Compare and Contrast the Poem ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ (1854) by Tennyson and the Film Version (1968) of the same events by the Director Tony Harrison
Compare and Contrast the Poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade' (1854) by Tennyson and the Film Version (1968) of the same events by the Director Tony Harrison
The Charge of the Light Brigade was a dramatic historical event that has inspired many artists to work around these events. Two such examples are the poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson written in 1854 and the film of 1968 directed by Tony Harrison. Both these works have similarities and differences, such as attitudes towards the soldiers and officers, the amount of emotion and attention to detail but both the poem and the film paint a vivid picture of the events surrounding this famous blunder.
The Charge of the Light Brigade took place during the Crimean War which lasted from 1853-56 and was fought between the Russians and the Allies, who were France, Britain and Turkey. The actual Charge of the Light Brigade occurred during the battle of Balaklava in 1854. Although in poem the names of the officers are not mentioned, they are in the film. The Chief Commander of the army was Lord Raglan. He sent the message to the cavalry, which was taken by Lord Nolan down to the commander of the cavalries, Lord Lucan. Lord Lucan read the order but due to the hurriedness of Lord Nolan the order was misinterpreted and Lord Lucan, and he and the Commander of the Light Brigade, Lord Cardigan, marched with their cavalry towards the Russian army, and to their fate.
At the end of each line of the poem Tennyson writes the words, "the six
hundred", referring to the six hundred cavalrymen. In verses one, two and three Tennyson portrays the Light Brigade as riding gallantly into the battle, he writes, "Rode the six hundred". In the forth and fifth verse he changes it slightly to emphasise the death of a number of soldiers of the Light Brigade. His words are "Then they rode back, but not, not the six hundred". As the reader this makes us feel upset for the loss that occurred unnecessarily, and feel annoyed towards the officers who had made this terrible error.
The poem appears to have been written to immortalise the men who fought so bravely and not to dwell on the officers were responsible for the blunder. This can be seen in the lines, "Boldly they rode and well" and, "Honour the Charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!" Also as seen in other sources of information we can see that specific officers names were removed and made more general for example. "Someone had bluder'd".
The poem is written so the reader seems like he is involved, and passion and emotion gets inspired ...
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The poem appears to have been written to immortalise the men who fought so bravely and not to dwell on the officers were responsible for the blunder. This can be seen in the lines, "Boldly they rode and well" and, "Honour the Charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!" Also as seen in other sources of information we can see that specific officers names were removed and made more general for example. "Someone had bluder'd".
The poem is written so the reader seems like he is involved, and passion and emotion gets inspired into the reader by Tennyson. Various lines he write make us feel like we know what is going to happen, or how all of the soldiers and people involved are feeling. The direct speech "Forward the Light Brigade! Charge for guns!" gives the impression of the reader being ordered, as if he is really there, in the front line. In the lines " Was there a man dismay'd? Not tho' the soldier new someone had blundered," the reader feels an immense amount of grief for the soldiers, but still the heroism of the soldiers an be seen.
The following few verses are describing the battle and as the bleak situation is described it makes the reader feel more anxious, "Cannon to the right of them, cannon to the left of them, cannon in front of them" and, "Sabring the gunners there,". The last quote shows the eternal bravery of the light brigade, taking on a platoon of Russian cannons with swords, all without questioning the order in the slightest, which once again shows the heroism of these brave soldiers.
Verse five makes the reader feel gloom for all the brave men who made the charge. "While horse and hero fell, they that had fought so well came thro' the jaws of death". However, the words, "came thro' the valley of death," give the reader hope that the men might still be alive. Finally the last verse honours the light brigade and almost orders the reader to feel pride and honour for the men, "Honour the charge they made! Honour the light brigade, noble six hundred!"
