It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

. . . is the main takeaway from THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE. Victoria's secret was that she had an affinity for pricey lingerie, akin to Mary Todd Lincoln's passion for gloves or Imelda Marcos' yen for shoes. During the Great Silk Shortage of the 1850s, undergarment prices sky-rocketed so much that Parliament could not fund BOTH the coverings for the royal derrière AND foreign aid. To keep the Queen from needing to "go commando," they cut off a yearly 150,000-pound payment to a crucial Muslim leader (which is depicted at the beginning of BRIGADE). This movie's title suicide attack arises after Muslim terrorists rip a page from today's headlines, indiscriminately slaughtering all of the men, women, and children of a Christian and Sikh community in an attempt to force Vicky into adopting the Burka and restoring their annuity. The British lancers' ill-fated revenge attack is like a scene from BLACKHAWK DOWN, in which a small group of Westerners--out-numbered 50 to 1--must fight against impossible odds to keep their Queen in bloomers. Composer Max Steiner verges on his GONE WITH THE WIND motifs of a couple years later while Olivia DeHavilland preps for her "Melanie" role in WIND here as the extraneous Jezebel hussy who leaves Errol Flynn with nothing for which to live, and Vicky's Sweet Nothings for which to die.

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 .

The Charge of the Light Brigade is a 1936 action-adventure movie produced by Warner Brothers and directed by Michael Curtiz. The cast features Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, David Niven, Patric Knowles, Donald Crisp, and C. Henry Gordon. The story is set in the Indian subcontinent in the 1850s and depicts British efforts to defend against Russian encroachment into south Asia, culminating in the Crimean War. The title of the movie is transposed from a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson that honors a British regiment that was decimated in the war. In the movie the British are contending with both state and non-state players who pose a threat to the British presence in India. The British respond by creating various institutional structures to consolidate their position. One structure created is a surrogate British society replicating the one found in the mother country. It excludes all non-British subjects. This creates a cultural barrier that maintains cultural cohesion within the dominant British group and prevents infiltration and subversion by the indigenous populations. It also serves to prevent the British from being subsumed into the local culture. James Mahoney describes this tactic in his book (235). Another structure is a series of forts along the frontier that are manned mostly by local natives serving in the British army under the direct command of British officers. Employment of natives as troops keep the indigenous populations divided, a system manipulated by the British who dispense rewards for cooperation. Finally, another structure is an elaborate British Army headquarters situated inside India itself. Located in an urban area, in the movie it is Calcutta, this institution serves as a symbol of British power and authority and projects an image of political legitimacy and permanency, the message being: "We're here to stay." (And stay they did, until 1947.) Through such institutional contrivances, the British succeed in embedding themselves in the Indian subcontinent (where they remained until forced to depart, in response to geopolitical forces that rendered the British presence in India and their institutional structures obsolete). An especially noteworthy feature of the movie is its depiction of how the British military command was divided over the question of tactics. The upper echelon believes that peace in the region can be maintained through passive displays of British military might, that is, through intimidation, while the middle officer ranks vigorously advocate taking the initiative and going on the offensive. This discord later proves disastrous for the British. It erodes discipline within the command structure and leads to a serious breakdown in communication that puts the entire army at risk. Equally noteworthy is the movie's failure to deal forthrightly with the broader strategic question: what were the British doing in India in the first place? In cinematic depictions of Spanish imperialism, it is established that the Spanish are in search of gold, silver and anything else that can quickly generate cash, that is, they are wherever they are in order to plunder. In contrast, in this movie British motives in India are portrayed as noble and altruistic with the British officer in India as the paragon of chivalry and a symbol of everything that is good and decent, that is, a modern day version of the White Knight. (Not surprisingly, the story also includes a damsel in distress, played by Ms. de Havilland.) That these White Knights happen to be strutting around not in Sherwood Forest but in South Asia is conveniently glossed over. But as the saying goes, it's only a movie.

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.