'The Lighthorsemen' is a sweeping, epic story of the legendary Australian mounted infantry of WWI called the Light Horse. Directed by Australian Simon Wincer and beautifully photographed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Dean Semler ('Dances With Wolves'), 'The Lighthorsemen' tells the true story of a small group of Light Horse during the WWI British campaign in North Africa. Following several failed attempts to take Gaza, the British attempt to break the stalemate with the Turkish and German forces by feinting toward Gaza but directing a main assault on Beersheba. When the main British force of over 50,000 is held at bay by the entrenched Turkish artillary around Beersheba, with time running out for critical lack of water, the Light Horse commander proposes a bold and daring plan. A mounted charge by the Light Horse directly at Turkish defenses. And so it was, outnumbered 5 to 1, 800 Australian horsemen charged and took Beersheba, and did so with amazingly few casualties. The final charge of the Lighthorsemen alone is worth the price of admission.
When released theatrically in the US, the film was cut by nearly 20 minutes to 111 minutes. Lumivision's new laser disc special edition presents the full length, 130 minute version of the film letterboxed to its proper Panavision aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer is not all I would have hoped for, but it is certainly an adequate presentation of this film. Generally, the transfer quality is somewhat inconsistent with the worst coming in the first reel. Initially, the image appears slightly squeezed and noticably grainy, but stick with it and things improve after the first 15 minutes or so. Colors are usually solid but at times look a bit faded. Likewise, contrast is mostly good but a few scenes have a slightly dull look with blacks looking more gray. Though the graininess noticable in the first reel decreases later on, it never really goes away, but is thankfully not bad enough to be distracting. Detail and sharpness are very good.
Though the Dolby Stereo soundtrack lacks both the range and dynamics we have come to expect from newer films, it does contain some excellent directional effects and effective use of the surround channel. The overall quality of the sound is good with clear dialog (important for some of the heavier accents) and little or no distortion.
The 130 minute film is spread to three sides with side three in CAV. The first side break is exceptional but the platter break is less so. The disc is chapter encoded but only 16 markers were used for the film. Lumivision did include the Australian theatrical trailer as well as a clip from the 1940 Australian film '40,000 Horesmen' that depicts the same events as 'The Lighthorsemen'. Running commentary by Simon Wincer is recorded on analog channel 1.
Despite the less than stellar transfer and the rather high list price of $59.95, I still give 'The Lighthorsemen' a high recommendation, especially to students of history and historical warfare. Disc collectors should also take note. Films like this are rarely given this type of treatment and a company like Lumivision should be commended for bringing these types of films to disc collectors. If you can find room in the budget, 'The Lighthorsemen' would make a worthwhile addition to any collection.
This review is copyright, and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the author.
