The Charge of the Light Brigade

Starring:Trevor Howard, Vanessa Redgrave, John Gielgud, Harry Andrews, Jill Bennett, David Hemmings, Ben Aris, Mickey Baker (II), Peter Bowles, Leo Britt, Mark Burns, John J. Carney, Helen Cherry, Chris Chittell, Ambrose Coghill, Howard Marion-Crawford, Christopher Cunningham, Mark Dignam, Michael Dillon, Alan Dobie
Director: Tony Richardson
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The best-known of Errol Flynn's movies are already out there on DVD, so surely there can't be much left over to keep the second volume of the Errol Flynn Signature Collection from being an anticlimax. Except it's not. The new boxed set includes a splendid historical adventure, two aviation movies impressive in different ways, and a late swashbuckler that operates as a droll gloss on the star's persona. Plus (wait for it...) it also contains the best movie Errol Flynn ever made, and very likely his best performance as well.

Let's take that last one first. Raoul Walsh's Gentleman Jim (1942) is a great, boisterous gift box of a movie, a high-spirited biopic of late-19th-century prizefighter James J. Corbett. The setting is San Francisco in the Gay '90s, with Flynn/Corbett starting out as a brash, egotistical bank teller fast with his mouth and light on his feet. Given a chance to crash high society, he becomes a pugilist for the amusement of the nabobs, then sets out on a boxing career that will bring him glove-to-glove with the Great John L. ... Sullivan, that is, and portrayed with Walshian gusto by Ward Bond. Gentleman Jim is fragrant with period atmosphere, exhilarating in its feeling for space and back-slapping human contact, and so big-hearted and exuberant that it finally invites the audience right into the film. Alexis Smith--as a socialite who ribs Corbett mercilessly--and Flynn conduct a strikingly egalitarian mating duel. The supporting cast includes Jack Carson, Alan Hale, and the epically grumpy William Frawley, and the whirlwind montages are by future director Don Siegel. This is great fun--and a masterpiece to boot.

The adventure movie is The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), Flynn's second star vehicle in Hollywood. A step up in scale and gloss from Captain Blood, this Michael Curtiz picture is historical poppycock but thrilling spectacle, with exotic doings in India and Asia Minor building to the horrendous siege of Chukoti, then a lateral move to the Crimea for the big Tennyson finish every perennial schoolboy in the audience has been waiting for. The Flynn of this swashbuckler-one-step-removed isn't the buoyant and boyish fellow we expect; he even comes in second to fellow Bengal Lancer (and dull brother) Patric Knowles for the heart of Olivia De Havilland. But he wears nobility well, and there's genuine tenderness in his performance. The camerawork and editing of the Charge will lift your heart rate, and the large supporting cast includes Donald Crisp, Nigel Bruce, Spring Byington, C. Henry Gordon, and Flynn pal David Niven.

Niven and Flynn are together again in The Dawn Patrol (1938), a memorable WWI tale of British airmen flying perilous missions in flimsy planes, and the flight commanders who have to send them out to do it. Basil Rathbone (in a rare departure from villainy in a Flynn movie) plays the tortured commandant whom hotshot Flynn will be obliged to succeed. Although this is the Dawn Patrol most people know, it's actually the remake of a 1930 Howard Hawks classic. The original has a starker feel (inseparable from its early-talkie creakiness), as if its airbase were at the edge of the known world. The more up-to-date Flynn version, directed by Edmund Goulding, is smoother entertainment, with a stronger supporting cast--but all the flying footage is from Hawks's movie.

The other aviation drama is Dive Bomber (1941), a big hit just before America's entry into WWII. Flynn plays it more sober than usual (no pun intended) as a Navy flight surgeon helping to lick the challenge of high-altitude sickness. There's no good reason for the movie to last 132 minutes, and both the macho griping of aviator Fred MacMurray and the garish treatment of the peripheral females (including Alexis Smith in her first featured role) get tiresome. But these are worth enduring for the breathtaking flight scenes in vivid Technicolor--which looks every bit as great as it must have in 1941. Director Michael Curtiz, in what would be his last film with Flynn, even sets up the ground scenes to include low-altitude flyovers.

