The Charge of the Light Brigade

The film opens with a critique of a British army bound by bureaucracy and social codes, long after a European war. It notes that Britain had not faced a European theatre since Waterloo, and that tactics and logistics had stagnated for decades. This setup explains why errors in the Crimea would prove costly.

Captain Louis Nolan is introduced as an experienced commander who earned his commission by merit rather than purchase. He views many aristocratic officers with contempt for their casual treatment of subordinates' lives. His position on Raglan's staff sets up the tension with Cardigan.

Nolan orders Moselle wine at a banquet where guests are meant to drink champagne, triggering Cardigan's anger. The clash exposes personal rivalries that will influence military judgment. It foreshadows how authority and protocol can derail decisions in war.

Nolan's affair with Clarissa Morris adds personal strain to his already difficult position. The relationship introduces moral complexity and complicates loyalties within his circle of friends and colleagues. It heightens his sense of isolation from the ruling aristocracy.

Nolan joins Raglan's staff and travels with British and French forces toward the Crimean peninsula. The march exposes the army to harsh conditions, inadequate supply lines, and growing organizational strain. The voyage builds the sense that leadership failure may undermine the campaign.

Along the march, cholera sweeps through the ranks, testing discipline and morale. Officers react with indifference as soldiers fall ill, revealing the gaps in medical care and logistics. Nolan witnesses the collapse of order and the fragility of their campaign.

The allied forces win the Battle of Alma, but Raglan chooses not to press the advantage and keeps the cavalry as a reserve. The decision reveals strategic caution and misjudgment that hinder the march inland. The victory also underscores the army's uneasy balance between bravado and hesitation.

Back in England, the press reports a fall of Sevastopol as if the campaign were arriving at a decisive close. The public narrative masks the true difficulties on the ground. This disconnect widens the gulf between commanders and the realities faced by troops.

Cardigan retreats to his coast-side yacht for formal dinners, a symbol of detachment from frontline realities. He also seduces Mrs. Duberly, illustrating a pattern of aristocratic vanity amid a brutal war. These personal episodes highlight the moral looseness at the top of command.

Raglan's vague, poorly relayed orders lead Cardigan and the cavalry toward a Russian artillery position. Nolan, enraged by the miscommunication, rages at the cordon of commands, realizing too late the danger ahead. The charge becomes a cautionary example of failed coordination.

Despite the confusion, Nolan bids to ride with Cardigan's light cavalry, seeking to influence events from the front. He understands the tactical trap, yet his warnings come too late. His presence in the doomed charge adds tragic dimension to the catastrophe.

As the Light Brigade advances into a hail of cannon fire, Nolan is struck by shrapnel while trying to warn Cardigan and salvage some sense from the situation. His death embodies the futility and courage of the doomed assault. The battlefield becomes a symbol of heroic folly rather than strategic triumph.

With most of his force dead or wounded, Cardigan engages in post-mortem bickering about who is to blame for the disaster. The film portrays the leadership's lack of accountability and the breakdown of command under pressure. The charge remains the defining symbol of the war's mismanagement.

Richard Williams's animations appear throughout the film, providing ironic counterpoint to the action. Modeled on Victorian cartoons, they celebrate British might even as the narrative exposes its flaws. The animations frame the story with a critical, satirical lens.

The film ends with a sketch drawing of a rotten dead horse from the Light Brigade, a stark visual summary of futile glory. The image lingers as a meditation on war's cost and the gap between praise and reality. It reinforces the anti-heroic tone that permeates the story.