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[[TheFilmOfThePlay Based on]] the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI First World War]], from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British stage and screen actors, including Creator/DirkBogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Creator/SusannahYork, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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[[TheFilmOfThePlay Based on]] the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI First World War]], from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British stage and screen actors, including Creator/DirkBogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Dame Creator/MaggieSmith, Creator/SusannahYork, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI First World War]], from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British stage and screen actors, including Creator/DirkBogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Creator/SusannahYork, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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[[TheFilmOfThePlay Based on on]] the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI First World War]], from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British stage and screen actors, including Creator/DirkBogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Creator/SusannahYork, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British stage and screen actors, including Creator/DirkBogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Creator/SusannahYork, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI First World War]], from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British stage and screen actors, including Creator/DirkBogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Creator/SusannahYork, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Creator/DirkBogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Creator/SusannahYork, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film stage and theatre, screen actors, including Creator/DirkBogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Creator/SusannahYork, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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Loads And Loads Of Characters is no longer a trope
Deleted line(s) 39 (click to see context) :
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: At any one time, the screen is practically ''full'' of people. Most of them don't return for more than a couple of scenes though.
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Changed line(s) 3,6 (click to see context) from:
Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Dirk Bogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Creator/SusannahYork, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
The film is a surreal blend of pre-1914 fantasies of war as a game in which the only real thing at stake were honour and glory and the reality of the kind of experiences faced by the soldiers during the war. The entirety of the film takes place ostensibly on Brighton Pier (a popular English seaside destination) where the war takes the form of a pier-side attraction, and where all the meetings between the heads of state, the British aristocracy and the war generals take place. From there, the action regularly cuts to show the real world where we see the true consequences of the "war game" being played.
The film is a surreal blend of pre-1914 fantasies of war as a game in which the only real thing at stake were honour and glory and the reality of the kind of experiences faced by the soldiers during the war. The entirety of the film takes place ostensibly on Brighton Pier (a popular English seaside destination) where the war takes the form of a pier-side attraction, and where all the meetings between the heads of state, the British aristocracy and the war generals take place. From there, the action regularly cuts to show the real world where we see the true consequences of the "war game" being played.
to:
Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Dirk Bogarde, Creator/DirkBogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Creator/SusannahYork, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
The film is a surreal blend of pre-1914 fantasies of war as a game in which the only real thing at stake were honour and glory and the reality of the kind of experiences faced by the soldiers during the war. The entirety of the film takes place ostensibly on Brighton Pier (a popular English seaside destination) where the war takes the form of a pier-side attraction, and where all the meetings between the heads of state, the Britisharistocracy aristocracy, and the war generals take place. From there, the action regularly cuts to show the real world where we see the true consequences of the "war game" being played.
The film is a surreal blend of pre-1914 fantasies of war as a game in which the only real thing at stake were honour and glory and the reality of the kind of experiences faced by the soldiers during the war. The entirety of the film takes place ostensibly on Brighton Pier (a popular English seaside destination) where the war takes the form of a pier-side attraction, and where all the meetings between the heads of state, the British
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* AsideGlance: The photographer (who also acts as something of a narrator) is prone to giving these, especially when anything potentially HarsherInHindsight (in universe) occurs.
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* AsideGlance: The photographer (who also acts as something of a narrator) is prone to giving these, especially when anything potentially HarsherInHindsight (in universe) (in-universe) occurs.
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Dirk Bogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
to:
Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Dirk Bogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, Creator/SusannahYork, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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** The mother watching Bertie leave. It goes from a little train on the pier to her alone in a train station.
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* WouldHurtAChild: It's subtle but it's implied that Freddie Smith is underage (men were not supposed to be accepted into the army until they were 19) when he enters the war. [[spoiler:He ends up dead along with the rest of the men in his family by the end.]][[note]]It would make sense if he was underage since the First World War is notorious for having boys lie about their ages in order to sign up. The youngest [=WW1=] Allied soldier on record was only 12 when he enlisted.[[/note]]
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* WouldHurtAChild: It's subtle but it's implied that Freddie Smith is underage (men were not supposed to be accepted into the army until they were 19) when he enters the war. [[spoiler:He ends up dead along with the rest of the men in his family by the end.]][[note]]It would make sense if he was underage since the First World War is notorious for having boys lie about their ages in order to sign up. The youngest [=WW1=] Allied British soldier on record was only 12 when he enlisted.enlisted, and youngest American at 13.[[/note]]
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Dirk Bogarde, Creator/JohnGielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
to:
Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Dirk Bogarde, Creator/EdwardFox, Creator/JohnGielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
to:
Based on the 1963 stage musical of the same name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, Creator/JohnGielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Based on the stage musical (and earlier radio play) of the same name, ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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Based on the 1963 stage musical (and earlier radio play) of the same name, name (itself derived from the 1962 BBC radio play ''The Long Long Trail''), ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Based on the stage musical (and earlier radio play) of the same name, ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Creator/JohnMills, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, and Susannah York (though most only appear in cameos).