The Adventures of Don Juan (1948), made near the end of Flynn's Warner years, is a footnote to the star's swashbuckling legacy and a not-very-inside joke on his reputation as real-life Don Juan; the picture is at least as interested in eliciting chuckles as serving up thrills. Director Vincent Sherman lacked the brio of Curtiz and the gusto of Walsh, but he ably steers the actor past self-parody to a reasonably graceful performance. Again, the real excitement is the ultra-radiant Technicolor--a perhaps inadvertent result of veteran film noir cameraman Woody Bredell lighting the movie as though he were still working that black-and-white territory. Viveca Lindfors supplies urbane love interest as the Queen of Spain, and Robert Douglas stands in for Basil Rathbone as villain-in-chief.

Consistent with previous Warner practice, all but one of the features in Volume 2 come packaged with a "Warner Night at the Movies" set of shorts: cartoons, comedy shorts, trailers for contemporaneous WB movies, and sometimes newsreels. The disc of Gentleman Jim also includes an audio-only bonus, a radio reenactment featuring Flynn and costars Alexis Smith and Ward Bond. Probably because of its two-hour-plus running time, Dive Bomber is accompanied only by its trailer and a brief documentary, in which historian Rudy Behlmer shares a choice anecdote about Mike Curtiz attempting to direct airplanes. Unfortunately, of Flynn and his various directors, only Vincent Sherman was still available to do a commentary track (on Adventures of Don Juan, which also includes Behlmer commentary); Sherman passed away in 2006 at the age of 99. --Richard T. Jameson

Studio description

Includes The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), Gentleman Jim (1942), The Adventures of Don Juan (1948), The Dawn Patrol (1938), and Dive Bomber (1941).

Customer Reviews:

Errol Flynn the Swashbuckler.......2007-06-26

Flynn had always been a favorite of mine when I was growing up. He was so great as a pirate, pilot, or whatever he took on as a role. I bought this collection primarily for "Dawn Patrol." As a retired fighter pilot, Vietnam and earlier era, all of us pilots watched Dawn Patrol while on air defense alert. I still feel that this movie catches the dilemma of being a pilot and then being a commander that has to send his pilots up to die. Much the same as in Twelve O'Clock High and Command Decision, the commanders all had the same experiences. The cast in this one is outstanding: Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, David Niven (another favorite actor of mine), Barry Sullivan, Donald Crisp, and on.. all wonderful! The experience level of the young pilots when they arrived for combat was horrendously low, accounting for their short-lived careers. If any one of them could survive a few weeks, gained experience, and did not get shot down, they stood a chance of getting a lot of missions. Some didn't make it past the first day! Good aerial combat scenes for the technology at the time. Special effects nowadays produce stunning aerial scenes as in the current movie "Flyboys." I liked Flyboys, but Dawn Patrol is still the best. The devil-may-care attitude of these young fighter pilots was one of the reasons I chose to go into the Air Force when I became of age.

This is a great study of the stresses of command and the responsibilities that come with it. I look forward to watching the rest of the movies in the collection.

Not quite as impressive as Signature Collection, Vol. 1..........2007-06-08

A nice treat for ERROL FLYNN fans, but a bit disappointing when compared to the Signature Collection No. 1 which featured better special features and more intriguing commentaries than are offered here.

The major assets here are three Flynn films that have stood the test of time very well--THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE (teaming him with his favorite leading lady Olivia de Havilland and a sterling British cast); THE ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN directed with taste and style with a robust sense of humor by Vincent Sherman who also does some light narration; and GENTLEMAN JIM which features one of Flynn's most satisfying performances in a top-notch production directed by Raoul Walsh and featuring a wonderful supporting role by Ward Bond as John L. Sullivan.

