(2013-05-21 20:29:12)

Oh, what a lovely war!

This review is from: Oh! What A Lovely War (Special Collector's Edition) (DVD) Splendid screen version of the original stage play. Smooth transition between scenes and actors, both in cameo roles and regulars, were very believable. True history was victimized for the movie, but it was in jest. One shouldn't believe all that was presented.

deomorto

(2013-05-21 06:16:25)

A classic

This movie does a good job of catching the spirit of the original play. Itpoints up, in ironic scenes, the class differences in the English Army. Italso shows how long and how much tragedy had to occur before the troopsturned cynical.There are a number of memorable scenes and songs that go with them - thescene in the estaminet is incredibly moving. The Church parade, especiallythe quote from the vicar are noteworthy.There are many vignettes from the movie which evoke a very strong emotionalresponse. Some scenes do not come off as they were probably intended - adifficulty 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 itsanti war sentiment - definitely go and see it.

worov

(2013-05-20 19:00:05)

Pure Unique Brilliance

One-of-a-kind films are rare enough in the history of movies. In theearly 21st century, oppressed by huge corporate greed and all-buttotally debased culture, they are as hard to find as hens' teeth! 'Oh,What A Lovely War!' is one such remarkable work.Based on an odd British stage show with the strange notion of tellingthe story of WWI through its popular songs, this movie expands thatquirky idea into a kaleidoscopic explosion of visuals and concepts. Asits director, Attenborough seems to have thrown all caution to thewind, seizing every possible opportunity to energize the material withvibrant life. From the remarkable opening parade to the heartrendingfinale in that cross-strewn field, he demonstrates an unprecedentedability to find quasi-surreal imagery that is mesmerizing without oncelosing the thread of his tale. One never feels lost in this forest ofpotent symbolism, but always stimulated, buoyed high, thrust onward inwrapt fascination through the nightmare of the world's most terribleconflagration (to date, at least!)Remarkably, Attenborough enticed a veritable who's who of Britishtalent into giving rich cameo appearances; from Maggie Smith toLaurence Olivier, Dirk Bogarde to Vanessa Redgrave, viewers are keptspellbound waiting for the next face to appear. Yet this flash is neverallowed to interfere with the surprisingly in-depth examination ofwar's futility, or the bitter ironies of a bloodbath tailored to suitthe inter-family squabbling of Europe's incestuous royal families.And it's a stunning musical, too, with some numbers on a par with thebest ever seen in the cinema. All singing, all dancing, yes; but neverderivative, astonishingly fresh. There's 'Belgium Put the Kibosh on theKaiser' with its shocking charred carousel, Maggie Smith's deaths-headcabaret chanteuse warbling 'We Think You Ought to Go,' the 'staffofficer leap-frog,' and 'When This Lousy War Is Over' sung in the ruinsof a medieval abbey, to name but a few.This is a must-see classic, one tragically neglected by film buffs, notto mention the owners of the material. It deserves a superior DVDrelease, and far more attention than it's received to date.

(2013-05-20 17:15:36)

Excellent DVD of unique film musical

OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR was a unique stage musical and Richard Attenborough's film version is also unique and one of the finest examples of a stage-to-screen interpretation. Joan Littlewood's stage show had a mimimal cast, basic set and used projections. The film has a huge all-star cast (along the lines of Mike Todd's AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS), with many of the them singing and dancing. This satirical approach to the bloodiest of all wars uses the Brighton fun pier intercut with real locations to bring home the devastation that sacrificed a generation of young men - the impact of this is brought home with an amazing final sequence that must rank as one of the most extraordinary visual shots ever captured on film. This DVD transfer is also excellent and complete (some TV versions and theatrical prints had cuts). The transfer is crisp and clean and the original stereo track is fine. An hour or so of recent interviews with Attenborough and some of the cast provides insight into the enormous exercise behind the scenes. Attenborough also contributes a wonderful audio-commentary despite his age. To sum up, a must-have for musical (film & theatre) buffs - can also provide an excellent introduction to history students to this 'war to end all wars'. Without a single drop of blood on view, this film brings home the harsh reality that nobody wins a war!

