Oh! What a Lovely War │ Eureka Entertainment
Courtesy of Eureka Entertainment
by JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
It seems every month a new film comes along which marks the directorial debut of an actor or actress, but the story I am about to tell is of a very stripe.
Oh! What a Lovely War began life as a show for radio by Charles Chilton called The Long Long Trail, satirising the First World War. It was then picked up by the agitprop theatre entrepreneur Joan Littlewood, who adapted it for the stage as part of her Theatre Workshop, creating a democratic production where improvisation was encouraged and her actors played several parts. Utilising popular songs from the Great War, the musical satire was such a success at Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Royal Stratford East that it transferred to the West End and then to Broadway. This was in 1963. When five years later it was mooted that Oh! What a Lovely War be turned into a movie, Joan Littlewood wanted nothing to do with it. For a start, she just couldn’t see how such theatrical material could be transferred to the large screen. Besides, it sounded like box-office poison.
The eminent movie star John Mills was a particular fan of the show and rang up his good friend, the actor Richard Attenborough, and asked him to read Len Deighton’s screenplay overnight. Attenborough wasn’t very happy about being asked to read a script at such short notice, but he did, and the morning after he rang Sir John saying that he would be happy to play any part in the film, even just six lines, he was so impressed. But what John Mills had failed to mention, apparently, was that he wanted Dickie to direct it. However, Attenborough – ‘Dickie’ to his friends and practically everybody else – had never directed a film in his life and couldn’t begin to see how this could be made into a movie. He had been toying with the idea of directing a film about Gandhi, but that project was many years off. He was then further discombobulated when Sir John asked him if he could find a way to raise the money for the production as well.
Attenborough was now smitten by the idea and thought he should give it a go and so he approached an inexperienced American mogul with the idea of an epic anti-war musical set on Brighton pier with an all-star cast. But who could he get to appear in it? Well Dickie, being the bluffer that he was, mentioned a few friends with starry reputations and the studio mogul said that it was a ‘go’ – if he could just guarantee four or five of those stars. So, planning to film the whole thing in Brighton, Dickie nipped down to the seaside resort to visit Sir Laurence Olivier, who lived there and was bedridden with a very serious illness. Dickie made it up to the top floor of Larry’s flat and recounted his idea for the film, to which Larry shouted after him, tell Johnny and Ralphy that I’m in it and I’m doing it for the Equity minimum!
Well, once Olivier was on board, everybody else followed and soon Attenborough had the dream cast of Olivier, Richardson, Gielgud, Sir John Mills, Susannah York, Dirk Bogarde, Sir Kenneth Moore, Sir Ian Holm, Sir John Clements, Jack Hawkins, Vanessa Redgrave and Sir Michael Redgrave and many more. The one person Attenborough couldn’t convince right away was Maggie Smith, but he knew that she had always wanted to sing, so he gave her the recruiting music hall number ‘I'll Make a Man of You’ and she was on board, too.
I can’t remember how many times I’ve seen Oh! What a Lovely War, but each time I do, I am just as impressed as I was the first time, when my older brother took me to see it out of school. It is such an original piece of filmmaking, superbly shot by DP Gerry Turpin and packed with memorable wartime songs and ingeniously choreographed sequences that it is both a hugely entertaining and terribly poignant experience. Attenborough of course went on to become an Oscar-winning filmmaker and never looked back.
This worldwide Blu-Ray debut of the film, as part of The Masters of Cinema Series from Eureka Entertainment, includes a comprehensive interview with the film historian Simon Brown looking at the depictions of the Great War in British cinema and a three-part ‘making-of’ documentary featuring Attenborough himself, as well as Corin Redgrave, Susannah York and Angela Thorne, all of whom are sadly no longer with us. Looking back now, I realise what an honour it was for me to have interviewed Lord Attenborough on several occasions and to have met so many of his cohorts, including Sir John Mills, Sir Ralph Richardson and Susannah York. At the time, I had no idea how privileged I was. This painstakingly curated Blu-Ray mounted in an O-card slipcase and including an exclusive collector’s booklet is a privilege to own.
Eureka Entertainment’s release of Oh! What a Lovely War is now available on Blu-ray
EUREKA ENTERTAINMENT is the leading independent distributor of classic silent/early films in the UK. In 2004, Eureka! established the award winning Masters of Cinema Series, a specially curated director-led Blu-ray and DVD collection of classic and world cinema using the finest available materials for home viewing. In 2014, Eureka! established Eureka! Classics intended to highlight a broader selection of classic and cult cinema, and in 2017, Eureka! established Montage Pictures, a label celebrating ground-breaking and thought-provoking world cinema from new and upcoming directors.