Other than that, THE DAWN PATROL, while interesting as an early Flynn vehicle co-starring him with David Niven, is not quite up to classic status with its stock footage from the earlier version; and DIVE BOMBER, while it looks gorgeous in Technicolor, is way below par as a story of flight surgeons working on methods to control altitude problems for pilots battling black-outs due to cockpit pressures in 1941.

The extra features are just "okay" but nothing to get excited about. Flynn does prove in DAWN PATROL and GENTLEMAN JIM that he was a much better actor than critics ever acknowledged and his fans will certainly enjoy his work here.

ALEXIS SMITH is gorgeous in the Technicolored DIVE BOMBER, although her role is very peripheral, and does extremely well as his sweetheart in GENTLEMAN JIM.

And, of course, it's nice to see such a pristine print of THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE which features Flynn and Patric Knowles as brothers in love with the same young lady (Olivia de Havilland) and a cast that includes Donald Crisp, Spring Byington, David Niven and Nigel Bruce.

Sharp-eyed fans will notice that THE ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN includes some footage from both ROBIN HOOD and ELIZABETH AND ESSEX for filler material, but the footage is blended in remarkably well and the DON JUAN film has been given the lavish Technicolor treatment Warner Bros. bestowed on those earlier films.

A nice package, but far from perfect.

Pleasures revisited.......2007-05-18

These handsome DVD transfers confirm opinions held in some cases over 50 years. "Don Juan", while not as brilliant as some Technicolor restorations (Adventures of Robin Hood, Wizard of Oz) looks gorgeous, and the tongue-in-cheek commentary by 90 years plus director Vince Sherman confirms the impression of super teamwork at the always economical Warner studio of those days.

"Gentleman Jim" is one of Raoul Walsh's delightful sentimental comedies, and not surprisingly one of Flynn's own favourites. "Light Brigade" is a brilliant print , and far more spectacular than remembered - and what a cast. Mike Curtiz has his usual fun with battle scenes and spectacle, and the only black mark is for cruel treatment of the horses in the charge scene. "Dawn Patrol" is superbly cast and scripted, and directed with great flair by the often overlooked Edmund Goulding, settled into Warner's after being fired by Louis B Mayer, and doing a wonderful job on uncharacteristic material. Goulding's efforts are only a little spoiled by the poor special effects re-used from The 1930 Howard Hawks version, but the aerial battles stand up well. Flynn shows he really is an actor, magnificently supported by Rathbone, Niven and the ever-reliable Donald Crisp. Those were the days...

"Dive Bomber" is the least of the bunch, but no Curtiz picture is entirely without interest, and early Technicolor continues to be a revelation.

A great set, with the usual nutty extra features, Vitaphone shorts, newsreels, Merrie Melodies and so forth. Great entertainment, with Flynn at his considerable best.

A Must for Flynn Fans.......2007-05-15

This set is worth owning for "The Adventures of Don Juan" alone. Flynn was the best swashbuckler ever. He makes the following believable: "...There is a little Don Juan in every man. Since I am Don Juan, there is a little more in me." Picture and sound across the board are excellent. The set gives you 5 films at approximately a 50% reduction from the individual price. Each film includes extras. An outstanding product at a very good price.

Errol Flynn at his best!.......2007-05-15

This box set is a terrific addition to any film collection. Featuring 5 Flynn films, it picks up where the previous box set leaves off. Unfortunately, it doesn't feature the Warner Night at the Movies segment with Leonard Maltin like the first box set but it does have many extras such as cartoons and short subjects. I believe that all 5 of these films have been released on VHS at some point. I would like to see some of Flynn's lesser known (and previously unreleased on VHS) films be included in a Volume 3 some day. Wishful thinking, perhaps.