(2013-05-18 21:13:28)

Take care

Be sure to buy the 2006 dvd. There is an earlier one available that is bad.

Jameysmom

(2013-05-18 17:53:00)

A story of an English family during World War I is told through the metaphor of War as Brighton Beach Carnival.

I saw this movie once, back in the 60s. It came out about the same timeas the other two war satires: "Catch-22", which was set during WorldWar II, and "M*A*S*H", which was set in the Korean War. All threemovies show the absolute futility of war, but Oh! What a Lovely War didit with such wonderful symbolism and metaphor. My favorite scene Iremember is the one in which a carousel represents a battle, withwooden soldiers riding the horses instead of children. As the battlethunders on, the carousel goes faster and faster, with arms and legsflying through the air. Another vivid symbol I recall is thepoppies--whenever one of a certain group of characters is about to die,you are shown a cluster of poppies. I can remember buying a poppy onArmistice Day, to remember the soldiers. I was discussing this moviewith my son a couple of months ago. He is interested in the technicalaspects of stagecraft and movie-making. He was so impressed with what Isaid about this movie that he searched high and low til he found a DVDof it, and gave it to me for Christmas! For those of you who also wantto find a copy, he says it wasn't easy!!

(2013-05-17 20:53:01)

One of my all time favorites...

As a history buff, I found a satirical musical history of WWI to bedelicious. The songs are memorable, sing-along-able, and the acting bythatincredible cast is, naturally, incredible.It does help to know the real history of the period...the symbolism of thered poppy, the obscene politics of the period, the insanely bad judgementofgenerals, war ministers, just about everyone involved in the "running" ofthe war. But if you do have some knowledge to work with, the movie says itin music better than anyone, except maybe Barbara Tuchman in "The Guns ofAugust"...It does not appear to be available on videotape ANYWHERE. I have not beenable to locate it at any price. If ANYONE knows where I could get a copyofthis grand movie, please contact me!

vpadgett

(2013-05-17 05:01:27)

Lasting Comment on Human Conflict

Walking in fields of red poppies. Singing "We're here-- because we'rehere-- because we're here because ... " John Mills as the British FieldMarshall war criminal General Haig, walking thoughtfully in thosegraveyards; whatever was he thinking-- if anything? Today is ArmisticeDay, 11 November 2004. I think of this film as one of the top filmmonuments in Western film-making. It captures the meaning of War, in away in which few other films capture it-- I'm Westen Nichts Neues (AllQuiet on the Western Front, 1930 version); Black and White in Color(French/African, 1969), and a very few others. The songs resonate, evenin 2004-- "There's a silver lining, 'neath this dark cloud shining ...turn the darkness inside out, 'til the boys come home." Tonight Iwatched on PBS the faces and names, in silence, of 20 more dead inIraq. Have you seen the film or read the book, Johnny Got His Gun? Theonly books whose plates were seized by the FBI, in 1939? The War goeson (Herman Hesse, 1916). And so it goes (Kurt Vonnegut, 1969).

GMPasqua

(2013-05-15 19:10:07)

All-Star Cast headline first rate film

I first came across "Oh! What a Lovely War" one night on the BRAVO channel. The first ten minutes or so were slow going but then the film takes off. Aclever and adult anti-war film filled with musical sequences. RichardAttenborough does a wonderful job in his film-directing debut. Thecinematography is beautiful and the performances all around are perfect. Maggie Smith steals the film which her rendition of "I'll Make a Man of You"and John Mills and Lawrence Olivier give subtle comedic performances as SirDouglas Haig and Sir John French. The cast features many of Britain's topactors including Michael,Corin and Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, JohnGielgud, and Susannah York. The musical parodies are staged inventively,some quite moving - "They Were Only Playing Leap Frog", "Adieu la Vie" andthe final "They'll Never Believe Me" which is sung as the camera pans backto reveal the endless graves of the soldiers who lost their lives in WorldWar One. There is a lot of `symbolism'. Poppies are handed out to symbolizedeath and the amusement park pier at Brighton represents WWI with it'sshooting galleries and stage shows, all inter-cut with footage recreatingthe battles of WWI. The film has aged very well, looking like it could havebeen shot this year, and holds up to repeated viewings. Highly recommended.Will this film ever be released on Home Video?When will "Oh! What a Lovely War" be released to homevideo?

