project film school

a trip to the theater: the charge of the light brigade,1968 (directed by tony richardson)


lincoln center is in the middle of their woodfall film series that is showcasing works from the studio that changed british cinema in the 60's. with the majority of editing complete on "the evolve documentary" - i was finally able to head uptown to partake in the series.

being that the original 1936 film based on the alfred lloyd tennyson poem is my father's favorite movie, i decided that the film for me to see was tony richardson's 1968 version. also of interest was the fact that vanessa redgrave would be introducing the film.

the mix of styles (animation,19th century) and moods (silly, devastating realism) make the film slightly off balance, but luckily it doesn't so much matter. the charge of the light brigade is a film you see and feel to understand the point..and while there may be moments of confusion about the direct path of the story, perhaps that's the point - as war itself is never without an underlying sense of befuddlement.

here is a small clip of vanessa redgrave and her brother corin talking briefly about what made the film revolutionary - unfortunately (or not) i ran out of memory right as corin launched into a very dramatic monologue of sorts that seemed to deal with acting and the importance of the film....

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