Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)

Directed by

Richard Attenborough

Genre

musical film, satirical film, anti-war film

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

1h 56m

Rated

G

Rating

6.6 of 10 from 51 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This film satirizes the First World War by presenting it through music hall songs and allegorical scenes. A large ensemble cast portrays generals, politicians, and soldiers, contrasting the cheery tunes with the horrors of the conflict.

satiricalmusicalbittersweetironictheatricalcausticmelancholicensemble-driven

What happens

Oh! What a Lovely War is a 1969 British satirical film directed by Richard Attenborough (in his directorial debut), with an ensemble cast, including Maggie Smith, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Olivier, Jack Hawkins, Corin Redgrave, Michael Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm, Paul Shelley, Malcolm McFee, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Nanette Newman, Edward Fox, Susannah York, John Clements, Phyllis Calvert and Maurice Roëves. The film is based on the stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War!, originated by Charles Chilton as the radio play The Long Long Trail in December 1961, and transferred to stage by Gerry Raffles in partnership with Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop in 1963. The title is derived from the music hall song "Oh! It's a Lovely War", which is one of the major numbers in the film. The film uses contemporary songs and allegorical settings to criticise the conduct of the First World War. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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