Tony Richardson's version of The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) leans more on the Charles Wood-John Osborne script than on Alfred, Lord Tennyson's wildly famous 1854 glory-poem of the same name ("Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die"). And well-written this film is -- darkly satiric, entertaining, interesting. We watch the English officers and troopers and horses of the 11th Hussars ("Hoo-SARS," the men say) training, preparing and heading off to the Crimean War (1853-1856). We see women and men of different socio-economic classes, how they relate -- a study in manners (including romance) that lets us think about what's different now, what's the same, nearly 160 years later. By the end of the film, we much better see "the reason why" the "Charge of the Light Brigade" happened at all.
Excellent ensemble actors include Trevor Howard as Lord Cardigan, commander of the 11th "Cherrybums" and the whole Light Brigade (hilarious as a character, nightmare as an aristocratic officer); John Gielgud (playing the befuddled one-armed Lord Raglan, veteran of Waterloo); Jill Bennett (as the enthusiastic Fanny Duberly, who has a crush on gruff Lord Cardigan); David Hemmings (the protagonist in Antonioni's Blowup / Blow-up, 1966) as Captain Nolan, steely veteran of conflicts in India; and Vanessa Redgrave (also from Blowup) as Clarissa, part of a ménage à trois involving Nolan and her kindly but dullard husband. Good beans, Wellington! Now: The Brigade will advance! Trumpeter, walk . . . march!
Today's Rune: Growth.
3 comments:
Haven't seen the movie but it does seem as if the *ahem* losers wrote the history on this one. I give Tennyson his due he did glorify the stupidity of both war and the inept chain of command.
Was watching an Iron Maiden video the other night that features the charge of the light brigade.
You always manage to highlight films I have never seen.
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