Oh! What a Lovely War
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| Oh! What a Lovely War | |
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 Oh! What a Lovely War movie poster |
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| Directed by | Richard Attenborough |
| Produced by | Richard Attenborough Brian Duffy |
| Written by | Len Deighton |
| Starring | John Mills John Gielgud Laurence Olivier Michael Redgrave Maggie Smith Susannah York |
| Cinematography | Gerry Turpin |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 10 March 1969 (UK release) |
| Running time | 144 min |
| IMDb profile | |
Oh! What a Lovely War is a stage musical and 1969 musical film.
It began life at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, in 1963 as a production by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. It was based on The Donkeys by historian Alan Clark, with some scenes adapted from The Good Soldier Švejk by Czech humorist Jaroslav Hašek. The play was an ensemble production with no "stars" as such, but featured members of the company, such as Brian Murphy, Victor Spinetti and Glynn Edwards playing multiple roles. The production transferred intact to Wyndham's Theatre the same year.
This satire on World War I (and by extension against war in general), was a surprise hit. It was adapted by the BBC for radio more than once, and in 1969 Richard Attenborough transformed it into a film. His star-studded cast included Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Olivier, Jack Hawkins, Corin Redgrave, Michael Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Maggie Smith, Ian Holm, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Nanette Newman, Edward Fox, Susannah York, John Clements, Phyllis Calvert and Maurice Roëves. This film has been released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment.
The stage show is traditionally performed in pierrot costumes, and features such World War I-era songs as It's a Long Way to Tipperary, Pack up Your Troubles and Keep the Home Fires Burning. Harsh images of war and shocking statistics are usually projected onto the backdrop, however, providing a stark contrast with the comedy of the action taking place before it.
The 1969 film transferred the mise-en-scene completely into the cinematic domain, with elaborate sequences shot at Brighton Pier and France interspersed with motifs from the stage production such as the statistic boards (although not the pierrot costumes). However, as many critics noted, including Pauline Kael[1] the treatment diminshed the effect of the numbers of deaths, which appear only fleetingly. Nonetheless Attenborough's final sequence, ending in a crane shot of hundreds of war graves, is regarded as one of the most memorable of the film.
[edit] External links and References
- ^ Kael, Pauline (1971) 'Off with the statues' heads!' in Deeper into Movies, Calder Boyars
[edit] References in popular culture
- BBC Radio 4's 15 Minute Musical portrayed Tony Blair's premiership in the style of Oh! What a Lovely War in a September 2006 episode entitled "Oh! What a Lovely Blair"
| Films directed by Richard Attenborough |
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| Oh! What a Lovely War • Young Winston • A Bridge Too Far • Magic • Gandhi • A Chorus Line • Cry Freedom • Chaplin • Shadowlands • In Love and War • Grey Owl • Closing the Ring |
 Cinema of the United Kingdom |
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Actors • Directors • Films A-Z • Cinematographers • Editors • Producers • Score composers • Screenwriters • |
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