Oh What a Lovely War - 1969

As far as war satire goes, beyond MASH and Catch 22, there is very little to choose from. So when I watched Oh What a Lovely War, Richard Attenborough's directorial debut, I was more than pleasantly surprised by not only the catchy, hilarious musical tunes, but also the poignancy and emotional wallop of a film effectively taking pot shots at the Great War. Based on the stage musical, Attenborough effectively translates Oh What a Lovely War into a film whilst managing to maintain some of the unique elements which no doubt remained from the play. The opening scene for example sees kings, queens, archdukes etc coming together from across Europe to discuss the mounting possibility of Austria invading Persia. Ending with a group photograph which serves as the assassination of the Archduke which infamously started World War One. From there we experience the fours years of war, from a tear inducing Christmas day when both sides laid down their arms to come together on no-man's land right through to the bloody, massacres of the Somme, to the hilarious introduction of the Americans.

The film brilliantly uses songs, which were sung by soldiers during the conflict, fantastically taking existing well known melodies and replacing the old lyrics with bitingly satrical new lyrics.

Attenborough's direction is ambitious, extravagant and mercurial for a debut film and this may be one of the strongest first films in cinema history. It's not easy to juggle both humour and heart, but Attenborough never once falters in his handling of scenes which from instant to instant shift from comical to depressing. The futulity as well as the farce is never lost and the film never once shies away from showing not only the horror but the absudity of war.

A classic of British cinema, and one of the most unique, engaging and original war films ever made. On par with MASH for satrical commentary on the pointlessly of war. The film is also helped by one of the greatest British casts ever assembled with John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Michael Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Ian Holm, Susannah York, John Mills and Dirk Bogarde.