The Lady With the Lamp

“The Lady With the Lamp” is an emotional portrayal of the life of the amazing Florence Nightingale. Though the real Florence did not quite have the stunning beauty of the actress who portrayed her, the tale told by this film is poignant and touching.

Florence Nightingale

            Meeting Florence as a young woman in her prime, the viewer immediately sees that she has a strong character, rather out of place in male-dominated London. As she grows more and more restless, Florence meets the rather remarkable Richard Milnes, to whom she tells all her frustrations. She heard a call from God, and neither society nor her family can stop her from pursuing her calling. She wants to help people.

            Despite opposition from her family members, Florence goes to nursing school to better understand how to care for the sick. Returning home, she takes over the hospital in town, disgusting and poorly maintained. Slowly but surely she betters the patients’ care and increases their survival rates. But even as she succeeds in cleaning up the abomination that London saw fit to call a hospital, still she is not satisfied that she has fulfilled her calling. She takes her rebellion a step further, determined to follow British soldiers to Scutari.

            Florence Nightingale’s remarkable story is told with all its heartbreaking qualities, including turning down the man she loved in order to better fulfill her call from God. “The Lady With the Lamp” is a good film for all who want to know more about the remarkable young woman who followed her heart against all opposition.

The Man Who Would Be King

The film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King is lively and exciting. Two rogues, Daniel Dravot and Peachy Carnehan, decide to make their way to the fictional country of Kafiristan. They make friends with a local warlord and help vanquish his enemies. During one scuffle, Danny is hit by an arrow. It actually gets stuck in his strap, but to the natives it looks as though he was shot, pulled the arrow out, and lived in a miracle unseen by any of the Kafiristanians.

            As so often happens with events that people don’t understand, the people decide that this phenomenon was produced by magic. They decide that Danny is the son of Alexander the Great, a god in their country. Danny and Peachy, seeing a divine opening in the way to becoming rich men, decide to let the people think as they please.

Sean Connery and Michael Caine as Daniel and Peachy

            Of course, the priests of the land must determine that Danny actually is Alexander’s son. They attempt to shoot him as proof, but Peachy stops them and Danny’s Mason medal becomes visible in the struggle. This causes all of the holy men to stop, as the high priest shows a carving made by Alexander some two thousand years before. It is the symbol of the Masons, and definite proof that Danny is Alexander’s son.

            All should be well, but power tends to corrupt, and corrupt it does. Danny decides not to leave with Peachy and riches, as was originally planned, but instead to stay and marry and be king. While attempting to marry Roxanne, she bites him, causing him to bleed. The high priest sees this and exclaims that he is not a god.

            Daniel is sent out to the middle of the bridge he ordered built. It is cut down and he falls to his death. Peachy is crucified, but does not die, and is sent home in a crippled and broken state. The film is a sad account of the bond between friends and the destructiveness of too much power.

Flashman

George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman is a strange portrayal of life in the army. His main character, Harry Flashman, couldn’t quite be considered the protagonist, even in his own tale. Flashman is an extremely difficult character to like, a coward to the core and a liar to boot. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Fraser’s portrayal of British presence in Afghanistan is surprisingly interesting.

                The story is narrated by none other than Harry Flashman, now in his eighties and looking back on his exploits with no remorse. Expelled from one of Britain’s best schools, Flashman decides to join the army, carefully selecting a regiment least likely to be involved in any combat. The tale is ridiculous and would be humorous if Flashman weren’t so uncouth and disreputable. Drawn into a duel, sent to Scotland, slept with the wrong girl, forced into marriage, ordered to resign, shipped to India. It truly is a comedy of errors, made all the better by the dry tone of an old man looking back on his younger days.

General Elphinstone

                Flashman arrives in India better than many. He is immediately liked by his superiors and butters them up with all his sickening flattery. He has a fairly easy few weeks, whoring and learning the language. He even gets invited to dinner with all the important people in Calcutta, who talk endlessly of his usefulness. Just when he thinks he’ll get a comfortable, safe job as a governor’s aide somewhere in India, the tides turn with surprising abruptness and he’s sent instead to be General Elphinstone’s aide in Afghanistan.

                Britain’s hold in Kabul is fairly stable when Flashman arrives. But it quickly disintegrates in the face of the inept British commanders. Elphinstone, known to his men and everyone else as Elphy Bey, is a feeble old man about ready to croak. This is the general put in command of Kabul, essentially dooming any chance of success.

                The fact that Flashman is what he is, and is very honest about it, gives his derision of the British command all the more credit. He describes events in Afghanistan bluntly and with great detail. But the situation never seems dire and the descriptions never gory. In his dry, ironic voice, Flashman relates all that happened to him and his dealings with various people along the way, hiding none of his own vices in the story and therefore feels no inclination to hide those of others.

Harry Flashman

                The story unfolds, a strange assortment of comedy and grief, told by a coward and confirmed by historical events. As we follow Flashman from the army to captivity and back again, there’s really no feeling sorry for the rogue. All one can do is read on in horror as Flashman receives honor and credit truly undeserved. But then, given the state of the British army at the time, it seems unrealistic to expect anything less.

   When Flashman returns home to his forgotten wife, he is presented to the queen and given a medal. High praise indeed, and Flashman cannot wait to tell his wife. It is difficult to feel sorry for him when he discovers his wife is lying to him and most likely sleeping with a man he told her not to. After all, he certainly had his fill of women while he was abroad.

                All in all, Fraser’s story is full of humor, horror, and downright pigheadedness. It presents an interesting view of the British occupation of Afghanistan, and brings forth a few laughs along the way.

Massacre at Cawnpore

Vivian Stuart's Massacre at Cawnpore catches the reader by surprise. No matter what one's prior knowledge of the event, nothing can prepare the readers for the bloodshed described with a terrifying clarity. Stuart attaches her readers to a fictional member of the garrison at Cawnpore, Colonel Alex Sheridan, then drags them through the mud, under the burning sun, between musket fire, dodging cannon and the occasional bayonet on the way.
            Perhaps most disturbing about Stuart’s tale is the gradual jading of the readers. In the beginning of the tale, every death is described, given a name and a grieving family. But as the story progresses, death turns into a daily occurrence. Names are no longer given and casualties are presented as numbers rather than as people. The strength of the garrison slowly dwindles. Soldiers no longer have the strength to condemn General Wheeler for trapping them in their situation. They are dying off one by one, picked off by musket, cannon and heat alike.
            Despite the horror surrounding them, they fight on. After all, there are hundreds of women and children to be protected. Had it only been the men they might have been able to put together one last sortie and break through to Lucknow, but that was impossible with so many helpless people at their backs. And so they fought on, until they could fight no more. The Nana Sahib then offers them surrender, and Wheeler has little choice but to accept.
            With no option but to trust the Nana’s word, the exhausted defenders of Cawnpore pack up their things and make for the river. Just when they think they have made it to safety, the Nana’s men slaughter most of what was left of the men, taking the women and children hostage. Stuart has us follow Alex Sheridan, now delirious with lack of blood as well as grief and a concussion, makes his way to Allahabad. We join the march to take back Cawnpore, and just when we think the suffering is finally over, the Nana orders the hostage women and children murdered.
            And this is where Stuart springs empathy back upon her readers. After an entire novel of making her audience accustomed to death and tragedy, this last violence truly shatters whatever composure may be had. Told simply and unadorned, without names or details, the true massacre at Cawnpore is a horror so real that there is nothing to be done but mourn.
            Truly heart-wrenching and poignant, Stuart’s portrayal of the horrific tragedy at Cawnpore is enough to stir even the stoutest of hearts.