Oh What A Lovely War (Methuen Modern Play)

Book Description

The reissue of the Methuen Modern Play with a fresh new livery.

Customer Reviews:

Deliciously Scandalous In The Sixties!.......2005-06-06

"Oh, What A Lovely War!" is one of the most memorable and critically-acclaimed war plays of all time. It was written by Joan Littlewood in 1963, and has endured to this day because of the impact it had upon audience when it opened at the Theatre Royal in Stratford East. The play is notorious for being ruthless in exposing the horror of the trenches and the callous incompetence of the ruling classes that plunged Europe into war in 1914.

Back in the Sixties, the play was also described as "deliciously scandalous" because of its aggressive, anti-war stance. Audiences associated the no-holds-barred assault on all the old clichés about king and country because of the dramatic social changes accompanying the youth rebellion of the Sixties. The play was one of the few instances up until this point where its content reflected the tumultuous climate of society.

A generation was beginning to feel the threat of the war in Vietnam, and this play had an immediate, personal resonance. Some people felt that the play voiced their own thoughts and feelings about war and conflict, whilst many of the older generation were shocked by the show's attitude toward the generals and civilians who sent a generation of young men off to the slaughterhouse of Ypres and the Somme. These were people who remembered the original songs that were being sung, so to see them performed in a completely different way was a sensuous and violent shock.

The play was ground-breaking in a number of ways, because it had no immediate human focus, or any continuing character that the audience could come to care about, or even any story to speak of, or a real resolution. In spite of all this, it was still very powerful and also immensely successful simply because of the overwhelming static charge between its subject and the society around it.

In terms of content, what makes the play so successful is the combination of songs and imagery, mixed to create a shock in the minds of the audience watching. War songs are sung to express patriotic ideas about fighting, against a backdrop of imagery that reflects the play's real attitude to war. Large images such as soldiers dying after being wounded in gunfire, or decaying corpses left rotting in the mud are accompanied by captions, such as death tolls and `updates' on the current war situation. The material Littlewood chose came from popular songs from the start of the century which were very patriotic and idyllic. However, in her hands, they become bitingly subversive rather than sterile pieces of heritage.

"Goodbyeee," sung through clenched teeth, expresses bitterness at the bloodshed of war rather than a stiff upper lip attitude. "Forward Joe Soap's Army" sung to the tune of 'Onward Christian Soldiers' captures the gallows humour of the trenches. Even a group of women factory workers singing an innocuous sing along number contrasts with the lifeless formality of a British army dance.

A few slapstick sketches show the pressures leading to the outbreak of war. Their absurd humour is the ideal vehicle for conveying the madness of August 1914. From then on, musical and comedy sketches are interspersed with moving scenes of war and its impact. The arrival of the first casualties at Waterloo Station stands out. Transport to hospital is arranged for the officers. The rest have to make do.

All this takes place as a screen above the stage flashes out casualty figures as the killing intensifies. "Total dead in the Battle of the Somme: 1,332,000" whizzes above the stage as you watch the actors play a group of demented British army officers. You watch a troupe of war profiteers on the stage as the message board informs you how "21,000 American businessmen become millionaires from the war." "Average life of a machine gunner: four minutes."

The play is still performed on stage throughout the country to this very day, yet some critics have labelled it stale and boring. This is because the cultural shock of the Sixties is no longer present in the 21st Century: what was deemed scandalous some 40 years ago is no longer exciting in modern times, in an era where a vast majority of people have grown up with the firm belief that war is wrong. This fact makes Joan Littlewood's original version all the more timeless, because it successfully captured a moment in time where society was in the midst of a revolution. The memories of the original performances are almost set in stone amongst the audiences who first watched it.

Information required.......2001-11-04

Unable to find any other way of tracking down a copy of either the film or the soundtrack of the film /play, Oh! What A Lovely War. Could someone please put me out of my misery and e-mail me with any information that might help me to obtain a copy of the film or the soundtrack. Failing this could someone please tell me how to get in touch with Richard Attenborough so that I can check with him to see if he has a copy that I could obtain a copy of.

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Oh, What a Lovely War

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0963044508

Oh What a Lovely War (Methuen Student Editions)

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Oh What a Lovely War (Methuen Student Editions)

Manufacturer: Methuen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0413775461

Book Description

A theatrical chronicle of the First World War, Oh What A Lovely War is told through the songs and documents of the period.

Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop was set up at the end of World War II. In 1953 they moved into the old Theatre Royal, Stratford East, London and remained there for the next 11 years, during which time they built up an international reputation.