Average customer rating:

BEST HISTORICAL CAVALRY CHARGE EVER!
An action movie like no other
Adequate
The charge of the lighter brigade
Entertaining, but Hell on the horses

The Charge of the Light Brigade
Starring: Errol Flynn , Olivia de Havilland , Patric Knowles , Henry Stephenson , and Nigel Bruce
Director: Michael Curtiz , Lloyd French , and B. Reeves Eason
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000M2E30E
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Amazon.com essential video

Why is The Charge of the Light Brigade so rarely even mentioned among Errol Flynn's swashbucklers? It's a terrific movie, something like the peak of spectacular Hollywood action filmmaking and the bravura style of Michael Curtiz. The setting--till the Crimean War climax--is the Indian frontier (impersonated, as so often, by rocky Lone Pine, California), where the 27th Bengal Lancers run afoul of an Oxford-educated slime named Surat Khan (C. Henry Gordon). Flynn and Olivia de Havilland bring real tenderness to two-thirds of a romantic triangle (the other corner is the hero's brother, Patric Knowles). There's the fearsome siege of Chukoti, an unspeakable atrocity, and finally the foolhardy, inspired Charge at Balaklava. The camerawork and editing of that grand sequence never cease to astonish. History (and political correctness) is better served by the 1968 Tony Richardson movie, but for unabashed epic sweep and matchless thrills, this is the one you want. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews:

BEST HISTORICAL CAVALRY CHARGE EVER!.......2007-06-21

I first saw this movie in 1977 when I was 7, and now I am 37, and I still think this is one of the best movies ever!!! This was made over 5 years BEFORE PEARL Harbor. For 1936, and this FAMOUS Charge, with Errol Flynn, and this MUSICAL SCORE is the greatest! This movie is timeless, and should be shown to your children, and then their children!! They DO NOT make movies like this anymore!

An action movie like no other.......2007-06-12

I am an avid Errol Flynn fan where his action movies are concerned.
The Charge of the Light Brigade is timeless and should be seen by the younger generation who were never exposed to this movie. I am from the baby boom days.

Adequate.......2007-06-09

Not one of Flynn's best movies, but has a good score and at times is fairly fast-paced. Historically fuzzy at times, at least some of the major characters from the time period are well represented.

The charge of the lighter brigade.......2007-06-08

Ok, this movie is a little 1930's fluff, but it still beckons me to watch it. I must have seen it at least a dozen times or more and am still stirred by the action and it has an interesting romantic twist.
This is Errol Flynn at his best. He and Olivia make a grand couple and Patrick Knowles is stirling as the brother in love with Olivia.
The stock cast of players does a find job and brings a special touch to the film.

Entertaining, but Hell on the horses.......2007-05-29

Warner Bros. and Michael Curtiz faced a real challenge with their 1936 epic The Charge of the Light Brigade: how to solve the problem of turning the biggest fiasco in British military history into a heroic adventure? Why, ignore history entirely and make it all up instead, of course! Unfortunately, it doesn't quite pull it off, because no matter how entertaining the first hundred minutes are, there's no getting around the stupidity of Donald Crisp's commanding officer or the criminal irresponsibility of Errol Flynn's actions in the last reel, no matter how `noble' his intentions. Nor is it easy to accept the truly vicious horsefalls in the final charge, no matter how spectacular the sequence, although at least the huge number of horses killed in the sequences (along with one stuntman) led to laws being passed to protect animals in films.

Despite the title, the film takes its lead from the previous year's The Lives of a Bengal Lancer and is more interested in revolting natives on the Indian frontier than it is in the Crimean War, with Flynn's dashing cavalry officer surprisingly losing Olivia De Havilland's hand to his brother Patric Knowles while failing to avert a massacre masterminded by C. Henry Gordon's treacherous Surat Khan. The Charge itself is here an act of revenge rather than a ghastly blunder, and is portrayed as the turning point in the war rather than a wasted heroic gesture. But then, when Tony Richardson offered a more historically accurate version in 1968, audiences stayed at home in droves, so the studio clearly knew what they were doing by going for romantic hokum, and darn entertaining hokum at that.