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Based on the stage musical (and earlier radio play) of the same name, ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of 20th-century British film and theatre, including Creator/JohnMills, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, and Susannah York York, and Creator/JohnMills (though most only appear in cameos).
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Based on the stage musical (and earlier radio play) of the same name, ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of early 20th century British film and theatre, including John Gielgud, Creator/JohnMills, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, and Creator/LaurenceOlivier (though most only appear in cameos).
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Based on the stage musical (and earlier radio play) of the same name, ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of early 20th century 20th-century British film and theatre, including John Gielgud, Creator/JohnMills, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, Creator/MaggieSmith, and Creator/LaurenceOlivier Susannah York (though most only appear in cameos).
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Based on the stage musical (and earlier radio play) of the same name, ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of the FirstWorldWar, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of early 20th century British film and theatre, including John Gielgud, Creator/JohnMills, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/RalphRichardson, and Creator/LaurenceOlivier (though most only appear in cameos).
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Based on the stage musical (and earlier radio play) of the same name, ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' tells the story of the FirstWorldWar, UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of early 20th century British film and theatre, including John Gielgud, Creator/JohnMills, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/MichaelRedgrave, Creator/RalphRichardson, and Creator/LaurenceOlivier (though most only appear in cameos).
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Based on the play (and earlier radio play) of the same name, ''Oh! What A Lovely War!'' tells the story of the FirstWorldWar, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1962, the film boasts an AllStarCast of early 20th century British film and theatre, including John Gielgud, Creator/JohnMills, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, and Creator/LaurenceOlivier (though most only appeared in cameos).
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Based on the play stage musical (and earlier radio play) of the same name, ''Oh! What A a Lovely War!'' War'' tells the story of the FirstWorldWar, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1962, 1969 and directed by Creator/RichardAttenborough, the film boasts an AllStarCast of early 20th century British film and theatre, including John Gielgud, Creator/JohnMills, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, Jack Hawkins, Creator/IanHolm, Creator/RalphRichardson, and Creator/LaurenceOlivier (though most only appeared appear in cameos).
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Changed line(s) 62,63 (click to see context) from:
* WouldHurtAChild: It's subtle but it's implied that Freddie Smith is underage (men were not supposed to be accepted into the army until they were 19) when he enters the war. [[spoiler:He ends up dead along with the rest of the men in his family by the end.]][[note]]It would make sense if he was underage since the First World War is notorious for having boys lie about their ages in order to sign up. The youngest WW1 Allied soldier on record was only 12 when he enlisted.[[/note]]
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* WouldHurtAChild: It's subtle but it's implied that Freddie Smith is underage (men were not supposed to be accepted into the army until they were 19) when he enters the war. [[spoiler:He ends up dead along with the rest of the men in his family by the end.]][[note]]It would make sense if he was underage since the First World War is notorious for having boys lie about their ages in order to sign up. The youngest WW1 [=WW1=] Allied soldier on record was only 12 when he enlisted.[[/note]]
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Based on the play (and earlier radio play) of the same name, ''Oh! What A Lovely War!'' tells the story of the FirstWorldWar, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1962, the film boasts an AllStarCast of early 20th century British film and theatre, including John Gielgud, John Mills, Maggie Smith, Susannah York, Jack Hawkins, Ian Holm, and Laurence Olivier (though most only appeared in cameos).
