Charge Of The Light Brigade - Battle of Alma

"Fear not, my Lord. Regardless of the outcome of this campaign, future generations will name a sweater after you."

At 6:05 'Whoever is wounded - lie where he is until a bandsman comes to him. No soldier may go off carrying wounded men. If any man does such a thing - his name shall be stuck up in his parish kirk. Advance!" Great stuff.

Much has been made of the Cold War rivalry of the USA and Russia but much of British-Russian relations is greatly underestimated. Both steeped in great history there is a past of empires, war, resentment and Royal blood, essentially love-hate that still exists today.

The Crimean War was a campaign that showed how the British soldier’s worst enemy was not the enemy shooting at him, but his own incompetent generals and senior officers.

Just as an anecdote, I was in a factory on business several years ago in Bradford,UK. It was a former wool mill but had closed and was then an engineering operation. In any event they told me the material for both the British and Russian troops was produced there for the Crimean war.

I'm not sure the movie is really portraying correctly Marechal de Saint Arnaud. He was an soldier who moved up the ranks serving in the Foreign Legion in Algeria. He was fierce-less and fought against local tribes. He was known to have walled alive 800 men from the Sbeha tribe in 1845. He supported Napoleon III by shooting opponents in Paris during the 1852 coup. In Crimea he was aged 56 and he fought the Alma battle ridding his horse Nador for 12 long hours. I suppose he could have held the bad guy role in the movie, but instead he's shown here like an helpless old man.

Amazing all the extras employed in the days before CGI. Although the dialogue seems strange, having read a book on the battle, most of it is authentic.

I love arm chair generals on the internet

i love these old films....extras in costume beats CGI anyday

Gielgud putting in a stellar performance.

After the battle of Alma, a French officer proclaimed that only British infantry could have taken that hill.

Love this film, with all it's shortcomings...

I've been on the Alma and walked the battlefield of Balaklava. Interesting.

"You'll take my life, but I'll take yours too You fire musket, but I'll run you through"

This film got it right by showing that French Marshal St Arnaud was the one to come up with a very clever battle plan of diversion and distraction. No small feat considering the Marshal died of illness a few days latter. Unfortunatly this film ignores the role played by the French at the battles of Alma and Balaclava.

"I can't stand up" "Chair! Chair for Maréchal Saint-Arnaud." "Merci" "Asseyez-vous je vous prie mon Maréchal".

By this time cavalry was just beginning to lose it's old edge thanks to rifled muskets and better artillery. A few years later during the American Civil War infantry always chided passing cavalry with the question "Who ever saw a dead cavalryman?" with heavy veteran humor.

Britain (and France) actually won the Crimean War and the battle of Alma. The charge of the Light Brigade was a terrible mistake but the Heavy Brigade smashed a much greater Russian cavalry force and the British infantry beat a much larger Russian force (thin red line) that same day. So actually it was quite a good day for the British army, if not for the British Light Cavalry.

great footage!

You're right, thank you. I love the Highlanders uniform