Oh, What a Lovely War!: A Soldier's Memoir (Hellgate Memories Series.)

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WORLD WAR II - A British soldier's memoir - 1940-1945

Oh, What a Lovely War!: A Soldier's Memoir (Hellgate Memories Series.)
Stanley Swift , and Evelyn A. Luscher
Manufacturer: Hellgate Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1555715028

Book Description

An intensely moving and personal story by Stanley Swift, one of Field Marshall Montgomery's famous Desert Rats, recounting battles fought in a variety of landscapes, including the African desert. Provides a moving and authentic account of his march through Normandy, Belgium, Holland, and finally Berlin, in 1945.

The Seventh Armoured Division, also known as the Desert Rats, began in the deserts of North Africa. The dividion was a fighting regiment, fueled by its success and untouched by its early misfortune. Under the command of Field Marshal Montgomery, the division successfully marched through Normandy starting in 1944 and then on to Belgium, Holland, andfinally to Berlin in 1945.

After the war, Stanley Swift rarely spoke of his experiences. Years later, he was persuaded to record his memories. As he spoke into a recorder, it became apparent he had a unique story to tell. This is his story - one you will not easily forget.

Customer Reviews:

WORLD WAR II - A British soldier's memoir - 1940-1945.......1999-05-16

Add another facet to the World War II retrospectives ('The Greatest Generation' Brokaw, 'Saving Pvt. Ryan' Spielberg). Now, indefatigable British soldier Stanley Swift, member of the famed 'Desert Rats' under Field Marshal Montgomery, puts a human face on HIS war that sometimes criss-crossed beleagured paths of American and other Allied troops. 'Oh, What a Lovely War! mirrors Pvt. Swift's unforgettable innermost thoughts and feelings of his life in battle, long surpressed by a self-imposed half century of silence. You'll chuckle, laugh and shed tears following the strictly British account of his 'adventures' as a recruit in training during the 1940 London blitz and assignment to the Royal Horse Artillery, Seventh Armoured Division. Then it was on to historic desert battles with Nazi General Rommel's forces in north Africa, through Italy to the Normandy beaches in France, and more combat across Belgium and Holland to final victory in Berlin in 1945. It is his sister, Evelyn Swift Luscher, a Sacramento, California, author, who gives poignant voice to her brother's memoir through her dedicated transcribing and editing of his many irreplaceable audio tapes. Stanley Swift died in April, 1996, in Nottingham, England, at the age of 81. I liked the book because it told so much we never know from history books and evoked so many emotions. Everybody should know what war REALLY is. Truly, an excellent read. Elaine Adams California Writer's Club Sacramento, CA.

Oh, what a lovely war? War, taxation, and public opinion in England, 1624-29 (1).: An article from: Canadian Journal of History

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Oh, what a lovely war? War, taxation, and public opinion in England, 1624-29 (1).: An article from: Canadian Journal of History
Simon Healy
Manufacturer: University of Saskatchewan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by University of Saskatchewan on December 1, 2003. The length of the article is 8474 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: Les gens prennent rarement plaisir a payer des taxes, particulierement en temps de guerre. Lorsque Charles I partit en guerre contre l'Espagne en 1625, c'etait avec la conviction que la nation etait unie derriere lui, un malentendu que le parlement corrigea en allouant des votes a peine suffisants pour contribuer aux modifications des politiques domestiques impopulaires. Le roi choisit de faire face a ses adversaires en dissolvant le parlement et fit appel a la nation pour assurer le financement de sa guerre a travers une serie de taxes prerogatives. Cet article analyse les recettes des types de taxations directes variees emises pendant la periode 1624-1630 (fournissant une analyse des recus par comte) et nous concluons que quoique la decision de Charles de percevoir la taxation prerogative fut un succes financier, elle lui couta enormement au niveau du bon vouloir politique qui l'avait accueilli lors de son avenement.

