Surat Khan attacks the fort and massacres the defenders including women and children. Geoffrey and Elsa manage to escape. The Crimean War heats up and the 27th Lancers are sent into the Battle of Balaclava where Surat Khan has joined the side of the Russians.

I can do without the romantic triangle. The history is trash. Otherwise, this is a very good action war movie. The siege of Chukoti is very good. The titular Charge is big and action pack. There is good action. Errol Flynn is the dashing hero. There is something sacrilegious about rewriting the historic charge to fit a fictitious narrative. Oh and did I say I do not care for the love triangle. It would have been much more powerful for the Vickers to lose wives and children during the massacre. Those minor characters finding their murdered family is more powerful than any of the leads' character development.

Hooray for Hollywood

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 18 August 2012]

The Hollywood studio system's conglomerate of talent was starting to coalesce in the mid to late 1930's into a near perfect production machine of a manufactured communal art form. At times the result could be a dazzling demonstration of the Dream Factory's ability to entertain the masses with a film such as this.

A slick, glossy, and proud presentation of an historical event, wrapped in Tinsel Town glitter that reflected its lack of concern for accuracy. It did concern itself with the propaganda potential of mass communication and used it with impunity.

What a wonderful looking film. The handsome actors and the sprawling finale that, to this day, still manages to get the heart racing. The lavish costumes and impeccable camera work. The rousing musical score and some very realistic "horror of war" scenes despite the restrictions of the new Hays code. You could call this magnificent and it would not be hyperbole.

Yes, there is a racist tone and British Colonialism and subjugation is accepted and even honored. But not that much has really changed, even today, has it? We still use the media to exploit political positions and to propagandize.

So turn down the lights, draw the curtains, crank up the sound and let the Dream Factory do what the Dream Factory does. Hooray for Hollywood.

The sun never set on British arrogance

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 23 February 2022]

There are a couple of things you have to get past to be able to enjoy this film.

First, world perspective on colonialism is far different today than it was in 1936. What seemed like the grand British Empire back then isn't respected today as it once was. And that's a big issue.

The second thing you have to get past is that quite a few horses were killed making this film. At least one of our posters said over 200, although what I read is more like 25. Not that even that is acceptable. But there is a huge difference between 25 dead horses and 200+ dead horses. Apparently Flynn, a horse lover, was livid over that.

If you get past those two issues, then this is quite an impressive film. Not that it's historically correct, but they admit that at the beginning of the movie. It is historical fiction. But awfully good historical fiction. Errol Flynn may have been Hollywood's bad boy, but he was a fine actor, and I would say this is one of his best efforts. I did feel that Olivia de Havilland was a bit wasted here, but then again, it's a war film, and this was, after all, three years before her triumph in "Gone With The Wind".

In terms of the supporting cast, Patric Knowles is great as Flynn's brother.

The list of supporting characters is pretty familiar -- Henry Stephenson, Nigel Bruce (in a not-so-bumbling role), the wonderful Donald Crisp, David Niven, C. Henry Gordon (as a very interesting Surat Khan; nicely played), and gabby Spring Byington.

It's a great STORY, but I have to admit that it was sort of ruined when I saw how those poor horses were treated in the climax attack. I'll never be able to look at Michael Curtiz as favorably again...this was atrocious. It's interesting that despite the film's initial success, it was not re-released to theaters due to the cruelty to the horses.

I'm giving the film a "7", although without the horse cruelty I probably would have given in an "8".

Into the Valley of Death Rode the Six Hundred

[Bucs1960 · 10/10 · 11 March 2003]

The premise of this movie is based on the epic poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Historic inaccuracies abound but this isn't the History Channel, so what the hell. Enjoy it for what it is.....if you are an Anglophile, the poem and the film will bring a tear to eye.

Errol Flynn is dashing as the hero and is surrounded by a great cast. Especially good in support are C. Henry Gordon, Donald Crisp, Henry Stephenson and yes, even Patric Knowles. But make no mistake, Flynn is the star. The love triangle among Flynn, Olivia DeHavilland and Knowles is secondary to what everyone is waiting for.....the suicide charge on the Balaklava Heights.

