Oh! What A Lovely War
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Oh! What A Lovely War
''Oh! What a Lovely War'' is a 1969 British comedy musical war film directed by Richard Attenborough (in his directorial debut), with an ensemble cast, including Maggie Smith, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Olivier, Jack Hawkins, Corin Redgrave, Michael Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm, Paul Shelley, Malcolm McFee, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Nanette Newman, Edward Fox, Susannah York, John Clements, Phyllis Calvert and Maurice Roëves. The film is based on the stage musical ''Oh, What a Lovely War!'', originated by Charles Chilton as the radio play ''The Long Long Trail'' in December 1961, and transferred to stage by Gerry Raffles in partnership with Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop in 1963. The title is derived from the music hall song "Oh! It's a Lovely War", which is one of the major numbers in the film. Synopsis ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' summarises and comments on the events of World War I using popular songs of ...
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Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), as well as the life president of Chelsea FC. He joined the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and served in the film unit, going on several bombing raids over Europe and filming the action from the rear gunner's position. He was the older brother of broadcaster Sir David Attenborough and motor executive John Attenborough. He was married to actress Sheila Sim from 1945 until his death. As an actor, he is best remembered for his film roles in '' Brighton Rock'' (1948), ''I'm All Right Jack'' (1959), '' The Great Escape'' (1963), ''The Sand Pebbles'' (1966), ''Doctor Dolittle'' (1967), '' 10 Rillington Place'' (1971), '' Jurassic Park'' (1993), and ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1994). In 1952 he appeared on the West En ...
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Susannah York
Susannah Yolande Fletcher (9 January 1939 – 15 January 2011), known professionally as Susannah York, was an English actress. Her appearances in various films of the 1960s, including '' Tom Jones'' (1963) and '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' (1969), formed the basis of her international reputation. An obituary in ''The Telegraph'' characterised her as "the blue-eyed English rose with the china-white skin and cupid lips who epitomised the sensuality of the swinging sixties", who later "proved that she was a real actor of extraordinary emotional range". York's early films included ''The Greengage Summer'' (1961) and ''Freud'' (1962). She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for ''They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' She also won the 1972 Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for ''Images''. Her other film appearances included ''Sands of the Kalahari'' (1965), '' A Man for All Seasons'' (1966), ''The Killing of Sister George'' (1968), ''Batt ...
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Charles Chilton
Charles Chilton MBE (15 June 1917 – 2 January 2013) was a British presenter, writer and producer who worked on BBC Radio. He created the 1950s radio serials ''Riders of the Range'' and ''Journey into Space'', and also inspired the stage show and film ''Oh, What a Lovely War!''. Early life Born in Bloomsbury in London, England, he never knew his father – who was killed during the First World War – and when he was six his mother died as a result of having a botched abortion,Interview with Charles Chilton, ''What Did You Do in the Great War, Daddy?'', BBC Four, 2007 with the result that Chilton was brought up by his grandmother. He was educated at St. Pancras Church of England School. Chilton left school at the age of 14, and after a brief apprenticeship making electric signs, he joined the BBC as a messenger boy. A year later he became an assistant in their gramophone library. He had a passion for jazz music, and in 1937 formed the BBC Boys' Jazz band. Career Hi ...
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Maurice Roëves
John Maurice Roëves (; 19 March 1937 – 14 July 2020) was a British actor. He appeared in over 120 film and television roles, in both the United Kingdom and the United States. His breakthrough performance was as Stephen Dedalus in the 1967 film adaptation of James Joyce's ''Ulysses''. He was a regular fixture on BBC and BBC Scotland programmes, often portraying what ''The Guardian'' called "tough guys, steely villains or stalwart military figures with directness, authenticity and spiky energy". Early life and education Roëves was born in Sunderland to Rhoda (nee Laydon) and Percival Roëves. When he was six the family moved to Glasgow, where he was raised from then on. He left Hyndland Secondary School early to help his father, and undertook National Service in the Royal Scots Greys, where he was a tank mechanic. After he left the Army he studied at the College of Dramatic Art at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he won a Gold Medal for acting. Career Roëves to ...
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Edward Fox (actor)
Edward Charles Morice Fox (born 13 April 1937) is an English actor. He starred in the film ''The Day of the Jackal'' (1973), playing the part of a professional assassin, known only as the "Jackal", who is hired to assassinate the French president Charles de Gaulle in the summer of 1963. Fox is also known for his roles in ''Battle of Britain'' (1969), ''The Go-Between'' (1971), for which he won a BAFTA award, and '' The Bounty'' (1984). He also collaborated with director Richard Attenborough, appearing in his films ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' (1969), '' A Bridge Too Far'' (1977) and ''Gandhi'' (1982). He portrayed Edward VIII in the British television drama series '' Edward & Mrs. Simpson'' (1978) and appeared in the historical series ''Taboo'' (2017). In addition to film and television work, Fox has received acclaim as a stage actor. Early life and education Fox was born the first of three sons on 13 April 1937 in Chelsea, London, the son of Robin Fox, a theatrical agent, a ...