(2013-05-15 09:52:39)

The Prince of Anti-War Movies Returns

The only reason this DVD version doesn't get 5 stars is because Paramount was pretty sloppy with its sequencing (e.g., putting "1917" before "1916"). But the message is the same - and as haunting - regardless. Buy a few copies and spread them around. Send them to draft-aged kids and those thinking of joining up.Although a musical, the dates, statistics and conversations are factual. Only recently, for example, have there been serious books discussing the Xmas Truce of 1914, a highlight of this 1969 film. The contrasts between the light-hearted musical format and the horrors of WW I only heightens the viewer's awareness.My adult children were set to roll their eyes as their anti-war father had them watch it. I grew weary of picking their jaws up, however. At first they were tempted to accuse the film of plopping lines from the Iraq/Afghanistan Wars into the script. Examples:"They didn't really attack, we're just going to say so and erase it later..."[diplomats]"We are just defending ourselves!" [politicians, when they were doing just the opposite]."She's lost three. No, four! No, three. They're bringing them home at night now, you know..." [women on the pier discussing the casualty lists].Antiwar suffragette is run off by an itiotic crowd spouting non-sequetors and mindless un-related insults. "The papers are lying to you," she pleads, unsuccessfully. Was that woman talking about 1916 or 2002 articles by the NYT's Judith Miller?"Thank you for sending me a copy of the [London] Times; I see that all this suffering was a great 'victory.'" --Nurse attending wounded after the Somme.Add to this the scenes of the Army Ball, politics, and the media all the while in contrast with the filth of the trenches. Can't you just see Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell or James Dobson giving the priest's blessing?My kids figured out soon enough that the poppy (rarely seen these days on Nov 11) was the symbol of death. The ending, though, left them speechless, as it does me, after all these years.Cementing the shock were the haunting songs that expressed the fatalistic and antiwar views of the average soldier. The resemblance among the politicians of WW I, the Bush Administration, its general staff and its media is beyond such simple words as "frightening" or "terrifying."Kudos to Paramount for the release! I can't think of a better time for the US to start singing "When this lousy war is over."

richardmarquis-149-126832

(2013-05-14 02:23:44)

A memory of VE Day 1985, never to be forgotten:

In 1985 I attended a VE + 40 Party in a Village Hall near Cambridge,where I live, with a friend who later became a Fellow of King'sCollege, Cambridge. We dressed as far as possible in 1940s clothes. Ihad a bowler hat, and he borrowed one from one of the King's porters.One of the attractions was a good band, dressed in 1940s British Armyuniforms, with a brilliant tenor soloist who sang "When this Lousy Waris over." There was complete silence afterwards for about 15 seconds orso, then tumultuous applause, after which the party really livened up,I decided to eat some Woolton Pie, a terrible erzatz ration dish namedafter Fred Marquis, First Earl of Woolton, one of my mother's cousins,I think. My father always insisted my mother serve it when cousin Fredcame over as a kind of ironic payback. He'd been Minister of Food andSupply in Churchill's War Cabinet (I have one of his Red Boxes still).Since my fortieth birthday was coming up within a fortnight, to becelebrated in a big dinner At King's, I had not planned to drinkanything much, but after that song and the feelings of pride and lossand heartbreak and beauty that it summoned up, I'm afraid I did drinkquite a lot and in fact woke up next morning in a hedge. This filmbrings that evening flooding back!