And what a charge it is! Under the second unit direction of B. Reaves "Breezy" Eason, it is as realistic as any battle in modern movie making. It can be tough to watch, knowing that men and animals were injured or killed during its making. But if you can get by that, you'll be cheering the Light Brigade as they thunder forward with the Union Jack flying.

(It is said that this is the film in which director Michael Curtiz, the master of malaprops and non sequitars said "Bring on the empty horses".)

To quote Tennyson:

"Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of Hell

Rode the six hundred"

So watch this rousing film and throw aside any knowledge that you may have about the Crimean War or the abilities of Lords Lucan and Cardigan.....it doesn't count here....just enjoy!

Dated classic

[loloandpete · 6/10 · 5 January 2021]

This Errol Flynn starrer has gone down as a classic but actually feels a bit slow and dated. Luckily, the charge itself is spectacularly done and saves it more than somewhat. Nigel Bruce is 5th billed as Sir Benjamin Warrenton and though he has a few comic moments, he is largely straight and sympathetic in this.

Bring on the Empty Horses

[The_Other_Snowman · 8/10 · 10 August 2013]

This is Hollywood History at its best. It has nothing to do with the real Crimean War, the Battle of Balaclava, or the Charge of the Light Brigade. It has everything to do with Errol Flynn, Olivia deHavilland, Michael Curtiz, and Max Steiner. Basically, this is a quintessential Warner Bros. adventure film of 1936, one of the best of the breed.

The story starts in Southern California -- or rather, Northern India -- on the outskirts of the British Empire. This setting had been picked up and dusted off after 1935's "Lives of a Bengal Lancer", and would be recreated for "Gunga Din" a few years later, with the same locations and similar plots. Flynn leads a company of British lancers in skirmishes with the local rajah, the villainous Surat Khan -- you can tell he's the villain because of his evil goatee -- and a betrayal and a massacre leads to a mission of vengeance, which reaches its climax in Tennyson's Valley of Death in the Crimea.

Opposite Flynn is, naturally, Olivia deHavilland, without whom Flynn would be lost. Patric Knowles, who played Will Scarlett in Flynn's "Adventures of Robin Hood", is Flynn's brother; David Niven is his sidekick; and Henry Stephenson, Donald Crisp, and Nigel Bruce are the top brass. Director Michael Curtiz brings out another energetic performance from Flynn, although his character here lacks the depths of the heroes of "Captain Blood" or "The Dawn Patrol". Max Steiner's score complements the action perfectly.

"The Charge of the Light Brigade" is quite an epic production, and notorious for the number of horses killed in the battle scenes. That knowledge puts a bit of a damper on the excitement, but it also led to the safety restrictions in place today, banning trip-wires and ensuring the well-being of animals in movies; so, ultimately a good thing. No such measures were ever taken to protect history from the ravages of Hollywood screenwriters: Surat Khan and the country of Suristan never existed, nor did Flynn's 27th Lancers, and although there was indeed a charge at Balaklava, it didn't happen for the reasons depicted in this film. But Flynn and Curtiz didn't care, and neither should the audience.

Olivia NOT in love with Errol?!

[jem132 · 7/10 · 14 July 2008]

Good, polished Flynn-De Havilland film, though not a patch on the likes of Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood. Flynn is heroic and dashing as Major Geoffrey Vickers, but De Havilland's young maiden Elsa Campbell inexplicably prefer's Flynn's on-screen brother Patric Knowles to him. What were the scriptwriters thinking?? Who would choose Knowles over Errol Flynn? And as it was the team's second film together, you would have thought that the pair would get more romantic scenes together, not virtually none. De Havilland is also rather annoying as Elsa, probably because she doesn't go for Errol! But the love triangle is really the sub-plot to the story of the charge of the British lancers who Flynn leads into battle against Surat Khan (a deliciously villainous C.Henry Gordon). Curtiz gives his usual well-paced direction, and the directing and editing in the final charge sequence is superb (though unfortunately 600 horses were killed). I also really liked how the pain and tragic human cost of war is shown in a number of affecting moments. With a literate script that only occasionally veers off into melodrama, and a solid supporting cast in Dinald Crisp, David Niven, Henry Stephenson and Nigel Bruce, this is worthwhile entertainment.

