the stage and are quickly moved offstage and into military life. As scenes from the war are depicted with less symbolism, the red poppy crops up again as a symbol of impending death, often being handed to a soldier about to be sent to die on the front lines. These scenes are juxtaposed with the white wrought-iron building which now houses the top military brass and the pier. There is now a scoreboard showing the loss of life and 'yards gained,' 1915 is depicted as darkly contrasting in tone. Many shots of a parade of wounded men illustrate an endless stream of grim, hopeless faces. Black humour among these soldiers has now replaced the enthusiasm of the early days. "There's A Long, Long Trail A-Winding" captures the new mood of despair, and the scene with the soldiers filing along in torrential rain in miserable conditions looks less like a hyperbolic musical and more like a gritty realistic portrayal of war. Red poppies provide the only bright color in these scenes. We also see English soldiers on leave and recovering from wounds, often singing songs about wanting to stay home and no longer fight. There is a scene of English soldiers drinking in an estaminet. A chanteuse leads them in a jolly chorus of "The Moon Shines Bright On Charlie Chaplin, a reworking of an American song, then shifts the mood back to darker tone by singing a soft and somber versions of "Adieu la vie". A pan-religious service is held in a ruined abbey. A priest tells the gathered masses of soldiers that each religion has endorsed the war by way of allowing soldiers to eat pork if Jewish, red meat on Sundays if Catholic, and work through the sabbath if in service of the war for all religions. He also mentions the Dalai Lama has blessed the war effort. 1916 passes, and the film's tone darkens again. The songs contain contrasting tones of wistfulness, stoicism, and resignation; including "The Bells Of Hell Go Ting-a-ling-a-ling", "If The Sergeant Steals Your Rum, Never Mind" and "Hanging on the Old Barbed Wire". The wounded are laid out in ranks at the field station, a stark contrast to the healthy rows of young men who entered the War. Harry Smith's silently-suffering face is often lingered upon by the camera. The Americans arrive, but are shown only in the 'disconnected reality' of the pier and white iron building, singing "And we won't come back - we'll be buried over there!" Freddy notices with disgust that after three years of this nightmare, he is literally back where he started, fighting at Mons. As the Armistice is sounding, Freddy is the last one to die. The film closes with a long slow pan out that ends in an aerial view of soldiers' graves, dizzying in their geometry and scale, as the voices of the dead sing, "We'll Never Tell Them". The CAST: M 11 F4, playing a variety of characters The Scenes Various simple settings THE MUSIC Songs and parodies of songs from the First World War ORCHESTRATION Flute/Doubling Clarinet, 1st Baritone Sax/ Doubling Clarinet, Trumpet, Bass, Percussion DISCOGRAPHY Oh! What a Lovely War! - Original London Cast Recording
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