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Based on the play (and earlier radio play) of the same name, ''Oh! What A Lovely War!'' tells the story of the FirstWorldWar, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1962, the film boasts an AllStarCast of early 20th century British film and theatre, including John Gielgud, John Mills, Maggie Smith, Creator/JohnMills, Creator/MaggieSmith, Susannah York, Jack Hawkins, Ian Holm, Creator/IanHolm, and Laurence Olivier Creator/LaurenceOlivier (though most only appeared in cameos).
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lovely_war.jpg]]
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* WouldHurtAChild: It's subtle but it's implied that Freddie Smith is underage (men were not supposed to be accepted into the army until they were 19) when he enters the war. [[spoiler:He ends up dead along with the rest of the men in his family by the end.]][[note: It would make sense if he was underage since the First World War is notorious for having boys lie about their ages in order to sign up. The youngest WW1 Allied soldier on record was only 12 when he enlisted.]]
to:
* WouldHurtAChild: It's subtle but it's implied that Freddie Smith is underage (men were not supposed to be accepted into the army until they were 19) when he enters the war. [[spoiler:He ends up dead along with the rest of the men in his family by the end.]][[note: It ]][[note]]It would make sense if he was underage since the First World War is notorious for having boys lie about their ages in order to sign up. The youngest WW1 Allied soldier on record was only 12 when he enlisted.]]
[[/note]]
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* TrueCompanians: The Smiths don't really interact with each other much once they start becoming involved with the war, but when they do interact, they give off this vibe. Some of the other soldiers the Smiths meet give signs of being this as well, particularly the soldier Freddie gets drunk with while on leave [[spoiler:who he meets again in a foxhole just before he dies]], and the soldier Jack greets before the final offensive.
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* TrueCompanians: TrueCompanions: The Smiths don't really interact with each other much once they start becoming involved with the war, but when they do interact, they give off this vibe. Some of the other soldiers the Smiths meet give signs of being this as well, particularly the soldier Freddie gets drunk with while on leave [[spoiler:who he meets again in a foxhole just before he dies]], and the soldier Jack greets before the final offensive.
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* LyricalDissonance / SoundtrackDissonance: Many of the songs are actually altered versions of popular pre-1914 music hall songs, which were almost unanimously upbeat and happy. The altered versions, being written by soldiers in the trenches, weren't happy lyrically but still kept the same upbeat music. In the film, the crowning achievement of this has to be "The bells of hell go ting-a-ling-a-ling" being sung by soldiers while they're digging a mass grave.
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* LyricalDissonance / SoundtrackDissonance: Many of the songs are actually altered versions of popular pre-1914 music hall songs, which were almost unanimously upbeat and happy. The altered versions, being written by soldiers in the trenches, weren't happy lyrically but still kept the same upbeat music. In the film, the crowning achievement of this has to be "The bells a group of hell go ting-a-ling-a-ling" being sung by soldiers while they're digging a mass grave.happily singing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV74GPopwGY "Bombed last night"]] after an implied accidentally self-inflicted mustard gas attack.
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* Symbolism: Oh so much.
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* Symbolism: {{Symbolism}}: Oh so much.
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Based on the play (and earlier radio play) of the same name, ''Oh! What A Lovely War!'' tells the story of the FirstWorldWar, from the moment of the various world leaders at the time forming their alliances to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Made in 1962, the film boasts an AllStarCast of early 20th century British film and theatre, including John Gielgud, John Mills, Maggie Smith, Susannah York, Jack Hawkins, Ian Holm, and Laurence Olivier (though most only appeared in cameos).
The film is a surreal blend of pre-1914 fantasies of war as a game in which the only real thing at stake were honour and glory and the reality of the kind of experiences faced by the soldiers during the war. The entirety of the film takes place ostensibly on Brighton Pier (a popular English seaside destination) where the war takes the form of a pier-side attraction, and where all the meetings between the heads of state, the British aristocracy and the war generals take place. From there, the action regularly cuts to show the real world where we see the true consequences of the "war game" being played.
Because of the play being essentially nothing but a series of short vignettes strung together by a Pierrot show, the film predominantly centres around the Smiths: a large family who all take different paths through the conflict - though they themselves are often not the focus of the scenes they're in, merely being around to witness events (such as the short-lived Christmas ceasefire between the British and German troops on the front lines). Besides the Smiths, the film also focuses on the decisions made by Sir Douglas Haig.
Mostly though, it just makes sure that you understand the concept of "war is hell".
