THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE is a wannabe 1968 epic about the Battle of Balaclava and the infamous charge of the British light cavalry which ended in disaster. This lengthy film attempts to show the context for the debacle and the events which led to it, and it really turns out that it was all down to miscommunication and the general incompetence of a handful of men.
The film was directed by kitchen sink stalwart Tony Richardson with a kind of weary realism that makes it rather tedious to watch in places. The attention to detail and costume is strong, but the battle scenes ill realised and not very convincing, particularly at the disappointing climax which is merely adequate. The film does contain a handful of fine performances that alone make it worth a watch. David Hemmings is fine as the idealistic captain and Trevor Howard constantly astonishing as his pig-headed nemesis. John Gielgud makes a fine turn as the doddery aristocrat and Harry Andrews typically shines as his aide. The rest of the cast is a mixed bag with some characters, like that of Vanessa Redgrave, feeling extraneous to the main story.
The film was directed by kitchen sink stalwart Tony Richardson with a kind of weary realism that makes it rather tedious to watch in places. The attention to detail and costume is strong, but the battle scenes ill realised and not very convincing, particularly at the disappointing climax which is merely adequate. The film does contain a handful of fine performances that alone make it worth a watch. David Hemmings is fine as the idealistic captain and Trevor Howard constantly astonishing as his pig-headed nemesis. John Gielgud makes a fine turn as the doddery aristocrat and Harry Andrews typically shines as his aide. The rest of the cast is a mixed bag with some characters, like that of Vanessa Redgrave, feeling extraneous to the main story.