I wish I had been more moved by this film. It had the cast, it had the poignancy of the soldiers' songs, it had a celebrated director. Yet the film is hidebound, by mostly lack-luster direction. This may be a common side effect when transferring a stage production to film, but some stagy scenes should have been cut, or removed.
The most obvious failing is the tedious start created by trying to have leaders of the countries in the lead up to war explain their positions in a contrivance which does not work for me. Maybe if the film had concentrated more on the musical aspects of the film, and less on stagy exposition, I would have been more involved in the film.
The musical numbers despite the fame of some of the songs, are not - with only a couple of exceptions - that well produced. Ironically the best number is set on a stage near the beginning were the men in the audience are being recruited by an attractive dance troupe. The shock of using such overt sexuality to try and recruit men for war was one of the sharpest moments in the film. The other being when a nurse tells a badly injured man that she'll soon get him fit enough to go back to war. That was an unexpectedly savage moment in a film, which despite the subject matter lacked for them.
The acting honours were about even through out the cast, no one really seemed to stand out, perhaps Ralph Richardson as Sir Edward Grey, and Joe Melia as a photographer in a cameo role are the most memorable. The ending of the film is disappointing low key, the Americans come, and the film basically ends soon after that. Maybe the low key ending was deliberate, but the film seemed to come to rather an abrupt end. This is more surprising because the film is comfortably over two hours long, and yet I will say the film did not drag after the slow start at all. It's just the film lacked enough visual flourish to make the impact it should have. I'm glad I watched it, for it does have an important message, and it's entertaining enough.
It however should have been an experience that left you being moved, and openly angry and bitter at the first world war's futility. It ends up being a rather flat experience, with just the rare moment of truth making this film a worthy if mostly uninspiring experience.
The most obvious failing is the tedious start created by trying to have leaders of the countries in the lead up to war explain their positions in a contrivance which does not work for me. Maybe if the film had concentrated more on the musical aspects of the film, and less on stagy exposition, I would have been more involved in the film.
The musical numbers despite the fame of some of the songs, are not - with only a couple of exceptions - that well produced. Ironically the best number is set on a stage near the beginning were the men in the audience are being recruited by an attractive dance troupe. The shock of using such overt sexuality to try and recruit men for war was one of the sharpest moments in the film. The other being when a nurse tells a badly injured man that she'll soon get him fit enough to go back to war. That was an unexpectedly savage moment in a film, which despite the subject matter lacked for them.
The acting honours were about even through out the cast, no one really seemed to stand out, perhaps Ralph Richardson as Sir Edward Grey, and Joe Melia as a photographer in a cameo role are the most memorable. The ending of the film is disappointing low key, the Americans come, and the film basically ends soon after that. Maybe the low key ending was deliberate, but the film seemed to come to rather an abrupt end. This is more surprising because the film is comfortably over two hours long, and yet I will say the film did not drag after the slow start at all. It's just the film lacked enough visual flourish to make the impact it should have. I'm glad I watched it, for it does have an important message, and it's entertaining enough.
It however should have been an experience that left you being moved, and openly angry and bitter at the first world war's futility. It ends up being a rather flat experience, with just the rare moment of truth making this film a worthy if mostly uninspiring experience.