Oh! What a Lovely War is an every-man-for-himself adaptation of Charles Chilton's 1963 play, as staged in London by Joan Littlewood. The tragedy of World War I is redefined in bawdy music-hall terms, beginning with a verbal free-for-all involving the Crowned Heads of Europe. The war is presented as the new attraction at the .. Read more
| Starring | Vanessa Redgrave, Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, John Mills |
|---|---|
| Director | Richard Attenborough |
| Genres | Drama |
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Oh! What a Lovely War is an every-man-for-himself adaptation of Charles Chilton's 1963 play, as staged in London by Joan Littlewood. The tragedy of World War I is redefined in bawdy music-hall terms, beginning with a verbal free-for-all involving the Crowned Heads of Europe. The war is presented as the new attraction at the Brighton Amusement Pier, complete with syrupy cheer-up songs, shooting galleries, free prizes and a scoreboard toting up the dead. Throughout the proceedings, the camera concentrates on a middle-class family, whose five sons end up as cannon fodder. The final image is a veddy proper British picnic on a graveyard. Of the many fleeting satiric images parading past the camera, one of the most indelible is the sight of several generals playing leapfrog as the world all around them goes to hell in a handbasket. The awesome all-star cast includes Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Maggie Smith, John Gielgud, Michael Redgrave, Jack Hawkins, John Mills, Susannah York, Dirk Bogarde and Phyllis Calvert. We haven't seen this many Englishmen in one place since the last Wimbledon match. The whole affair was supervised by Richard Attenborough, making his directorial debut (a question: why was he up to the challenge of this musical extravaganza, yet seemed helpless in the face of 1985's A Chorus Line?).~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
| Starring | Vanessa Redgrave, Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, John Mills, Maggie Smith, Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm, Dirk Bogarde |
|---|---|
| Director | Richard Attenborough |
| Studio | PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT (UK) |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 18 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | Production year: 1969 To Rent: DVD: 30 Oct 2006 |
Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop play on the excesses and follies of war got misplaced in transition, and producer... read more on Time Out
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Pass the mustard gas..
The BEF got off lightly - Haig could have forced them to sit through this tosh. A two year stint in a muddy trench in Ypres surrounded by bits of my dead ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
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very good film
This has aways been one of my favourate musicals. I love how it shows the goss incompidence of the army officers which was little changed during my army service... read more »
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Theatre version was better
Despite a hefty budget this film lacks the punch of the original stage show. In fact, the star-studded cast is a distraction - unknowns would have added ... read more »
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We'll Never Tell Them
The songs alone make this film worth more than most war films. Written and directed and acted by British artists, it does not offend my taste or sense of what ... read more »
In Inglourious Basterds Quentin Tarantino has declared war, and you can be sure that he means it. Now, we like a good anti-war film as well as the next guy: Schindler’s List, The Thin Red Line, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Deer Hunter… These are classics for a reason. But let’s be honest, sometimes it’s more fun to curl up with a real war movie: a gung-ho, lock-and-load, no-holds-barred action film. It’s this kind of movie that Tarantino has made, squarely... Read more
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