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:

Oh! What a Lovely War

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Studios, London, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$128,895

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

This was Cecil Parker's final movie before his death on April 20, 1971 at the age of seventy-three.

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Goofs

During the song "Bombed Last Night" in the trench that had just undergone a gassing disaster, when the sergeant is doing his dance, he is just turning clockwise on 'no more of us'. However, in the next frame, he is suddenly facing the absolute opposite way with no time in between shots for him to have turned around that quickly.

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Quotes

Sir Edward Grey: [as war breaks out] The lamps are going out all over Europe, we will not see them lit again in our lifetime.

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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 Breakfast: Episode dated 18 February 2010 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser
(uncredited)
Written by Alf Ellerton
Performed by Jean-Pierre Cassel and chorus

User Reviews

Very likely my favorite movie ever.

It's been thirty-five years since I first saw this movie. I remember it as well as any movie I've seen. I check every few months to see if it is available in any format. So far I haven't found it. It would be good if someone could be influenced to create a DVD version. I'd buy it in a minute. I'd probably buy several copies and give them to special friends. It may be my favorite movie of all time.

Until I saw the movie, I didn't realize that there was some special music that accompanied WWI. It's music that now brings a tear whenever I hear it. The portrayal of pompous generals and their subservient minions, as they are posting the numbers of deaths and casualties for the day, is beautifully done. They were simply putting up numbers. But each number was often a death. A death of a promising young person. This movie makes war appear as brutal as it can really be. The poor always die first. It would be nice if international law demanded that the political and military leaders of a country be required to send their own children into war first. If that were the case, there would likely be no more war.