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!! This film provides examples of:
* AerithAndBob: The Smiths all have relatively normal names - Jack, Freddie, Harry, George, Richard...and then there's Bertram Biddle Smith. Granted, he's called "Bertie" through most of the film, but still...
* AllAccordingToPlan: Douglas Haig tends to display this attitude ''a lot''. Interestingly, the film never quite seems willing to either applaud or condemn him for it.
* AsideGlance: The photographer (who also acts as something of a narrator) is prone to giving these, especially when anything potentially HarsherInHindsight (in universe) occurs.
* BadassBoast: The first ten minutes or so is essentially every major head of state bandying these around until war is finally declared.
* BlackComedy: Most of the humour in the film falls under this category.
-->'''George Smith:''' If he's been shot now, I'll kill him...
* BlindObedience: Displayed by Haig's underlings and by pretty much everyone when war is first declared. Really it's not until about halfway through the film that this attitude stops becoming the norm.
* BloodlessCarnage: Despite this taking place during one of the bloodiest wars in history, not one drop of blood is shown on screen.
* TheBlindLeadingTheBlind: Arguably the theme of the film.
* BeliefMakesYouStupid: YMMV on the ''level'' of stupidity, but Haig's unwavering belief that his actions are somehow being divinely approved even as hundreds of thousands of men are being slaughtered with little to no ground being gained (meaning they're essentially dying for nothing) arguably counts as this.
* CanonForeigner: Neither the Smith family nor the photographer appear in any way in the original play.
* ChildrenAreInnocent: "Granny, what did Daddy do in the war?" Also Richard Smith looking through the telescopes at the various battles.
* DeadpanSnarker: Many people, mainly background characters. A lot of the songs sung by the soldiers make them this as well.
-->'''Soldiers:''' ''(singing)'' Onward, Joe Soap's army,
-->Marching without fear,
-->With our old commander
-->Safely in the rear.
* DownerEnding: The war might be over, but hundreds of thousands of men are dead and the general consensus seems to be that the cost ultimately wasn't worth all the carnage and the repercussions.
* DramaticIrony: Particularly prevalent in the first half of the film. The war is heralded in with a marching band and plenty of flag-waving and cheering and happy music hall songs...but the film expects you to know that it's certainly not going to last for long.
* TheEveryman: All of the Smiths are intended to be this to varying degrees. Jack Smith is probably the most consistent [[spoiler:since he's the last to die and sees the Treaty of Versailles being signed at the end on the way to meet the rest of his (male) family.]]
* FiveSecondForeshadowing: During the Christmas ceasefire, a German soldier tells Jack Smith that they won't start firing again unless the British fire first. Guess what happens just after this...
** In a humourous example, a group of Australian soldiers sing about Haig and the rest of the high command metaphorically "playing leapfrog". Haig ''literally'' leapfrogs over two officers at the end of the song.
** Related to the BloodlessCarnage, whoever gets given a poppy in the film, or is shown to be in close proximity to a poppy, will die in short order. Always off-screen though.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Plenty. All of the heads of state and generals were real people and the script frequently uses real quotes regarding the war (though not always by the people who said them).
* JukeboxMusical: All of the songs are songs that were popular during the First World War (including the ones with modified lyrics by the soldiers).
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: At any one time, the screen is practically ''full'' of people. Most of them don't return for more than a couple of scenes though.
* LyricalDissonance / SoundtrackDissonance: Many of the songs are actually altered versions of popular pre-1914 music hall songs, which were almost unanimously upbeat and happy. The altered versions, being written by soldiers in the trenches, weren't happy lyrically but still kept the same upbeat music. In the film, the crowning achievement of this has to be "The bells of hell go ting-a-ling-a-ling" being sung by soldiers while they're digging a mass grave.
* ManipulativeBastard: Count Berchtold, the Austrian Secretary of State, convinces the Emperor to sign a declaration of war against Serbia, effectively beginning the domino effect of world leaders declaring war. He then freely admits that he made up the most important piece of evidence convincing the Emperor to sign and that he's erased all mention of said evidence from the declaration.
* MsFanservice: Maggie Smith is this InUniverse as a music hall performer who's given the task of recruiting men for the war. [[FanDisservice Not so much up close though...]]