(2013-05-13 14:50:17)

i waited years for this to come to dvd

This review is from: Oh! What a Lovely War (DVD) This great anti-war movie, produced from the play, has such excellent lines that are direct quotes from the fools who gave us WWI. You can't help but compare our current administration's foolhardy rush to war with the braggarts of 1914. The cast is like the list of all great British actors of 1969. But the movie is probably best loved for the music, all vintage WWI songs, in the original mono. I was pleased that the quality of the DVD is better than i remember from the older VHS version. You might also be interested in the London cast CD recording of the musical.

rdolan9007

(2013-05-13 08:53:45)

A little disappointing considering the cast, with just the rare stand out moment.

I wish I had been more moved by this film. It had the cast, it had thepoignancy of the soldiers' songs, it had a celebrated director. Yet thefilm is hidebound, by mostly lack-luster direction. This may be acommon side effect when transferring a stage production to film, butsome stagy scenes should have been cut, or removed. The most obvious failing is the tedious start created by trying to haveleaders of the countries in the lead up to war explain their positionsin a contrivance which does not work for me. Maybe if the film hadconcentrated more on the musical aspects of the film, and less on stagyexposition, I would have been more involved in the film. The musical numbers despite the fame of some of the songs, are not -with only a couple of exceptions - that well produced. Ironically thebest number is set on a stage near the beginning were the men in theaudience are being recruited by an attractive dance troupe. The shockof using such overt sexuality to try and recruit men for war was one ofthe sharpest moments in the film. The other being when a nurse tells abadly injured man that she'll soon get him fit enough to go back towar. That was an unexpectedly savage moment in a film, which despitethe subject matter lacked for them. The acting honours were about even through out the cast, no one reallyseemed to stand out, perhaps Ralph Richardson as Sir Edward Grey, andJoe Melia as a photographer in a cameo role are the most memorable. Theending of the film is disappointing low key, the Americans come, andthe film basically ends soon after that. Maybe the low key ending wasdeliberate, but the film seemed to come to rather an abrupt end. Thisis more surprising because the film is comfortably over two hours long,and yet I will say the film did not drag after the slow start at all.It's just the film lacked enough visual flourish to make the impact itshould have. I'm glad I watched it, for it does have an importantmessage, and it's entertaining enough. It however should have been an experience that left you being moved,and openly angry and bitter at the first world war's futility. It endsup being a rather flat experience, with just the rare moment of truthmaking this film a worthy if mostly uninspiring experience.

gws-2

(2013-05-12 13:27:22)

A moving and beautiful film

As others have said, I first saw this film in the theater in 1969 andloved it. The marvelous Maggie Smith was at the top of her game andJuliet Mills was never more beautiful or appealing. I have been waitingfor "Oh, What a Lovely War" to be re-released on DVD ever since therewas a DVD, so it's a treat for me that the day has finally arrived. This great film dramatizes in song and dance the events leading up toWorld War I and the human tragedy that resulted. It is based on aBritish musical of the same name. Despite its sometimes antic tone, itconveys an underlying sense of dread and sadness during a time whennearly a whole generation of young British men died. I suspect that itstragic tone is the reason many IMDb voters haven't rate it higher thanthey have. I have had the original cast recording of the stage musical upon whichthe movie is based since the '70s and this film does it justice. It isbeautiful and it is moving. Not to be missed, 10 out of 10.

munilaw

(2013-05-11 19:38:31)

Entertaining yet poignant anti-war film

Visually stunning, very engaging film version of a theatrical production inLondon and on Broadway that was billed as an "entertainment."Unconventional production; the film consists of several delicious shortvignettes involving World War I that become darker as the film progresses,told through the songs of the day. Several Vietnam allegories subtlyunderscore this film, securing its place as one of the great anti-warfilms.I wish this flick was available on laser or dvd! Some day . ...

(2013-05-11 07:20:51)

An amazing movie in every way.

