Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)

The working-class Smiths change their initially sunny views on World War I after the three boys of the family witness the harsh reality of trench warfare.

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Writers:

Charles Chilton (based on Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop Production by, and the members of the original cast), Ted Allan (after a stage treatment by)

Stars:

Wendy Allnutt, Colin Farrell, Malcolm McFee

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wendy Allnutt	...	Florence Victoria 'Flo' Smith
Colin Farrell	...	Harry Arnold Smith
Malcolm McFee	...	Frederick Percy 'Freddie' Smith
John Rae	...	Grandpa Smith
Corin Redgrave	...	Bertram Biddle 'Bertie' Smith
Maurice Roëves	...	George Patrick Michael Smith
Paul Shelley	...	Jack Henry Smith
Kim Smith	...	Richard 'Dickie' Smith
Angela Thorne	...	Elizabeth May 'Betty' Smith
Mary Wimbush	...	Mary Emma Smith
Vincent Ball	...	Australian Soldier
Pia Colombo	...	Estaminet Singer
Paul Daneman	...	Czar Nicholas II
Isabel Dean	...	Sir John French's Lady
Christian Doermer	...	Fritz

Storyline

A movie about World War I based on a stage musical of the same name, portraying the "Game of War", and focusing mainly on the members of the Smith family who go off to war. Much of the action in the movie revolves around the words of the marching songs of the soldiers, and many scenes portray some of the more famous (and infamous) incidents of the war, including the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the Christmas meeting between British and German soldiers in no-man's-land, and the wiping out by their own side of a force of Irish soldiers newly arrived at the front, after successfully capturing a ridge that had been contested for some time.

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Plot Keywords:

song | world war one | anti war | reference to rupert brooke | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

The Musical Shot In The Arm !

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | War

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

3 October 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aftos o yperohos polemos

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Studios, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Accord Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

(At around fifty-four minutes) A soldier reads his poem to his trench colleagues. The poem is Rupert Brooke's "The Soldier", implying that the soldier is Rupert Brooke.

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Goofs

Sir Edward Grey (Ralph Richardson) is shown early in the film being accompanied by his wife, described in the credits as Lady Pamela Grey. In fact, Grey did not marry Pamela (nee Wyndham, and the widow of Lord Glenconer) until 1922.

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Quotes

[to a stretcher case with a bandaged head]
Nurse: Don't worry. We'll soon have you back at the front.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: The principal statements made by the historical characters in this film are based on documentary evidence and the words of the songs are those sung by the troops during the First World War

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Connections

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005)

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Soundtracks

Are We Downhearted? No!
(uncredited)
Written by Worton David and Lawrence Wright
Performed by Paul Shelley, Wendy Allnutt, Maurice Roëves, Angela Thorne, Corin Redgrave, Mary Wimbush and chorus

User Reviews

A classic

This movie does a good job of catching the spirit of the original play. It points up, in ironic scenes, the class differences in the English Army. It also shows how long and how much tragedy had to occur before the troops turned cynical.

There are a number of memorable scenes and songs that go with them - the scene in the estaminet is incredibly moving. The Church parade, especially the quote from the vicar are noteworthy.

There are many vignettes from the movie which evoke a very strong emotional response. Some scenes do not come off as they were probably intended - a difficulty when trying to use allegory and allusion to make a point.

If you have not seen it - find it and watch it.

If you get a chance to see the play - which I found much more direct in its anti war sentiment - definitely go and see it.