(Incidentally, the theme of animal cruelty is continued in the 1936 Porky Pig cartoon Boom Boom included on the DVD, a bizarre, tasteless - but in an unfunny way - spoof of WW1 that delights in killing animals with high explosives for the first half of its running time!)

The extras are good but a little unsatisfying compared to other Errol Flynn titles: this is one film where a documentary would have been particularly useful, but aside from the Warners Night at the Movies selected shorts and an audio commentary, the only extra relating to the film itself is a reissue trailer - a pity since even the original four-minute theatrical trailer included a lot of behind-the-scenes footage.

Average customer rating:

TorpanInternational
Worst War Movie Ever
Every Republican should see this Film
an embarrassing mess saved by one brilliant concept
Glory Examined

The Charge of the Light Brigade
Starring: Trevor Howard , Vanessa Redgrave , John Gielgud , Harry Andrews , and Jill Bennett
Director: Tony Richardson
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Release Date: 2002-05-07

Amazon.com

Tony Richardson's film about the colossal Crimean War blunder combines his sociopolitical anger with the splendors of a David Lean epic for a fascinating artifact of that boiling-point protest year, 1968. Like America's contemporaneous Vietnam War, Britain's mid-19th-century conflict with Russia in defense of Turkey made less sense the deeper they sank into it; John Gielgud's Lord Raglan keeps referring absentmindedly to the enemy as "the French"! Aside from a peripheral romantic triangle involving apparently the single sane officer in Her Majesty's army (David Hemmings), his friend (Mark Burns), and the friend's wife (Vanessa Redgrave--Mrs. Richardson), the film is really about the profoundly jingoistic Victorian imagination; transitional animation sequences by Richard Williams seem to plunge us directly into the British national psyche. Somewhat muddled as drama, but irresistibly persuasive in its historical detail and stunning camerawork (David Watkin, Chariots of Fire), The Charge of the Light Brigade is a prime candidate for rediscovery. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

From director Tony Richardson (Tom Jones) comes this brilliant retelling of tragic events during the Crimean War. Starring Trevor Howard, John Gielgud, David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave, this epic political satire is an "impressive achievement" (Boxoffice) that will forever be revered as movie making at its best. British Captain Nolan (Hemmings) is a devoted officer disgusted with his commander, Lord Cardigan (Howard). Lord Raglan (Gielgud) is a foolish officer with misguided war strategies and a fading memory. Together, they are sent to Turkey in response to a Russian invasion. Driven by arrogance and ineptitude, they send hundreds of cavalry to certain death in aclimax that is both "harrowing [and] magnificent" (Time).

Customer Reviews:

TorpanInternational.......2007-03-15

This film is a piece of historical record,but thats as far as it went.

Im sad that the screen writer want to concentrate on forification ,as much as did.More explaination of the object ---history would have brought it up to a higher standard.

Sorry it didnt go to 3 stars

Worst War Movie Ever.......2007-01-18

This was the worst war movie I've ever seen.
It was hard to sit through and the ending was even worse.
...and I like war movies.

Every Republican should see this Film.......2006-09-27

This is an interesting allegorical tale. David Hemmings, in one of his best roles, represents the instinctual nature of the ordinary man with no greater aspirations other than to enjoy the pleasures of life. As political and military figures "wave the flag" to the beat of their own political persuasions, loyalty unto death to those political persuasions is the only proof of loyalty to one's country. Men die in this film and it is not all for queen and country.

an embarrassing mess saved by one brilliant concept.......2006-07-04

this is a one star movie that im giving three stars. while it is unquestionably more factually accurate than the errol flynn classic (sadly not yet on dvd), it is nowhere near as entertaining -- tho i do like the performance of trevor howard as the insane lord raglan. no, what raises this movie up is the occasional all too brief animation sequences, based on contemporary drawings from the crimean war era. would that the director had the balls (or wherewithal) to film the entire movie in this style, we might have had a unique and exciting piece. instead its just a mish-mash interrupted by flashes of brilliance.