Citation Details
Title: Oh, what a lovely war? War, taxation, and public opinion in England, 1624-29 (1).
Author: Simon Healy
Publication: Canadian Journal of History (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 2003
Publisher: University of Saskatchewan
Volume: 38 Issue: 3 Page: 439(27)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Oh What A Lovely War

Manufacturer: Eyre Methuen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GR917U

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Oh What a Lovely War
Charles Chiltern
Manufacturer: Methuen Drama
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K4DJOK

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Oh What a Lovely War
Charles Chilton
Manufacturer: Methuen & Co Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS3JOW

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Oh What a Lovely War
London Cast Cdmcls 3008
Manufacturer: MUST CLOSE SATURDAY]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Books on CD | Formats | Books
ASIN: 6308334197

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Oh! What a lovely war
Patrick Tilley
Manufacturer: Sackville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

Herb Ritts is one of the most notorious and successful photographers working today. The Los Angeles-based imagemaker has created portfolios for Vogue, Vanity Fair, and other magazines, done movie ads and music videos, and worked with fashion-world clients such as Calvin Klein and Giorgio Armani. This sumptuous catalogue, published to accompany an exhibition at the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain in Paris, includes an interview with Herb Ritts. One hundred photographs, some previously unpublished, exemplify the rigorous, disconcerting work of one of the most remarkable photographers of the contemporary art, fashion, and entertainment worlds. Herb Ritts's subjects include Antonio Banderas, Sandra Bernhard, Louise Bourgeois,Charles Bukowski, William S. Burroughs, Francesco Clemente, Joseph Fiennes, Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Gibson, Keith Haring, Stephen Hawking, Michael Jordan, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, B. B. King, Roy Lichtenstein, Ewan MacGregor, Nelson Mandela, Edward Norton, Robert Rauschenberg, Christopher Reeve, and Tina Turner. 94 duotone photographs.

Customer Reviews:

RITTS.......2007-01-20

This is a beautiful book on the iconic Ritts. I was lucky enough to be photographed by him and he was not only a huge talent, but he was a no air's, no b.s., really cool guy. This book really is the benchmark on books of his work, it is very comprehensive and gives you a real feel of what made Ritts a great photographer. I've looked through this book a million times and ive never tired of admiring his talent and his great eye for what makes an image pop. I lament the fact he died so young and that we are robbed of his talent and his humanity as a human being; he is missed.

the right stuff.......2006-12-31

I love Herb Ritts. Also Richard Avedon is on the top of my list. I bought both for my birthday and have no regrets. This is top notich photography and both are beautifully produced.

The Best of A Pioneer........2005-08-15

This is one of the most beautiful coffe table books I have ever seen. It is a compliation of the work of a genius, and seethes with human tension. What a wonderful book.

Beautiful coffee table book & conversation piece.......2004-03-03

I received this book as a gift. I can't tell you how many times at a party or get-together at our home someone has picked this up, and then it has become the topic of conversation. The book gets passed around the entire night because everyone wants to look at it, and once someone starts flipping through the pages they simply can't put it down because they want to look at every image. Several of the photos are of celebrities, but they are somewhat disguised. Example: Cindy Crawford made up as a man. It is fun to do a "double take" as you try to guess who some of the subjects are. As always, Herb Ritts' images are masterpieces. This was a wonderful gift.

A Mixed Bag of Photographs.......2004-01-09

This catalogue of the retrospective of Ritts' work in the mid 90's at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston by its very nature has a lot of photographs that are included in previous volumes: many of the nudes, the African photos, the series called Duo and "celebrity portraits." Unlike many celebrity photographers, Ritts was able to create photographs that rarely if ever are duplicates of either his or other artists' work. You get a good sense of that from looking at all of the small copies of all the photos published at the end of this volume. That is no small accomplishment. Many of the nudes and/or erotic photographs have been around for so long and reproduced so often that they have almost become cliches. For example, the series of "Fred With Tires." These show up in calendars, refrigerator magnets, posters ad nauseam. The nine photographs of Bill T. Jones, one of which graces the cover of this hefty volume, should be called "Eunuch, I-IX." The poor man has been castrated by the stroke of an airbrush. I assume we are politically rather than anatomically correct here. This show was clearly no repetition of the Mapplethorpe Exhibit in Cincinnati!

Celebrity photographs are often just that. They are interesting only if you know the model. A fine portrait photographer can shoot someone we do not know and make that person interesting to us. Many though certainly not all of Ritts' photos rise to that level. For that reason, he will always be revered as an artist. I would put the photos of Whoopi Goldberg, William Burroughs and Mike Ovitz in that category, to name three. Even if we did not know who these people are, Ritts makes us want to know them. Proof of this, at least for me, is that I was mesmerized by the photo of Ovitz and didn't have the slightest idea initially of who he was. These photographs are intriguing and draw the viewer in. Finally, for my money, the three incomparable shots of Eunice Kennedy Shriver are simply the best portraits in the book. The first time I leafed through this volume, these fantastic shots jumped out at me.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful.......2005-08-15

