I was just commenting to a co-worker that I thought the 70's were a total blank as far as quality pictures are concerned, Oh! What a Lovely War being an exception (if you can actually count it as a 70's picture). It is a pacifist tract that is actually opulent in its period detail, incisive in its satire of the English establishment's foibles and lyrical in its description of the ravages of war. It also shows actual intelligence, culture and wit at the service of a good cause at the start of a decade which was inaugurated with self-indulgence and ended in gross excess. With all the talents involved (working for scale, I'm sure), it was a monumental undertaking and remains a movie that stays with you forever.
Review of Oh! What a Lovely War