Glory Examined.......2006-03-22

As a boy, I thrilled to the 1939 film with Errol Flynn and I read Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade" in class. As an adult, I studied the history of the Crimean War (along with other history). I don't know how I missed this film until now.

More accurate by far than the 1939 film, this film examines the claim that glory can be extracted from a series of blunders, incompetences and personality conflicts in the field. Supported by a wonderful caste playing their roles imppecably, this 1968 remake is devoid of the romance or righteousness of the 1939 film. I still love the old one, but more for it's romance than accurracy. This remake does the exact opposite of the Flynn/de Haviland film. Romance is represented here by a desolate one night stand between Cardigan and one of his subbordinate officer's wives who plays the part of an empty headed beast, hungry for a thrill to the point of bloodthirstiness against Trevor Howard's parody of Cardigan as a ridiculous lover/cavalier.

The cartoons are interesting in their style and meaning and their use here causes me to wonder if Monty Python was inspired by their use in this film as it criticizes the ideas of empire and glory. This is a film that could have only emerged from the compost of the Viet-Nam era. I wonder how it was received in England since it criticizes all the old ideas of Empire, Queen, country and British chauvanism. I wonder how much it contributed to the growth of permanent anti-war culture in Britain? I'd love to read a review of this film from 1968.

Few films that claim to be historically based are actually very factual. There are only a few questionable incidents here. I am not sure if the note was written inacurrately, but according to this film, Raglan only ordered an andvance with support that he wasn't sure was there and only assumed Lucan would understand the intention to flank the guns not charge them. This film lays nearly the entire disaster on a Captain Norlan's head. Noland seems to have understood the intention to flank the guns but after goading his superior officers into a straight on charge, seems to have a change of heart once he sees the devastating reality of their course. He charges up and hysterically tries to force Cardigan to ride up the valley he seemed to know Raglan intended. One strength of this film is that it creates a question as to whether anyone attempted to prompt the orders on the field. Captain Noland was either a loose cannon or a scapgoat - we may never know. A good historic film should have this effect - to inspire the acquisition of more historical knowledge.

As for the charge itself, it is done as it should be, with no soundtract so that the viewer may experience the event without any other emotional support. My only complaint is that the retreat was also fired upon and the impression is given here that once the cannon lines were reached all firing by the Russians ceased. Russian calvary did charge in once the guns were breached, but the Brigade was fired upon as it withdrew and the Russians did not pursue. Cardigan is unscathed, but little account is given the viewer as to how that luck transpired. A small group that held to him did reach the guns and retreat out. He must have ultimately been protected by the press of his own men around him. I think the charge itself should have lasted longer since the this is the climax and the film's title. A lot more story could have been portrayed such as Cardigan's ride and the 670 horses and men filmed represented more fully. Think of the effect of a charge that goes on and on to the point that the audience feels that there is no escape.

Ultimately, this is an anti-war film and no surprise here. Perhaps it is a bit exaggerated in some of its scenes, but the point is well made. War is hell and not entertainment as the horrified spectators attending this expedition find. That scene, of the sobering of those who revile in the excitment of war, is well done. Still, the mystery of glory survives. The few men left on their feet volunteer to "go again" prompting Cardigan's gallant understated reply, "No,no, you've done enough today."