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Nanette Newman
Nanette Newman (born 29 May 1934) is an English actress and author. She appeared in nine films directed by her husband Bryan Forbes, including ''Séance on a Wet Afternoon'' (1964), ''The Whisperers'' (1967), '' Deadfall'' (1968), ''The Stepford Wives'' (1975) and '' International Velvet'' (1978), for which she won the Evening Standard Film Award for Best Actress. She was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for another Forbes directed film, ''The Raging Moon'' (1971). Early life Newman was born in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. Her parents were in show business, with her father being a reputed circus strongman. In the 1940s, she lived in Pullman Court, Streatham Hill. Newman was educated at Sternhold College, the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts stage school and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Career Newman made her first screen appearance at age 11 in the 1945 short ''Here We Come Gathering: A Story of the Kentish O ...
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Jean-Pierre Cassel
Jean-Pierre Cassel (born Jean-Pierre Crochon; 27 October 1932 – 19 April 2007) was a French actor. Early life Cassel was born Jean-Pierre Crochon in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, the son of Louise-Marguerite (née Fabrègue), an opera singer, and Georges Crochon, a doctor. Cassel was discovered by Gene Kelly as he tap danced on stage, and later cast in the 1957 film ''The Happy Road''. Career Cassel gained prominence in the late 1950s as a hero in comedies by Philippe de Broca such as ''Male Companion'' and through his role as 'Jean François Jardie' in the famous French resistance piece '' L' Armée des ombres''. During the 1960s and 1970s, he worked with Claude Chabrol ('' The Breach''), Luis Buñuel (as Stéphane Audran's husband in ''The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie'' 1972), Ken Annakin (as the Frenchman in ''Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'' 1965), Gérard Brach (as Claude Jade's lover in ''The Boat on the Grass''), Richard Lester (as Louis XIII ...
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Malcolm McFee
Malcolm Raymond McFee (16 August 1949 – 18 November 2001) was an English actor best known for his role as Peter Craven in the TV series ''Please Sir!'', the film of the same name, and the spin-off TV series ''The Fenn Street Gang''. Career Malcolm McFee made his first appearance on television in 1967. In 1968, he began a three-season stint in the London Weekend Television situation comedy series ''Please Sir!'' playing the part of smooth wide-boy Peter Craven. He continued the role into the 1971 feature film comedy version, also called ''Please Sir! (film), Please Sir!''. McFee had made his film debut in the 1969 satirical anti-war musical ''Oh! What a Lovely War''. The ''Please Sir!'' TV series spawned a comedy sequel called ''The Fenn Street Gang'', which ran from 1971 to 1973. McFee was unavailable for season one as he was appearing in the West End play ''Forget-Me-Not-Lane'' and the part of Craven was played for that season by Leon Vitali. McFee returned for seasons two an ...
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Paul Shelley
Paul Shelley (born Paul Matthews; 15 May 1942) is an English actor. Shelley was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, and trained at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art). Since then he has mainly worked in the theatre as a classical actor. He has worked extensively with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company and has appeared in several West End productions. Television and film roles His work for television includes ''A Tale of Two Cities'' (1980), the BBC Sunday classic serial in which he played the dual lead roles of Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, '' Secret Army'' (1978–79) as Major Nicholas Bradley, ''The Fourth Arm'' (1979), ''Special Branch'' (1974), ''Blake's 7'' (1979), ''Doctor Who'' (1982), ''Inspector Morse'' (1990), ''Paradise Postponed'' (1986) based on book by John Mortimer (audiobook-recorded by Paul Shelley as well) and its sequel ''Titmuss Regained'' (1991, also audiobook),, ''Revelations'' (1994–95), '' Heartbeat'' (200 ...
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Ian Holm
Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020) was an English actor who was knighted in 1998 for his contributions to theatre and film. Beginning his career on the British stage as a standout member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he later transitioned into a successful and prolific screen career. On film he portrayed a variety of both supporting and leading characters, earning critical acclaim and many accolades in the process. Holm won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in ''The Homecoming'' and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of ''King Lear''. He was nominated for seven BAFTA Awards, winning Best Actor in a Supporting Role twice for ''The Bofors Gun'' (his film debut) and ''Chariots of Fire'' (as a running coach). His latter performance as athletics trainer Sam Mussabini was also nominated for an Academy Award. His other well-known film roles include Ash in ''Alien'', ...
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Corin Redgrave
Corin William Redgrave (16 July 19396 April 2010) was an English actor and left-wing socialist activist. Early life Redgrave was born on 16 July 1939 in Marylebone, London, the only son and middle child of actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. He was educated at Westminster School and King's College, Cambridge. Career Redgrave played a wide range of character roles on film, television and stage. On stage, he was known for performances by Shakespeare (such as ''Much Ado About Nothing'', '' Henry IV, Part 1'','' Antony and Cleopatra'', and '' The Tempest'') and Noël Coward (a highly successful revival of ''A Song At Twilight'' co-starring his sister Vanessa Redgrave and his second wife, Kika Markham). For his role as the prison warden Boss Whalen in the Royal National Theatre production of Tennessee Williams's ''Not About Nightingales'', Redgrave was nominated for an Evening Standard Award, and after a successful transfer of the production to New York, he received a T ...
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Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest film studio in the United States (behind Universal Pictures), and the sole member of the Major film studio, "Big Five" film studios located within the city limits of Los Angeles. In 1916, film producer Adolph Zukor put 24 actors and actresses under contract and honored each with a star on the logo. In 1967, the number of stars was reduced to 22 and their hidden meaning was dropped. In 2014, Paramount Pictures became the first major Hollywood studio to distribute all of its films in digital form only. The company's headquarters and studios are located at 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, California. Paramount Pictures is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America, Motion Picture Associ ...
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