* MoodWhiplash: All over the place, often several times within a single scene.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Haig seems to display this several times but [[IgnoredEpiphany keeps on going regardless]]. The Smith matriarch also has a silent moment after seeing one of her sons off to war that could arguably be interpreted as this.
* NaiveNewcomer: Everyone to some extent. The First World War was not what ''anyone'' expected it to be, even those who had seen war before.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: This is so prevalent it may as well be called "Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! The Musical". One of the biggest has to be the British command ordering artillery strikes against ''their own men'' as well as the Germans to break up the Christmas ceasefire. Just after the Germans have offered to stop shooting first, no less.
* NoAntagonist: The closest thing (person-wise) the film has to an antagonist is Douglas Haig, but although the film is critical of him and the decisions he made, it also takes care to display how utterly out of his depth Haig was in terms of the scale and nature of the war that was being fought, which had never been seen before, making him into a surprisingly sympathetic character.
* RealityIsUnrealistic: One of the complaints younger viewers have of the film is that the recruiting methods aren't realistic enough. In truth, the scene of the music hall girls recruiting men is actually recorded to have really happened in several places across the UK.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Delivered by Sylvia Pankhurst to a crowd at Brighton Pier on their continued support for the war. It doesn't go over very well.
* SceneryPorn: Considering the film was made in the 1960s, all the scenes at Brighton Pier have a certain degree of this.
* Symbolism: Oh so much.
** The poppies symbolise death.
** The pier symbolises the idea of war as a game, which is how all the characters who remain in the pier see it.
** The Smith family represent the various demographics and viewpoints of the ordinary people who became involved in the war.
* SlidingScaleOfCynicismVsIdealism: InUniverse the scale slowly moves from Idealism to Cynicism. Out of universe, the scale is firmly tipped towards Cynicism throughout.
* TitleDrop: In song form.
* TrueCompanians: The Smiths don't really interact with each other much once they start becoming involved with the war, but when they do interact, they give off this vibe. Some of the other soldiers the Smiths meet give signs of being this as well, particularly the soldier Freddie gets drunk with while on leave [[spoiler:who he meets again in a foxhole just before he dies]], and the soldier Jack greets before the final offensive.
* VillainSong: YMMV on the "villain" aspect, but "Oh What A Lovely War" (the song) has shades of this, given it's being sung by those in high command who are still treating the war as a game rather than by the soldiers who sing most of the other songs.
* WhamLine: Said by Haig after one of his officers floats the idea of halting the war of attrition on the western front: "In the end, they shall have 5000 men left, while we will have 10,000. And we will have won." It basically sums up the attitude of those in charge towards the "cannon fodder" under their command.
* WhamShot: There are three main ones. First at the end of the French soldier's happy song celebrating going to war before turning round and seeing his soldiers (represented by marionettes on a toy roundabout) being shot and killed. Second, during the title song, we see Haig taking part in a game of Blind Man's Bluff before a scoreboard comes into frame bearing horrendous statistics. Third, the final shot of the film [[spoiler:in which the male Smiths all lie back in the grass and fade away to white crosses...and then the camera just keeps pulling back to reveal ''acres'' of the same crosses.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Both the youngest and eldest male Smiths disappear entirely from the film approximately halfway through. The eldest, we can assume, potentially died before the end of the war, but there's no explanation of what happened to the youngest which is especially jarring when his sister (who looked to be only a couple of years younger than him) is in the final scene. To a lesser extent, many of the characters who aren't Haig or a member of the Smith family completely disappear after one or two scenes.
* WouldHurtAChild: It's subtle but it's implied that Freddie Smith is underage (men were not supposed to be accepted into the army until they were 19) when he enters the war. [[spoiler:He ends up dead along with the rest of the men in his family by the end.]][[note: It would make sense if he was underage since the First World War is notorious for having boys lie about their ages in order to sign up. The youngest WW1 Allied soldier on record was only 12 when he enlisted.]]
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The film is a surreal blend of pre-1914 fantasies of war as a game in which the only real thing at stake were honour and glory and the reality of the kind of experiences faced by the soldiers during the war. The entirety of the film takes place ostensibly on Brighton Pier (a popular English seaside destination) where the war takes the form of a pier-side attraction, and where all the meetings between the heads of state, the British aristocracy and the war generals take place. From there, the action regularly cuts to show the real world where we see the true consequences of the "war game" being played.