This review is from: Oh! What A Lovely War (Special Collector's Edition) (DVD) I have loved this movie since the day I saw it when it first was released in the 1960s. Based on a long-running British stage production, it tells the story of WWI in a way that you cannot forget. The music is great, the performances ... including everyone who was anyone in British stage or screen in the late 60s reads like a who's who in the industry ... and all at the peak of their abilities. Great directing, biting sarcastic humor, terrific music and surprisingly informative, this motion picture is in a category all by itself. It was not available for more than 20 years. I searched high and low to find it. It was released briefly a couple of years ago, and is again "out of print." If you can find a copy, buy it!!! You will not be disappointed.

(2013-05-10 11:36:02)

Takes me back.

This review is from: Oh! What a Lovely War (DVD) This takes me back, not to the war itself but to our time in England in the Air Force in the late 60s. We saw the movie in a local theater, and we always were a few steps behind the locals in getting the jokes and references, but we eventually got them. The satire is typically British, and the acting is great. Watch it with your grand kids (if you can pry them away from all the animated junk that abounds) and give them a little taste of ancient history!

Rod Smith

(2013-05-10 04:04:15)

The film I most want to experience again

I saw this movie once, thirty years ago, and it still has the power tochoke me inside.This is the first film I look for on any movie site I go to. Everyother movie I just browse for.Along with the original "All Quiet on the Western Front", I find it oneof the most powerful war movies ever. All the other movies have actorsthat you know didn't die - no matter how realistic the scenes. This movie truly affected me at the time.I would drive a long way to purchase, or see this movie. Why has thismovie never been released when so many worse have been? Other moviesmight be considered entertainment, but not this one.

(2013-05-07 02:19:30)

An Underrated Gem

This review is from: Oh! What a Lovely War (DVD) As others have said, I first saw this film in the theater in 1969 and loved it. The marvelous Maggie Smith was at the top of her game and Juliet Mills was never more beautiful or appealing.I suggest that everybody forget about the expressions of political opinion in some of the earlier posts. This is a beautiful and moving film, which explores the events that lead to the deaths of a generation of young British men between 1914 and 1918 and the means by which those at home dealt with the human tragedy. That should be enough, it seems to me. It's not to be missed, even by those who believe that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were necessary evils.

Nicholas Rhodes

(2013-05-06 05:34:50)

Very Special !!

Although I am not a member of the group of lily-livered pacifists towhich presumably this film addressed itself when it came out, I donevertheless have very good memories of it on a cinematographic levelwhilst not agreeing with its politics. I say memories because I did seeit many many years ago on British television and on another occasionmanaged to tape the last 10 minutes. I remember a lot of lovely tunes,a myriad of great British actors of the day plus some unforgettableviolent and bloody scenes. It's true that unlike other wars, WW1 wasincredibly bloody and the soldiers were just used as canon fodder - theconditions in the trenches were unbelievably awful and had nothing todo with WW2, let alone wars that have been fought since then and morerecently. One should therefore not apply the ideas vehiculated in thisfilm to subsequent wars. The most impressive scene which sticks in mymind is the final shot of millions of white crosses, such as we seeover the battlegrounds of Northern France, which pan off into thedistance to the strains of the tune "They'll Never believe US". Thatwas a truly memorable end. This film was issued in the UK on DVD inNovember 2006 with English and German audio soundtracks and a weirdselection of subtitles which don't really correspond to languagescommonly spoken in Europe - no French Spanish Italian or Portugese - Iwas left scratching my head at the selection of subtitles proposed !Apart from this one should note that the picture quality is ABSOLUTELYEXCELLENT and I would imagine this to give splendid results on a largeplasma screen ( which I cannot afford !!!). The DVD also contains athree part documentary which is most interesting. I know that manypeople have been complaining for many years of the film'snon-availability on DVD. Now is the time to cry with joy but also withemotion on seeing that last scene with those children running amongsthundreds of white crosses on a hillside - UNFORGETTABLE !