Film: Oh! What A Lovely War
Oh! What A Lovely War follows the events of the First World War using popular songs of the time and is part of a series of events to commemorate 100 years since the end of WWI.
The film focuses mainly on the members of the Smith family who go off to war, the action revolves around the words of the marching songs of the soldiers, and many scenes portray some of the more famous incidents of the war.
It was the war to end all wars – well, not quite. For with the ricochet of one bullet, the entire course of human history was changed for ever…
Academy Award-winner Richard Attenborough’s directorial debut is based on the stage musical of the same name. Oh! What a Lovely War features a stellar cast that includes Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, John Mills, John Gielgud, Maggie Smith, Vanessa Redgrave, Ian Holm, Dirk Bogarde and Susannah York.
By fusing the surreal with the factual and juxtaposing savagely funny satire with quiet sorrow, Attenborough created the oddest and most outstanding film ever made about the ‘game’ that became World War One. (138min) (PG)
For a list of all WWI and Remembrance events click here.
