The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968 film)
| The Charge of the Light Brigade | |
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 DVD release cover |
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| Directed by | Tony Richardson |
| Produced by | Neil Hartley |
| Written by | Charles Wood John Osborne |
| Starring | Trevor Howard John Gielgud Vanessa Redgrave Harry Andrews Jill Bennett David Hemmings Alan Dobie Norman Rossington |
| Music by | John Addison |
| Cinematography | David Watkin |
| Editing by | Kevin Brownlow Hugh Raggett |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | 11 April 1968 |
| Running time | 139 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Charge of the Light Brigade is a 1968 British war film made by Woodfall Film Productions and distributed by United Artists (which held the rights to the 1936 film version at the time). It was directed by Tony Richardson and produced by Neil Hartley.
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[edit] Screenplay
The screenplay was written by Charles Wood from a first draft (uncredited) by John Osborne. It aimed to be brutally authentic, based in part on the research in Cecil Woodham-Smith's The Reason Why (1953). The film included animations by Richard Williams, based on the contemporary graphic style of Punch Magazine, in order to explain the political events surrounding the battle. The music score was by John Addison and the cinematography by David Watkin.
[edit] Cast
| Trevor Howard | Lord Cardigan |
| Vanessa Redgrave | Clarissa |
| John Gielgud | Lord Raglan |
| Harry Andrews | Lord Lucan |
| Mark Burns | Captain Morris |
| Jill Bennett | Mrs. Fanny Duberly |
| David Hemmings | Capt. Nolan |
| Joely Richardson | Extra (uncredited) |
| Natasha Richardson | Flower girl at wedding (uncredited) |
The film starred Trevor Howard as Lord Cardigan, John Gielgud as Lord Raglan, and Vanessa Redgrave, Harry Andrews, Jill Bennett, David Hemmings, Ben Aris, Peter Bowles, Helen Cherry, Howard Marion-Crawford, T.P. McKenna and Donald Wolfit. It was also the movie debut of Natasha Richardson, who was aged four at the time of filming. Laurence Harvey had originally purchased the film rights for The Reason Why for his own production company and Joseph E. Levine. At the conclusion of a lengthy settlement in Richardson's favour, Harvey demanded a role in the film. He was given the role of Prince Radziwell, a Polish officer with the Heavy Brigade, but his part was edited out of the completed film.[1]
[edit] Themes
The film is about the famously brave but foolish Charge of the Light Brigade (a military engagement during the Crimean War by the 'Light Brigade' of the British Army's cavalry division). The Light Brigade consisted of the 4th Light Dragoons; the 17th Lancers, the 8th Hussars and 11th Hussars. The Brigade was commanded at the time by Major General James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan.
Most of the Brigade's aristocratic officers are depicted as incompetents who were more concerned with appearances than with substance, and who disdained doing the real work of training and leading their men. Critical to the historical events was the fact that the commanders on the hill above could see gun positions that the cavalry lower down could not, due to the hilly terrain as shown in the film's climax by a shift in lens optics by cinematographer David Watkin.
[edit] Recognition
The Charge of the Light Brigade was nominated for six BAFTA Film Awards, but failed to win in any category. It was criticized for presenting an impulsive and haughty Captain Louis Nolan as a hero[citation needed] and an officer's adventurous wife Fanny Duberly as unfaithful and eager for carnage.[2]
[edit] Departures from history
The film incorrectly portrays Captain Nolan, instead of Captain John Reynolds, at the centre of the 'black bottle' affair when Moselle wine was ordered for a guest, rather than the champagne that Lord Cardigan had required.
In the film all of the Light Brigade regiments are outfitted with cherry coloured breeches when only the 11th Hussars wore breeches of that colour. Officers and troopers of the other four regiments wore dark blue breeches, with double yellow stripes, or in the case of the 17th Lancers, double white stripes. In one scene a single trooper of the 17th is correctly attired.[citation needed]
[edit] Locations
The scene where troopers rush into position to salute Cardigan as he takes a morning walk with his dogs was shot at 6 Carlton House Terrace, St James's, London, a few doors along from the earl's actual London residence of 17 Carlton House Terrace.[3] Other London street scenes were filmed in the Royal Naval Hospital, Greenwich. The Royal Mint, opposite The Tower of London, represented Horseguards, the headquarters of the Army.[4] The barracks scenes in the first half of the film were filmed at Aldershot in Hampshire,[citation needed] while the 'Crimea' scenes, including the Charge itself, were filmed in Turkey[5] with the action sequences directed by Bob Simmons.
[edit] References
- ^ pp 35-36 Welsh, James Michael & Tibbetts, John C. The Cinema of Tony Richardson: Essays and Interviews SUNY Press, 1999
- ^ Fraser, George MacDonald (1986). The Hollywood History of the World. London: Michael Joseph. p. 161. ISBN 0718129970. "I don't know on what authority Mrs Duberly can be accused of misconduct, but if none exists (and I have heard of none) then her portrayal in the film is inexcusable"
- ^ "Carlton House Terrace and Carlton Gardens". Survey of London, Volume 20. British History Online. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=68416. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ^ James, Simon (2007). London Film Location Guide. London: Batsford. pp. 89; 176; 191. ISBN 0-7134-9062-4.
- ^ Connelly, Mark Thomas (2003). The Charge of the Light Brigade. London: I. B. Tauris. pp. 27–31. ISBN 1-86064-612-3.
[edit] External links
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