Oh! What a Lovely War
a.k.a. Oh, What a Lovely War
Director:
Richard Attenborough
Cast:
Ralph Richardson, Meriel Forbes, Wensley Pithey, Ruth Kettlewell
DVD - Special Edition / Wide Screen Learn more
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- DVD Release Date: 11/07/2006
- Original Release: 1969
- Rating:
- Sales Rank: 10,557
Features
Closed Caption; Commentary by director Lord Richard Attenborough; 3-part documentary: Welcome to World War I; The Smith family album; Keep the home fires burning
Full Product DetailsScene Index
Disc #1 -- Oh! What a Lovely War
1. The Players [:10]
2. Declaration Of War [8:05]
3. The Smith Family [:20]
4. Glorious Army [7:31]
5. Join the Forces [:24]
6. The New Recruits [5:36]
7. Waiting For Orders [2:03]
8. Christmas Truce [6:09]
9. Oh! It's a Lovely War [3:23]
10. Gas Mishap [5:33]
11. Army Ball [2:27]
12. Just One More Battle [2:57]
13. In Vain [4:44]
14. Song For the Soliders [:55]
15. Reinforcements [7:04]
16. No More a Mortal Sin [7:11]
17. War Of Attrition [3:12]
18. Attacks and Counterattacks [1:58]
19. The Yanks Are Coming [6:23]
20. Smith Family Reunion [7:52]
Editorial Reviews
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
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