Oh! What a Lovely War is a 1969 prize winning film musical based on the stage production Oh, What a Lovely War! originated by Charles Chilton as a radio play, The Long Long Trail in December 1961.
It was transferred to stage by Gerry Raffles in partnership with Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop, created in 1963, which was itself inspired by "The Donkeys," Alan Clark's 1961 attack on Great War generalship.
The title is derived from the music hall song Oh! It's a Lovely War, which is one of the major numbers in the productions. Its American premiere was at the University of California, Irvine, directed by Clayton Garrison, in 1966.
In 1969, Richard Attenborough directed a cinematic adaptation of the musical. His 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, Paul Shelley, Malcolm McFee, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Nanette Newman, Edward Fox, Susannah York, John Clements, Phyllis Calvert and Maurice Roëves. The film has been released on DVD.
Synopsis:
Oh! What A Lovely War summarizes and comments on the story of World War I using popular songs of the time, many of which were parodies of older popular songs.
The film uses a variety of symbolic settings to portray vast summations of historical and societal forces at work. Brighton's West Pier, as a location, represents the First World War, with the British public entering at the turnstiles, and General Haig selling tickets.
The protagonists are named as the Smith family; which serve as an archetypal British family of the time. The film follows the young Smith men through their experiences in the trenches: Jack (Paul Shelley), Freddy (Malcolm McFee), Harry (Colin Farrell) and George (Maurice Roëves).
The opening sequence is set in a fantasy location which resembles a pierhead pavilion. The diplomatic manoeuvrings, galas, and events involving aristocratic classes set against this location throughout the film, far from the trenches.
After various diplomats and aristocrats walk over a huge map of Europe, an unnamed photographer takes a picture of the upper class. After handing two red poppies to the Archduke Ferdinand and his wife, the Duchess of Hohenberg he takes their picture, 'assassinating' them as the flash goes off.
Production:
The 1969 film transferred the mise-en-scene completely into the cinematic domain, with elaborate sequences shot at West Pier, Brighton, elsewhere in Brighton and on the South Downs, interspersed with motifs from the stage production. These included the 'cricket' scoreboards showing the number of dead, but Attenborough did not use the pierrot costumes.
However, as many critics, including Pauline Kael, noted, the treatment diminished the effect of the numbers of deaths, which appear only fleetingly. Nonetheless, Attenborough's final sequence, ending in a helicopter shot of thousands of war graves is regarded as one of the most memorable moments of the film.
According to Attenborough, sixteen thousand white crosses had to be hammered into individually-dug holes due to the hardness of the soil. Although this is effective in symbolising the scale of death, the number of crosses was in fact less than the number of deaths in a single battle.
The film was shot in the Brighton, East Sussex, area of the U.K. in the summer of 1968. Many of the extras were local folk, but a great many were students from the University of Sussex, Falmer, on the outskirts of the city.
The film's locations included the West Pier (now virtually demolished), Ditchling Beacon, Sheepcote Valley (the trench sequences), Old Bayham Abbey, near Lamberhurst, Kent (the church parade),Brighton Station and Ovingdean (where hundreds of crosses were erected for the classic finale).
The screenwriter, future novelist Len Deighton asked for his name to be removed from the film's credits after seeing rushes of the film, stating that what was filmed was not as he conceived it. He later stated that he regretted the decision.
Awards:
Golden Globe, Best Cinematography (Gerry Turpin) 1969
BAFTA Film Award, Best Art Direction (Donald M. Ashton) 1970
BAFTA Film Award, Best Cinematography (Gerry Turpin) 1970
BAFTA Film Award, Best Costume Design (Anthony Mendleson) 1970
BAFTA Film Award, Best Sound Track (Don Challis and Simon Kaye) 1970
BAFTA Film Award, Best Supporting Actor (Laurence Olivier) 1970
~ Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh!_What_a_Lovely_War
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2:01:34
The Battle of Algiers (1966) - Gillo Pontecorvoby OxfordGreats2,782 views
@aikigeorge3: Well, as Oscar Wilde wisely said, "The worst reaction is no reaction", so I really must thank you. I must however point out that I am the American Artist who academically and creatively invalidated "The Surrealist" art "movement". PS: What kind of fishing line did Salvador Dali use? [ beat ] A dotted line. [ Edina Monsoon batting eyelashes ]
ANTINUTZI 2 days ago
sweet son of a batch of cookies.... when the yanks show'ed up they were carrying springfield'03s nice attention to detail.....I had forgot how good this movie was..... thanks pal
aikigeorge3 2 days ago
A fragile concept at best,utterly annihilated by Attenborough's uncompromising directorial incompetence. Dame Maggie Smith's and Dirk Bogarde's performances glittered like diamonds in a coal pit, nevertheless, which is the ultimate achievement of great talent. The virulently lethal Spanish Influenza pandemic strain that decimated both sides did not get its own musical number, as did phosgene and mustard gas, evidently because victims who drowned from fluid-choked lungs couldn't hold a tune.
ANTINUTZI 1 week ago
Oooh! :))))
AnnaKasket 2 weeks ago
Man, I needed this. Great film.
Toracube 1 month ago
Excellent...and unsquashed. :-) Well done with gratitude.
theuofc 1 month ago