The History of Warfare: Balaclava 1854 - The Charge of the Light Brigade

Average customer rating:

The History of Warfare: Balaclava 1854 - The Charge of the Light Brigade
Starring: History of Warfare
Manufacturer: Cromwell Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000P2XMIK
Release Date: 2007-05-08

Description

The Battle of Balaclava, the most famous battle of the Crimean War (1854-1856), is also one of the most famous battles in military history. The battle was distinguished by three celebrated acts of exceptional heroism-the courage of the 93rd Highland Regiment, forever immortalized as "the Thin Red Line"; the dashing bravery the utter disaster that befell the Light Brigade when it made its infamous suicidal charge on the Russian artillery positions. Featuring special dramatized "eyewitness" accounts and reconstructions, period imagery, and computer generated 3-D maps of the battlefield, this DVD is a dramatic record of the battle. Narrated by Brian Blessed, this DVD also features expert commentary and analysis by Dr. David Chandler, one of the world's foremost military historians and former head of the Department of War Studies at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

THE WARLORD with Charlton Heston (The War Lord) (O Senhor da Guerra) (High Quality Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America)(Adventure)

Average customer rating:

A true and graphic depiction of the time

THE WARLORD with Charlton Heston (The War Lord) (O Senhor da Guerra) (High Quality Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America)(Adventure)

Manufacturer: Classicline
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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Soldier Blue

ASIN: B000I3LX2S

Product Description

Brand new, factory sealed, fully licensed DVD manufactured in Brazil. NTSC format. Playable on any North American DVD player. High quality widescreen color image. Original English dialog with optional subtitles in Portuguese. Portuguese subtitles do not appear unless turned on and they can be easily turned off. The following is a review which appears in Amazon for the VHS edition. "I think this is one of the best-ever medieval war films. Charlton Heston's role (Chrysagon Delacroix) is almost perfect: Rosemary Forsyth (Bronwyn) is mysterious and gorgeous. Bors (played by Richard Boone) is taciturn, rough and also unforgettable. Draco (Guy Stockwell, Heston's insanely jealous younger brother) is my favorite character. Other than a few visual (technical) gaffs - like arrows bouncing off the siege tower draw bridge, and using modern-looking recurve bows - the armor and weapons and fighting is very satisfying. The mixture of Christianity in the presence of the old unforgotten Celtic religion is a tense ingredient that adds depth to what is essentially a simple story of "boy meets girl" and keeps her, even when his world turns against him over it."

Customer Reviews:

A true and graphic depiction of the time.......2007-03-21

Over the years I have bought this movie several times as it really brings the life and times of its characters into full view. This has an exceptionally strong cast and will be watched and enjoyed by any history buff.

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE with Errol Flynn (A Carga da Brigada Ligeira) (Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America)(Adventure)

Average customer rating:

Good if great quality is not important

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE with Errol Flynn (A Carga da Brigada Ligeira) (Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America)(Adventure)

Manufacturer: Classicline
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Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000GKB22Y

Product Description

Brand new, factory sealed, fully licensed DVD manufactured in Brazil. NTSC format. Playable on any North American DVD player. Full screen black and white image. Original English dialog with optional subtitles in Portuguese. Portuguese subtitles do not appear unless turned on and they can be easily turned off. The following review appears in Amazon for the VHS edition: "Reviewer: Robert S. Clay Jr. From the standpoint of history, artistic license abounds in this classic adventure movie. In fairness, the filmmaker posts a disclaimer of the historical veracity of the film right at the beginning. Errol Flynn is at his flamboyant best as dashing English officer, Geofrrey Vickers. He vies with his brother (Patrick Knowles) for the love of Olivia DeHavilland. C. Henry Gordon is evilly conniving as Surat Khan, leader of the fictional Suristan faction. When England cuts off his money, Surat Khan wages war against the British interlopers. After Surat Khan massacres non-combatants at the garrison of Chokoti (sp.?), India is too hot to hold him. In typical Hollywood fashion, the action shifts to the Crimea at Sebastopol where the British face the Russians at Balaklava Heights. Vickers, still burning with anger over the massacre of innocents, discovers this and he forges orders for the Light Brigade to attack. Under the direction of Michael Curtiz, the slam-bang action sequences of this movie provide memorable thrills. As the lancers charge into the face of roaring cannon, to the right of them, to the left of them, in front of them, quotes from Tennyson's poem appear on screen. The shot of the fallen lancer still holding aloft the billowing Union Jack in his lifeless hand is great imagery. "When can their glory fade?" Filmed in glorious B&W, this classic action/adventure film is a good example of the quality product of the Warner Brothers film sutdio at its Depression Era height. Enjoy the old fashioned fun."