Because of the play being essentially nothing but a series of short vignettes strung together by a Pierrot show, the film predominantly centres around the Smiths: a large family who all take different paths through the conflict - though they themselves are often not the focus of the scenes they're in, merely being around to witness events (such as the short-lived Christmas ceasefire between the British and German troops on the front lines). Besides the Smiths, the film also focuses on the decisions made by Sir Douglas Haig.
Mostly though, it just makes sure that you understand the concept of "war is hell".
----
!! This film provides examples of:
* AerithAndBob: The Smiths all have relatively normal names - Jack, Freddie, Harry, George, Richard...and then there's Bertram Biddle Smith. Granted, he's called "Bertie" through most of the film, but still...
* AllAccordingToPlan: Douglas Haig tends to display this attitude ''a lot''. Interestingly, the film never quite seems willing to either applaud or condemn him for it.
* AsideGlance: The photographer (who also acts as something of a narrator) is prone to giving these, especially when anything potentially HarsherInHindsight (in universe) occurs.
* BadassBoast: The first ten minutes or so is essentially every major head of state bandying these around until war is finally declared.
* BlackComedy: Most of the humour in the film falls under this category.
-->'''George Smith:''' If he's been shot now, I'll kill him...
* BlindObedience: Displayed by Haig's underlings and by pretty much everyone when war is first declared. Really it's not until about halfway through the film that this attitude stops becoming the norm.
* BloodlessCarnage: Despite this taking place during one of the bloodiest wars in history, not one drop of blood is shown on screen.
* TheBlindLeadingTheBlind: Arguably the theme of the film.
* BeliefMakesYouStupid: YMMV on the ''level'' of stupidity, but Haig's unwavering belief that his actions are somehow being divinely approved even as hundreds of thousands of men are being slaughtered with little to no ground being gained (meaning they're essentially dying for nothing) arguably counts as this.
* CanonForeigner: Neither the Smith family nor the photographer appear in any way in the original play.
* ChildrenAreInnocent: "Granny, what did Daddy do in the war?" Also Richard Smith looking through the telescopes at the various battles.
* DeadpanSnarker: Many people, mainly background characters. A lot of the songs sung by the soldiers make them this as well.
-->'''Soldiers:''' ''(singing)'' Onward, Joe Soap's army,
-->Marching without fear,
-->With our old commander
-->Safely in the rear.
* DownerEnding: The war might be over, but hundreds of thousands of men are dead and the general consensus seems to be that the cost ultimately wasn't worth all the carnage and the repercussions.
* DramaticIrony: Particularly prevalent in the first half of the film. The war is heralded in with a marching band and plenty of flag-waving and cheering and happy music hall songs...but the film expects you to know that it's certainly not going to last for long.
* TheEveryman: All of the Smiths are intended to be this to varying degrees. Jack Smith is probably the most consistent [[spoiler:since he's the last to die and sees the Treaty of Versailles being signed at the end on the way to meet the rest of his (male) family.]]
* FiveSecondForeshadowing: During the Christmas ceasefire, a German soldier tells Jack Smith that they won't start firing again unless the British fire first. Guess what happens just after this...
** In a humourous example, a group of Australian soldiers sing about Haig and the rest of the high command metaphorically "playing leapfrog". Haig ''literally'' leapfrogs over two officers at the end of the song.
** Related to the BloodlessCarnage, whoever gets given a poppy in the film, or is shown to be in close proximity to a poppy, will die in short order. Always off-screen though.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Plenty. All of the heads of state and generals were real people and the script frequently uses real quotes regarding the war (though not always by the people who said them).
* JukeboxMusical: All of the songs are songs that were popular during the First World War (including the ones with modified lyrics by the soldiers).
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: At any one time, the screen is practically ''full'' of people. Most of them don't return for more than a couple of scenes though.
* LyricalDissonance / SoundtrackDissonance: Many of the songs are actually altered versions of popular pre-1914 music hall songs, which were almost unanimously upbeat and happy. The altered versions, being written by soldiers in the trenches, weren't happy lyrically but still kept the same upbeat music. In the film, the crowning achievement of this has to be "The bells of hell go ting-a-ling-a-ling" being sung by soldiers while they're digging a mass grave.
