The Charge of the Light Brigade

film by Curtiz [1936]

Written by Lee Pfeiffer

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Article History

The Charge of the Light Brigade, American historical film, released in 1936, that was loosely based on the futile British cavalry charge against heavily defended Russian troops at the Battle of Balaklava (1854) during the Crimean War (1853–56). The suicidal attack was made famous by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in his 1855 poem, which shared the same title. The film was the first of several pairings of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in historical-themed movies.

Maj. Geoffrey Vickers (played by Flynn) and his younger brother Capt. Perry Vickers (Patric Knowles) are cavalry officers stationed in India. While Geoffrey is away, his fiancée, Elsa Campbell (de Havilland), falls in love with Perry. The brothers quarrel over her but soon encounter more important matters. The local Indian ruler, Surat Khan (C. Henry Gordon), who has allied himself with the Russians after the British government ended his subsidy, orders his forces to attack and massacre the inhabitants of Chukoti (a fictional fort), where many of the families of the brigade’s lancers live. However, he allows Geoffrey and Elsa to escape, because the former once saved his life. In retaliation for the massacre, Geoffrey secretly replaces orders from Sir Charles Macefield (Henry Stephenson) to the brigade’s commander, Sir Benjamin Warrenton (Nigel Bruce), in order to launch an attack on the heavily defended stronghold of Khan. Geoffrey explains his duplicity and rationale in a note to Macefield, which he orders his brother to deliver, thereby sparing Perry’s life. Both Geoffrey and Khan die in the climactic battle. Macefield claims responsibility for the suicidal attack and then burns Geoffrey’s note, saving the latter’s reputation.

Numerous horses were killed in the historical charge at Balaklava, and dozens also died in the filming of the movie’s reenactment of the climactic battle, leading Hollywood to adopt more stringent animal-protection standards. Text from Tennyson’s poem is seen superimposed on the screen during the charge and is accompanied by Max Steiner’s Academy Award-nominated score. A more accurate (and more cynical) remake of the story appeared in 1968—directed by Tony Richardson and starring Trevor Howard, John Gielgud, and Vanessa Redgrave—which reflects much of the antiwar sentiment of the Vietnam War era.