‘Oh! What a Lovely War’ — A Beautifully Hollow Spectacle

In 1969, Richard Attenborough made his directorial debut with the musical war film Oh! What a Lovely War. The film is based on the play of the same name, written by Joan Littlewood, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film version. It’s hard to say exactly what this film is about. The synopsis that Google provides is certainly not accurate. It is, however, certainly about World War I, but instead of showing the horrors of war by exposing what really goes on the battlefield like most films, this story takes a satirical and musical angle. Although unique and fresh–even after all these years–especially when paired with the magnificent costume designs and sets (the film certainly looks beautiful), there is absolutely no emotion, no character, and no event to cling to and remember this film by. Each scene serves to convey a message, usually communicating that war is perpetrated by the rich and that innocent men (soldiers) take the brunt of it. But there is no lasting impact simply because the music flatlines all the momentum. Also, what gets flatlined are the performances.

Despite having an amazing ensemble cast (too many to even mention; the cast list is at the bottom), no actor is given enough screen time to showcase their ability, and even if they did, their character would never develop as there is no arc for them to follow. This is not a story; it is a message, and the characters exist solely to represent it. And sure, I can get on board with the messaging, but I don’t need to be beaten over the head with it for over two hours with musical numbers and redundant dialogue.

Speaking of musical numbers, the songs in this are extremely underwhelming, with only around four of the (estimating) 20 numbers being enjoyable. The first one is Make a Man of You, performed by the late Maggie Smith, and the other enjoyable ones come much later in the movie when the Australian soldiers start to sing They Were Only Playing Leapfrog, as well as a nun singing a sort of hymn later. It is when the British soldiers start chanting for the millionth time that we begin to roll our eyes and say to ourselves, “Ugh, here we go again.” Given that Attenborough is British, it’s no surprise that the film leans heavily on these repetitive chants.

Maggie Smith is criminally underutilized, as the moment she shows up, the screen lights up, and her presence is known. She demands the film’s attention and then swiftly leaves us to focus on a group of soldiers who are so stale we might start rooting for one of their deaths just so some emotion can come through this weightless picture.

Remember, I still think this film has a lot of things going for it. Attenborough’s direction is quite impressive, using the camera very effectively and knowing exactly the kind of film he is making. Although I pointed out before that the actors barely have a chance to leave a memorable performance, for the little time they do have, they remain impressive. And perhaps my favorite aspect of the film: the costumes and set designs are simply magnificent. The great big Victorian buildings, the British neighborhoods, the uniforms, the statues and monuments, and the colors used all completely create the feel of this film, perhaps saving it from being a completely mundane and dull picture.

My problem lies with the story. Although maybe it wouldn’t be so much of a problem if they had committed to making a film and not a musical. I have always felt that a musical that doesn’t try to intertwine the songs with the actual story at heart is bound to only succeed in halting any momentum the film had and taking us out of the story. Oh! What a Lovely War does exactly that. While the final shot of this film is just about the only thing in this film that is truly powerful, one can’t help but feel the intended impact was punctured by everything else that plagues the film.

Although not a particularly good film, Oh! What a Lovely War stands as an ambient and unique watching experience. It isn’t offensively bad, but it just isn’t particularly good. It is certainly ambitious and has enough things going for it to gain some respect, marking it as an impressive practice for Attenborough to grow and build from for his later directed films. I am eager to see his other work.

Richard Attenborough

Cast includes: Laurence Olivier, John Mills, Paul Shelley, John Gielgud, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael Redgrave, Dirk Bogarde, Ian Holm, Jack Hawkins, Maggie Smith and more.