* ManipulativeBastard: Count Berchtold, the Austrian Secretary of State, convinces the Emperor to sign a declaration of war against Serbia, effectively beginning the domino effect of world leaders declaring war. He then freely admits that he made up the most important piece of evidence convincing the Emperor to sign and that he's erased all mention of said evidence from the declaration.
* MsFanservice: Maggie Smith is this InUniverse as a music hall performer who's given the task of recruiting men for the war. [[FanDisservice Not so much up close though...]]
* MoodWhiplash: All over the place, often several times within a single scene.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Haig seems to display this several times but [[IgnoredEpiphany keeps on going regardless]]. The Smith matriarch also has a silent moment after seeing one of her sons off to war that could arguably be interpreted as this.
* NaiveNewcomer: Everyone to some extent. The First World War was not what ''anyone'' expected it to be, even those who had seen war before.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: This is so prevalent it may as well be called "Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! The Musical". One of the biggest has to be the British command ordering artillery strikes against ''their own men'' as well as the Germans to break up the Christmas ceasefire. Just after the Germans have offered to stop shooting first, no less.
* NoAntagonist: The closest thing (person-wise) the film has to an antagonist is Douglas Haig, but although the film is critical of him and the decisions he made, it also takes care to display how utterly out of his depth Haig was in terms of the scale and nature of the war that was being fought, which had never been seen before, making him into a surprisingly sympathetic character.
* RealityIsUnrealistic: One of the complaints younger viewers have of the film is that the recruiting methods aren't realistic enough. In truth, the scene of the music hall girls recruiting men is actually recorded to have really happened in several places across the UK.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Delivered by Sylvia Pankhurst to a crowd at Brighton Pier on their continued support for the war. It doesn't go over very well.
* SceneryPorn: Considering the film was made in the 1960s, all the scenes at Brighton Pier have a certain degree of this.
* Symbolism: Oh so much.
** The poppies symbolise death.
** The pier symbolises the idea of war as a game, which is how all the characters who remain in the pier see it.
** The Smith family represent the various demographics and viewpoints of the ordinary people who became involved in the war.
* SlidingScaleOfCynicismVsIdealism: InUniverse the scale slowly moves from Idealism to Cynicism. Out of universe, the scale is firmly tipped towards Cynicism throughout.
* TitleDrop: In song form.
* TrueCompanians: The Smiths don't really interact with each other much once they start becoming involved with the war, but when they do interact, they give off this vibe. Some of the other soldiers the Smiths meet give signs of being this as well, particularly the soldier Freddie gets drunk with while on leave [[spoiler:who he meets again in a foxhole just before he dies]], and the soldier Jack greets before the final offensive.
* VillainSong: YMMV on the "villain" aspect, but "Oh What A Lovely War" (the song) has shades of this, given it's being sung by those in high command who are still treating the war as a game rather than by the soldiers who sing most of the other songs.
* WhamLine: Said by Haig after one of his officers floats the idea of halting the war of attrition on the western front: "In the end, they shall have 5000 men left, while we will have 10,000. And we will have won." It basically sums up the attitude of those in charge towards the "cannon fodder" under their command.
* WhamShot: There are three main ones. First at the end of the French soldier's happy song celebrating going to war before turning round and seeing his soldiers (represented by marionettes on a toy roundabout) being shot and killed. Second, during the title song, we see Haig taking part in a game of Blind Man's Bluff before a scoreboard comes into frame bearing horrendous statistics. Third, the final shot of the film [[spoiler:in which the male Smiths all lie back in the grass and fade away to white crosses...and then the camera just keeps pulling back to reveal ''acres'' of the same crosses.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Both the youngest and eldest male Smiths disappear entirely from the film approximately halfway through. The eldest, we can assume, potentially died before the end of the war, but there's no explanation of what happened to the youngest which is especially jarring when his sister (who looked to be only a couple of years younger than him) is in the final scene. To a lesser extent, many of the characters who aren't Haig or a member of the Smith family completely disappear after one or two scenes.
* WouldHurtAChild: It's subtle but it's implied that Freddie Smith is underage (men were not supposed to be accepted into the army until they were 19) when he enters the war. [[spoiler:He ends up dead along with the rest of the men in his family by the end.]][[note: It would make sense if he was underage since the First World War is notorious for having boys lie about their ages in order to sign up. The youngest WW1 Allied soldier on record was only 12 when he enlisted.]]
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