"Cavalry Charges" Topic

I have just been watching the Charge of the Light Brigade (Erroll Flynn) and Waterloo and was wondering what is your favourite cinema cavalry charge--

Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
Waterloo-(Scots Grays)
Waterloo-(French mass attack)
Ride With the Devil
Or something else???

The French cuirassiers at Eylau, 1807, in Le Colonel Chabert.

Henry
Battlegames
battlegames.co.uk

Although fantasy I have to say the charge in return of the king was rather good

Are cavalry charges ever adequately/realistically portrayed in film?

Too often they are portrayed as as a number of individual horsemen galloping forwards. I love the colour and the excitement of the French charge in Olivier's Henry V but……

The '68 CotLB is fairly acceptable. The slow motion of the Scots Greys in Waterloo has great emotional/power the aerial views of the French cavalry in the same film is fairly good.

How about the charge from the film "The Lighthorseman" Beesheba in WW1.Know they weren't really cavalry but mounted infantry but impressive.

How about the charge by Thulsa Doom and his minions of Set in the 1st Conan movie? It didn't work out but I rather enjoyed watching it play out on screen.

One of the best in my opinion was the charge of the lancers towards the end of "Gunga Din".

Excalibur.

quality

Another vote for Lighthorsemen. Despite being mounted infantry, it's still the best cavalry charge on film.

Lighthorseman as well.
But i would say that the Cavalry charge at Hastings by reenactment groups look good i thing it was 1998

The charge at the square in the latest Four Feathers remake or The Last Samurai, the best, it's not film, but was once on the receiving end of 35 cavalry at a re-enactment, and that was real enough for me.

for movies I always thrill to the charge of the Bengal lancers in Gunga din and the charge of the Rohirrim at the Pelennor fields in Return of the King.

"The Wind and the Lion"? -not really huge, but I've always thought that fight (with the Marines in town as well) would make for a fun scenario…

Kagamushka has lots of good charges!
Henry 5th was quite good

Lawrence of Arabia had several intense cavalry charges.

My vote has to go to Errol Flynn in Charge of the Light Brigade. The buildup from the walk, to the trot and finally to the all out gallop (with accompanying music increasing at a faster tempo) really made the viewer feel like he was a part of the movie.

oooh yeah excalibur, the score carried that though imo.

I am splitting my vote between the Lighthorsemen and the Wind and the Lion.

I vote for the 21st Lancers charge at Omdurman in the film Young Winston.

YouTube link

The charge of the Australian Light Horse comes second, and Errol Flynn's CoLB charge third.

While I'm a great fan of LoTR, the charge of Rohan didn't give me the same 'hairs on the back of the neck' moment I still get from the others.

Hastings is a different kettle of fish. Re-enactors are all human and usually in control of their actions. But when you are standing on the top of that hill while groups of 35 or so Norman cavalry 'charge' at you, you are reminded that the hose is probably more in control than the rider.

Cinema might produce tingling and hair standing on end, being on the hill at Hastings produces seveal litres of but adrenalin as well !!

'you are reminded that the hose is probably more in control than the rider'

I often have that feeling – particularly when I'm wearing checked woollen knee-socks

Doctor Zhivago – cossacks charging on the frozen lake.

Maybe not the best, but I bet few of you seen that scene before. :-)

YouTube link

Patton's armored cavalry driving on Bastogne in the winter weather in the movie Patton.

Rick

On a lighter note, the charge of the Sherman tank out of the tunnel into the railroad yard in Kelly's Heroes.

Rick

The camels and cavalry charging into Aqaba in the film Lawrence of Arabia.

So we have--
Lawrence of Arabia- Attach on Aqaba
Lighthorsemen
Dr Zhivago-Cossaks on ice
Wind and the Lion
LOTR-Rohinim
Col Chabert-Eylau
Young Winston-Omdurman
Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
Waterloo-(Scots Grays)
Waterloo-(French mass attack)
4 Feathers(Most recent)
Last Samurai

The last charge of El Cid, from the movie El Cid.

Don't forget there are six cavalry actions in the LotR films:

1.) Eomer's banished forces charge the Uruk-hai camp on the edge of Fangorn (TTT).

2.) Theoden and his vanguard charge the Warg Riders (and vice versa) on the road to Helm's Deep. (TTT)

3.) Theoden's charge down the causeway at Helm's Deep. (TTT)

4.) Eomer & Gandalf charge the Uruk-hai flank at dawn at Helm's Deep. (TTT) (A good one.)

5.) Faramir's failed charge against the forces of Mordor at Osgiliath. (RotK)

6.) The charge of the Rohirrim at Pelennor Fields. (RotK).

Another vote for the cavalry charges in:

"The Lighthorsemen" which we gamed in 15mm (Aussies won);
"The Wind and the Lion" which we gamed in 25mm (Arabs won);
"Dr. Zhivago" (Cold Wars 2010 in 25mm?);
"Lawrence of Arabia" (not gamed yet but maybe someday); and
LoTR with Gandalf in front.

Best of all: the charge by the AIR Cav in "Apocalypse Now."
Everything about that scene is great.

Honorable Mention: Roman cavalry coming out of the woods at the start of "Gladiator."

Ronin

Very clever with the AIR Cav one, I had overlooked that, so I want to change my vote too.
That was (IS) an absolutely breathtaking sequence in Apocalypse Now!

PLAY IT LOUD!

Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
The Lighthorsemen

A bit of trivia. I was told many years ago that Charge of the Light Brigade (1930) has the dubious distinction of the most deaths (8) and serious injuries during shooting of any movie before or since. Errol Flynn in his Autobiography (My Wicked, Wicked Ways – a good read, by the way) says he saw several deaths and serious injuries during shooting the Belaclava charge sequence alone.