Oh! What a Lovely War
1969 · Movie · G · 144 min · ★ 6.7 · 74% critics
A working-class family greets World War I with upbeat patriotism, but that mood fades as the men are sent from cheerful home-front spectacle into the brutal reality of trench fighting. Using songs and satire, the film contrasts public enthusiasm, official pageantry, and the human cost of war.
Based on Oh, What a Lovely War!
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Details
- Years
- 1969
- Release date
- 1969-03-10
- Language
- English
- Rated
- G
- Runtime
- 144 min
- Critic score
- 74/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.7/10 (50 votes)
About
You may like this if you enjoy musicals with a biting anti-war edge, dark humor, and a theatrical style; Not for you if you want a straightforward battle drama or dislike old-fashioned musical storytelling like The Boy Friend or Bugsy Malone.
Pros: sharp anti-war message; memorable period songs; darkly funny tone | Cons: slow opening stretch; very stagey style; uneven emotional impact
Themes
- world war i
- dark comedy
- british empire
- satire
- anti war
Cast & crew
Laurence Olivier
as Field Marshal Sir John French
Vanessa Redgrave
as Sylvia Pankhurst
Maggie Smith
as Music Hall Star
John Mills
as Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig
Corin Redgrave
as Bertie Smith
Maurice Roëves
as George Smith
Ian Holm
as President Poincare
Juliet Mills
as Nurse
Michael Bates
as Drunk Lance Corporal
Edward Fox
as Aide to Field-Marshal Haig
Directed by Richard Attenborough