Directed by Richard Attenborough - 1969 poster
I read the following comment by Tim Newark in his 50 Great War Films: for some it is a superb anti-war satire, but for others it is an over-egged melange of World War I clichés. Surely, it can be both; but I swayed more to the latter viewpoint. I also had sympathy with two other critics' views: firstly, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times saying that it was not a movie but an elaborately staged tableau, a dazzling use of the camera to achieve essentially theatrical effects...; and, secondly, Gary Arnold in The Washington Post, the conception is intriguing, but the film turns into an infernal, precision machine. As one big production number succeeded the other and one perfectly measured and symmetrical tabeau faded into the next, I began to feel stupefied rather than touched. In my less sophisticated way, I would call the move clinical and even 'cold'.
It came from the stable of Joan Littlewood, so the pacifist, left-wing slant was inevitable. Attenborough made no secret of his leftish views and the Redgraves - Corin and Vanessa - were even further to the left. I was surprised to read Susannah York was also left of centre! Nevertheless, there were some excellent scenes. I particularly liked the first part, where actors representing the leaders of Europe walked over a map of the continent as a sequence of events pulled them into conflict.
War breaks out...
What an array of British acting talent criss-crossing the screen! I counted up the knights of the realm:
Sir Laurence Olivier (!907-1989 - created 1947. ennobled in 1970); Sir Ralph Richardson (1902-1983 - created 1947); Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000 - created 1953); Sir Michael Redgrave (1908-1985 - created 1959). Then, subsequent to the film: Sir John Mills (1908-2005 - created 1976); Sir Richard Attenborough (1923-2014 - created 1976, ennobled 1993); Sir Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999 - created 1992); and Sir Ian Holm (1931-2020 - created 1998). When you add Dame Maggie Smith (1934 - ), Susannah York, Vanessa Redgrave and Angela Thorne to the list, you have the making of a thespian delight! Poor old Jack Hawkins, stricken with throat cancer, made a poignant cameo. Kenneth More, actually, did quite well in a casting foreign (in both senses) to his norm; even Edward Fox managed a slightly different manner than usual.
John Mills as General Sir Douglas Haig
There were praiseworthy moments - the trench scenes (done in Brighton rubbish dump, which smelt appalling!); the church service in the ruins of an abbey (Old Bayham); the railway station; and the final huge array of crosses (16,000 had to be hammered into individually dug holes due to the hardness of the soil).
The Brighton West Pier (now gutted by fire and in a dreadful wrecked state), was a superb 'prop' for so many of the scenes. 
West Pier, Brighton
The use of a giant score-board also was very effective.
I loved the brief scene with Bogarde and York: 'I'm not using my German wine, not while the War is on.' 'I think that's a splendid gesture, Stephen.' ! The Charlie Chaplin spoof was great fun. Also the priest's rallying cry to the soldiers at their service in the ruined abbey was amusing: The Archbishop of Canterbury has made it known that it is no sin to labour for war on the Sabbath...the Chief Rabbi has absolved your brethren from abstaining from pork in the trenches, and the Dalai Lama has blessed the war effort. Well that makes it all worthwhile, then. I didn't realise how many of the 'famous' songs from the Great War were second-rate and repetitive, and some of them just went on too long.
The movie ranked as the 16th film at the Box Office in the UK in 1969, which is about right; it is certainly not at the top, or in my Top Ten so far.
2007 DVD
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