Oh! What a Lovely War - Belgium put the kaibosh on the Kaiser

[TylerMaple3009]

Germany > Belgians

[jonjamg]

Jean-Pierre Cassel

[GusF]

"Whilst Ireland seemed unsettled,

'Ah' said he 'I'll settle John',

But he didn't know the Irish

Like he knew them later on.

Though the Kaiser stirred the lion,

Please excuse him for the crime,

His lunatic attendant

Wasn't with him at the time."

This verse was omitted from this version, which is hardly surprising given the ever worsening situation in Northern Ireland at the time.

[puppethouseuk]

Our marionettes were in the last frames of this clip on the roundabout. my mother had spent months making them so could not face breaking them up, someone else had to do the deed. But we repaired most of them and I still have them!

Lovely piece of film and loved all the comments Ann from puppethouseuk

[Gight77]

3:28

it's only a model

[monkeytypist]

Why is it a French flag rather than Belgian?

[Chriseycarlyeah324]

the song i think that is based on is a French song, and the song is explains why British joined the war because Germany invaded Belgium.

[monkeytypist]

@Chriseycarlyeah324 i have to say i'm suspicious of the 1st point. Why would the French sing about how great the British Empire was? And indeed the British joined the war because of Belgium - which is why I don't understand why a Frenchman (as opposed to a Belgian) sings it.

[Chriseycarlyeah324]

the original is by Mark Sheridan the lyrics are different.

well if it was not for the BEF the germans would have taken paris with in mouths which they almost did. at one point in the war you could hear the artillery from paris. also most of the fighting done in the west was done in french territory. by the time belgium was invade most of it was occupied by the time the BEF had landed. also alot of people of belgiums speak French.

[monkeytypist]

@Chriseycarlyeah324 I know, I know how important the BEF was. And I know many Belgians speak French. But they don't wave French flags - that's like saying that people from the UK should wave American flags because they both speak English. I still don't understand why the movie has a frenchman singing the song.

[x42brown]

@monkeytypistAll the people in the scene are meant to be French. The uniforms are all French as are the Ladies outfits. The song has to do with the complex system of alliances that brought countries into that war. Before Germany attacked Belgium France was facing Germany close to alone. The attack committed Britain and through them The Empire, Russia and Japan. Hence Belgium put the kibosh on the Kaiser by bringing France a pile of allies giving rise to a false optimism.

[HoundogAlex]

@x42brown except Russia was already in.

[HoundogAlex]

@x42brown almost right except Russia was already in. Britain Brought in her Empire and Japan post the German invasion of Belgium which all the powers declared to protect when she gained indepnedece from the Netherlands in the 1830's.

[monkeytypist]

Why is it a French flag rather than Belgian?

[ukulazy]

PonteFractus, are you from Pontefract by any chance?

[PonteFractus]

No, I'm from Leeds just exiled in Ponte! :-)

[ukulazy]

@PonteFractus Haha... I'm from Ponte, but have temporarily escaped to Lancaster! It's actually very similar to Pontefract, except the castle is completely intact. :p

[PonteFractus]

I think the good citizens of Ponte asked for the castle to be dismantled after the civil war 'cos they were sick of been besieged, tho' I could be wrong. :-) I had a mate called Adam who moved to Lancaster from Ponte, it's not you is it?

[ukulazy]

@PonteFractus Yeah, though when I tell that anecdote to people, I usually say it was because "they were sick of all the bloody foreigners invading..." And no, I'm not Adam haha.

[gregapugh124]

man the see where the comonder stares in horror at his men cut down on the carrlosell is so tragic and moving

[TheTeej08]

Oh! what a lovely War. Studied it in A-Level English. It quickly became my favourite play.

[dysonshowtime]

strange how everyone I can see commenting on this is learning it at school (including me). seems that nobody has looked at this because they watched it out of their own free will...

[Finglesham]

I left school 48 years ago and am looking at it! my unlce died in this bloodbath

[dysonshowtime]

how dare you. how dare you try to turn your uncle into an emotional prostitute; 'my uncle died in this bloodbath'?! is that supposed to be a guilt-trip?! don't try and make me feel ashamed because you lost a relative; all you do is turn your dear relatives (anyway, why would I care about your uncle; I don't know you or your uncle) into a political point.