Customer Reviews:

Good if great quality is not important.......2006-08-15

This review is for the Brazilian edition only. Overall, this movie transfer is OK if you are not a stickler for very high quality transfers and need to have this DVD now. It does not seem that Warner Brothers is going to release any more Errol Flynn titles anytime soon. It is in English and you can turn the Portuguese subtitle off. It is not a high quality transfer and it skips a lot throughout.

All that being said, this is one of Errol Flynn's early and best action movies during the early part of his career. It is a fictionalized account of the famous charge of the British lancers and in my opinion a lot more interesting than the later version with Gielgould which although more accurate historically, the action is terrible. Flynn is at his best and the movie direction is excellent.

I give the movie 5 stars, the video transfer 2 to 3 stars. If you can wait for Warner Brothers to release it, I suggest that you wait. If not, it is not too bad. The seller I bought it from was excellent.

The Charge of the Light Brigade [Region 2]

Average customer rating:

TorpanInternational
Worst War Movie Ever
Every Republican should see this Film
an embarrassing mess saved by one brilliant concept
Glory Examined

The Charge of the Light Brigade [Region 2]
Starring: Trevor Howard , Vanessa Redgrave , John Gielgud , Harry Andrews , and Jill Bennett
Director: Tony Richardson
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Khartoum
Zulu Dawn
Zulu
Duellists (Ws Sub)
Breaker Morant (Masterworks Edition)

ASIN: B0002CH7WU

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

TorpanInternational.......2007-03-15

Worst War Movie Ever.......2007-01-18

This was the worst war movie I've ever seen.
It was hard to sit through and the ending was even worse.
...and I like war movies.

Every Republican should see this Film.......2006-09-27

an embarrassing mess saved by one brilliant concept.......2006-07-04

Glory Examined.......2006-03-22

THE FLAME AND THE ARROW (Adventure) with Burt Lancaster (O Gaviao e a Flecha) (High Quality Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America)

Average customer rating:

THE FLAME AND THE ARROW (Adventure) with Burt Lancaster (O Gaviao e a Flecha) (High Quality Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America)

Manufacturer: Classicline
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
Similar Items:

The Crimson Pirate
CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER with Gregory Peck (O Falcao dos Mares) (High Quality Import Edition-NTSC Region 1 Format-Playable in North America)(Adventure)
The Black Swan
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Literary Classics Collection (Madame Bovary (1949), Captain Horatio Hornblower, The Three Musketeers (1948), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 and 1952 Versions), Billy Budd)

ASIN: B000GKVEU4

Product Description

Brand new, factory sealed, fully licensed DVD manufactured in Brazil. NTSC format. Playable on any North American DVD player. High quality full screen color image. Original English dialog with optional subtitles in Portuguese. Portuguese subtitles do not appear unless turned on and they can be easily turned off. The following review appears in Amazon for the VHS edition: " Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" "Though the plot is silly and derivative of "Robin Hood", this film makes a great vehicle for Burt Lancaster, as Dardo "The Arrow", a man who is adored by children, loved by women, and lives in a forest with his band of freedom fighters. It isn't the type of film one usually associates with Lancaster, as he won his awards and fame with serious drama; in his mid-thirties at the time, with chiseled bone structure, an incandescent smile, and an enormous amount of hair, he did his own stunts, some which are astonishing acrobatic feats. Dardo's sidekick is a mute named Piccolo, delightfully played by Nick Cravat, and the love interest is the lovely Virginia Mayo. It has a rousing Max Steiner score, lavish sets, and beautiful Technicolor cinematography in golden shades of red and brown by Ernest Haller. This was one of the first films I ever saw as a child, and it made an indelible impression on me; seeing it over 50 years later, it hasn't dimmed in its charm or exuberance."

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