John Clements Videos : Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) - Richard Attenborough

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Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) - Richard Attenborough

Oh! What a Lovely War is a 1969 prize winning film musical based on the stage production Oh, What a Lovely War! originated by Charles Chilton as a radio play, The Long Long Trail in December 1961. It was transferred to stage by Gerry Raffles in partnership with Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop, created in 1963, which was itself inspired by "The Donkeys," Alan Clark's 1961 attack on Great War generalship. The title is derived from the music hall song Oh! It's a Lovely War, which is one of the major numbers in the productions. Its American premiere was at the University of California, Irvine, directed by Clayton Garrison, in 1966. In 1969, Richard Attenborough directed a cinematic adaptation of the musical. His cast included Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Olivier, Jack Hawkins, Corin Redgrave, Michael Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Maggie Smith, Ian Holm, Paul Shelley, Malcolm McFee, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Nanette Newman, Edward Fox, Susannah York, John Clements, Phyllis Calvert and Maurice Roëves. The film has been released on DVD. Synopsis: Oh! What A Lovely War summarizes and comments on the story of World War I using popular songs of the time, many of which were parodies of older popular songs. The film uses a variety of symbolic settings to portray vast summations of historical and societal forces at work. Brighton's West Pier, as a location, represents the First World War, with the British public entering at the ...

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