What a ticket!

[michael_robert_burns · 10/10 · 29 December 2004]

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. But then again, any movie boasting the talents of both Errol Flynn AND David Niven is always going to be a treat.

My favourite part of Charge of the Light Brigade is at the ball in Calcutta, every man in the place is trying to avoid the interfering old bint (can't remember her name). The looks on their faces every time she approaches is priceless.

It doesn't matter that it's full of nonsense, Charge of the Light Brigade is an entertaining film that takes you back in time to the genteel goings-on of colonial times.

Flynn to battle

[Lejink · 7/10 · 21 May 2015]

I really should hate this film. Like other Flynn films of the time, most notably "They Died With Their Boots On", it plays fast and loose with the known facts of a historical event to the extent of creating a fictitious pretext for the actual charge of the Light Brigade itself and creating imaginary characters like Flynn's Major Vickers and Indian warlord Surat Khan as the main protagonists in the battle, even the Chikoti massacre which triggered the bloody conclusion is based on events which happened three years after the Battle of Balaklava. More importantly, the now known facts about the production's incidental slaughter of numerous horses in the climactic battle scenes can make it somewhat distressing to view, as I found myself inadvertently watching for the deadly trip-wires which sent so many of them to a no doubt nasty death.

That's a lot to put aside but still I can't help but admit that this is another golden-age Hollywood classic, utterly entertaining in the "Boy's Own" tradition of so many great films of that era, many of them of course synonymous with Flynn as the leading man. Here, he's at his dashing best as the honourable Major Vickers, for once giving up the love of his betrothed, the ever-present Olivia De Havilland in favour of his weedy brother, in a turn of events as hard to believe as anything else in the fanciful script, who, to revenge the slaughtered innocents by the barbarous Khan, countermands official orders to lead the suicidal attack of his brave 600 cavalrymen into the valley of death, where Flynn inevitably expires in the knowledge that he has at least avenged Khan personally.

Excusing director Curtiz's heartless treatment of the poor horses, one can't deny his ability in managing the sheer spectacle of both the massacre at Chikoti and especially the final carnage at Balaklava. In the days before C-Gen special effects capable of creating imaginary thousands in battle, here you actually see, especially in the long-shots, the actual blood and thunder of war in the raw, which makes the heart race just to watch it.

Flynn is of course imperious as the gallant Vickers and there's good support for him too in the familiar forms of De Havilland, Nigel Bruce and in a fairly brief role, the young David Niven. No, they don't make them like this anymore, thankfully in respect of the treatment of animals on set, but regrettably in terms of sheer action and story-telling.

don't spare the horses - don't worry, they didn't

[blanche-2 · 5/10 · 4 September 2010]

Unfortunately for "The Charge of the Light Brigade," I am an animal lover, so I was somewhat repulsed by the battle scenes in this film. Killing 200 horses and a stuntman to make a movie is unacceptable - it was even considered bad in 1936. For this reason, unlike Errol Flynn's other adventure movies, it was not re-released. The film also did nothing for Olivia de Havilland's career, typecasting her with Warner Brothers as a typical ingénue, when in fact, she was a fantastic actress.

Errol Flynn, Patric Knowles, Henry Stephenson, and Nigel Bruce star in the film, along with the aforementioned de Havilland. Knowles was sort of a B-movie Flynn, so it's good casting that he plays Flynn's brother. Both of them are in love with Elsa Campbell (de Havilland), whose father is a colonel (Donald Crisp).

This is a highly fictionalized version of the actual battle and the events leading up to it. No expense was spared. The battle scenes are very graphic, and you can really see why horses would have died. I've seen thousands of films, and I've never seen horses falling and ending up on their backs.

Flynn is at his handsomest best; the still up and coming Niven has a supporting role.

Not recommended - by me, anyway.