PS. don't start a flame war in response, for I have long since ceased to care.

[tobz5050]

@Finglesham Sorry about that.

[TrueBritons]

I did :) It'sa a beautiful song :)

[XxDrBenzedrinexX]

OMG! My school did this for our production :)

I played the Kaiser :D

[TashkentFox]

You must have had better school plays than us.

[didifire6shotsor7]

sooo wanted to do this for our production. such a great song! but i got to sing "keep the home fires burning", so i can live with it i guess ;P

[SarahLeia]

We put on 'War' for our play - the last performance was just yesterday. I find that this is the only song I miss hearing from the wings. I wasn't actually in this scene but I loved hearing it.

[emilylovesmcr]

We're doing this for our show this year too. Yay!

[ffscantfindausername]

I did this play at school I loved it

[RyuShoji]

This is my set text for my A-Level Drama. And this song is my favourite song from the play.

Right now I'm revising for a mock exam on it tomorrow...trying to get as much info on Sir Haig as I can xD.

[missbabyice]

Directing concept for Oh What A Lovely War?

I want to steer away from the dated agitprop (war is bad- I don't need a play telling me that) and present it as more of a nostalgia shattered and people forced to perform in a world they can't comprehend- an arena which highlights the divisions.

What would you think of a production like that? It's just that there is no obvious dramatic driving force and the agit-prop irony makes the play drag on and sound too bitter.

[MyBestDress]

Haha this is the show we are doing for our school musical this year.

We all die then come alive to dance, so we added thriller moves in (:

[luvli5656]

hi-five we did this as our production!

we die then come alive, but then just sing...

what parts have you got?

i was second officer, third man and assorted other dudes :P

[MyBestDress]

Umm i was British Admiral, Wounded (First) Solider, Britian (in the shooting scene), Photographer in the waltz scene and other people who didn't speak ahaha

Good times (:

[SarahLeia]

As 'Third Man', did you say, "Watch it! I said, watch it!"?

[luvli5656]

no, i was third man in the Mrs Pankhurst Scene (Act 2). my lines in that scene were:

"Now give us a song!"

"You're talking like a traitor. Pacifists are traitors!"

"Don't ask me, I don't know nothing. I'm stupid"

[cozeetill]

I did this at school about 25 years ago. The film is still something that moves me a lot, especially the ending sequence. Glad to see it's still being done and I hope you'll all remember it in the future.

[roxypoxyrules]

In my Drama group were doing this and we need to learn a paragraph off by heart and do it un different ways!! it was well fun!!!! We no our parts on Thursday coming :P

[thesmurf85]

we're doing this in school too

[luvli5656]

whoo high-five!

are you in it / have you auditioned for it?

[thesmurf85]

they gave me MC but I just wanted to be a soldier so yeah I'm a soldier and someone else is being MC

[luvli5656]

cool =]

the MC in ours is weird... but he's good for the role lol

[PonteFractus]

Glad this important part of our history is being kept alive in schools. Good luck with the play. :-)

[luvli5656]

thanks =] i've found out another part i have - i'm an officer who has a leg in splints

[luvli5656]

In my school, we're doing Oh! What A Lovely War for the school production, and I have a part. I'm a French soldier (a male obviously, grr), and because our play is obviously different to the film, when this song is being sung I'm dead...but then I (and all the other dead French soldiers) start singing on the chorus. It's quite fun, doing this. I might have another part, but I don't know because parts are told when we block that scene.

[edwardianeccentric]

Yup, the idea was when Germany invaded Belgium and forced Britain, who had a treaty with Belgium into the war she was doomed, facing both Britain and France at the same time. Didn't quite turn out like that...

[PonteFractus]

That's correct mgarmais, the song is about the start of WW1 in the west which started when Belgium 'kaiboshed' the Kaisers plans.

[maarschalkvr]

song about belgium ... he carrys a french flagg