Tennyson builds up the tension in the poem excellently. The poem begins with steady pace of "Half a league, half a league, half a league onward" giving an impression of horses riding along. The poem gets faster when direct speech is used, "Forward the Light Brigade! Charge for guns!" this gives the impression of the horses speeding up quite rapidly. "Cannon to the right of them, cannon to the left of them, cannon in front of them", then this line makes the reader feel like there is no hope and as if the Light Brigade is completely surrounded by the Russian artillery.
Soon there is an explosion of uproar and commotion. The line, "Plunged in the battery-smoke right thro' the line they broke", gives this impression of action. Verse five is the aftermath of the battle and the retreat back through the valley and the reader is left wondering how many of the valiant cavalry were able to survive the ordeal and the fatal mistake that was made by the officers.
In the film version of the Charge of the Light Brigade, the director, Tony Harrison, sets out to disparage the officers of the British army, and, like the poem, to show the heroism and bravery of the soldiers. However, unlike the poem, in the film names the officers who were responsible for the blunder, and he also includes some spectators in the film. They are upper class people, who are there to watch the battle, and who regard it as a form of entertainment. Harrison portrays them in a very derogatory manner, like the officers.
Harrison shows the boldness of the men, and how they follow their officers, "down there is the greatest cavalry in the world, who will follow there officers to the ends of the earth and take it for granted that their officers are the best!" says Nolan, as he encourages Lord Raglan to make a move.
There are various ways in which Harrison puts across his ideas and feelings. He uses many cinematic procedures to do this. There is a poignant soundtrack that sums up various situations and gives good affects for the film. There is the bugle at the beginning as the tension builds and the cavalry marches towards the Russians, and as they get closer the music becomes louder until the chaos of battle when there is a cacophony of noise and music. Then there is the aftermath of the battle and the whistling wind as the survivors come through the smoke and try to make their way back to the British camp. There is a similarity between the poem and the film here as the poem builds up the tension with a methodical, measured approach as the cavalry nears the Russian army.
The film starts with a panoramic shot of the valley then it changes to activities going on. There is a shot of Nolan all alone taking the order down to the cavalry. He is riding down the side of the mountain and it seem as if the fate of the cavalry leans on the shoulders of this one person. There is also an arrogance in the way he rides down the mountain and this make you feel anxious, as the fate of the army rests upon this man who is portrayed in a less than amicable light. Half way through Lord Nolan realises something is wrong and tries to warn the rest of them but is hit by a piece of shrapnel. For the duration of Nolan's death the camera changes over to Lord Raglan who has a look of despair as he realises the mix up.
At the end of the battle you can only see the smoke form the cannons and slowly, one soldier emerges from the dust, then gradually more men and horses stumble along in a intermittent pattern which shows the heavy losses which were incurred due to the mistake. The final shot of the film is a shot of a dead horse that turns into a historical picture. This shows that the film was true and the events did actually happen, and all of those men were lost unnecessarily.
The tension is at its pinnacle as the horses are trotting into battle. As the Officers on higher ground can see what mistake they have made, all they can do is watch while the light brigade is unaware of the fate they are about to endure.
Both the poem and the film show the glory of the soldiers and the mistakes of the officers. However the poem doesn't name the officers, like the film does. The film also shows more detailed emotion of the characters. The film has a more personal level to it. While the poem only speaks about people in a very general way, like, 'the Light Brigade', or 'someone had blunder'd'. This generalisation does not get across the emotion of the individuals like he film does. In the film, the main officers involved, Raglan, Lucan, Cardigan and Nolan are all named.
You also get more of an idea of the officer's personalities in the film. Nolan comes across as a pushy, yet determined person. He forces Lord Raglan into making a hasty decision, and when he gives the order to Lucan, he points his arm in the general direction of the Russian army, which, because of his impatience makes Lucn take the wrong way and leads the cavalry straight to the forefront of the Russian army.
In conclusion, I think that that both the poem and the film portray the gallantry of the soldiers and the mistake of the officers. I think that through the media of film, it is easier for the director to show the emotion of the individuals, although there is a certain amount of emotion that can be instilled in the reader of the poem.
By Alex Chambers
