TUESDAY

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE Film4, 12.40pm

The 1938 film of the same name, starring Errol Flynn, may be more stirring, but this 1968 take on the events of the Crimean War and the disastrous attack on Russian gun positions which led to the deaths of hundreds of cavalrymen is more powerful. It explores how an inept chain of command and interpersonal rivalries between the officers contributed to the tragedy, and uses Punch-style animated inserts to explain the politics of the time. Some viewers may find its anti-war stance a bit heavy handed, but the fine cast, which includes David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, John Gielgud and Trevor Howard, ensures that it is always watchable.