Duo is a beautiful collection of some of the work of Herb Ritts. While I have always found the models for this book, Bob Paris and Rod Jackson a bit cartoonish, the book is quite nice and presents the men is a favorable light.

pas de deux by Herb Ritts.......2000-05-20

It is a statement of how times have changed that photographic books of the male nude can now be displayed unabashedly in store front windows. That albums with male couples au naturelle should also feature is even more significant. Within the U.S., Austalia, N.Z.,or the U.K. there is hardly a gay man who has not heard of Bob Paris and Rod Jackson. This role model couple in 1994 released a bestselling detailed autobiography of their relationship and love affair. Blessed with good looks and intellectual curiosity the bestseller "Straight froom the heart" made them not only more famous but unofficial spokesmen for gay couples all over the world. Sadly it was not to last and they announced an amicable separation early in 1997. Prior to all this they willing made themselves available for a photo shoot as subjects for a portfolio by Herb Ritts, one of the most celebrated photographers of the male nude in America today. This photographic album "Duo" with its stunning photography is the outcome of that shoot and captures much of the beauty of the male form(a deux) at every conceivable angle. It must have helped the photographer that both his subjects are professional body builders. Every sinew and bicep does not go unnoticed or unpictured. I also liked that no colour frames were pictured and that the monochrome black & white seemed to give a more stark minimalist ambience to the background which placed more emphasis on the subjects in the foreground. It also appears to have been shot at a time when the two principal models were very much in love. Though most of the pictures are obviously posed there is no masking their obvious attraction to one another. This is the one main factor that has probably made this book so popular. Some human emotions you just cant fake. I recommend this album to all admirers of the male form whatever their sexual gender. There is no denying that some of us would sacrifice a lot for such perfect physiques but until that day arrives it is perhaps not inappropriate to have an olympian Adonis in ones mind to aim for.

excellent.......1998-03-10

Great photography. Very tasteful and beautifully done. It shows the beauty of the male human body, also the great tenderness between Rod & Bob. I admire their courage. They are an amazing couple. I envy their relationship & love.

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Worth every Penny
Judge it for what it is, not what you thought it should be!
it's creative and beautiful. . . .give Herb a break!
Yuck yuck yuck
The most evocative African photography I've ever seen

Africa
Herb Ritts , and Judith Jamison
Manufacturer: Bulfinch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0821221213

Customer Reviews:

Worth every Penny.......2006-12-28

If you want to buy somone somthing they would want, but would not normaly buy for them selves this is it. Makes a beautiful gift.

Judge it for what it is, not what you thought it should be!.......2004-09-17

Read the reviews trashing this book and you will see they are not based on how well this book accomplishes what it purports to do, but on a distaste for stereotyping all of Africa with the tribal images presented. But unless this book claims to depict all of Africa--which it doesn't--that complaint is entirely another subject. I suppose a title of, say, "Tribal Africa" might be more descriptive than just "Africa," but surely we are all smarter than that. The book is obviously about the one slice of Africa it depicts.

Those who for some reason are embarrassed by tribal Africa (apparently it's the nudity) don't seem to want anybody else to see any pictures of it, no matter how well done the presentation. It is as if they feel some kind of personal shame. But why?

Even one of the editorial reviews takes a jab, in an otherwise glowing review, saying: "...despite the fact that it is a wildly ahistorical album that revives troubling old National Geographic stereotypes." In other words, presumably, even though it depicts nudity. But how is that "wildly ahistorical"? What is "troubling" about the old N.G. photos? In spite of modernity's fast encroachment, vast areas of tribal life do still exist in Africa (I go there, I see it); so one has to ask those who get so embarrassed, is it okay to photograph with style anything else in the world, or any other people in the world, except Africans?

Beautiful books exist on American Indian culture today, and there are "glamorous" books on cowboys of the past; but no one would suggest these stereotype all Americans as Indians or cowboys. So why do people do it with books on Africa, even to the point of saying they are a lie? It's crazy!

As a photographer and a collector of coffee-table books on Africa, I value--not denigrate--this book by the late, great Herb Ritts for the very fact that it is different. And it is the best I've seen in the style Ritts chose. The pictures are not only extra large, but in high resolution with great clarity--some are just plain breathtaking. Personally, I'd have preferred the book to stick with either people or animals (people!), but the land is shared by both, and maybe that was a point Ritts intended to make. I'm shorting the book one star because I thought the composition and subject matter of the animal pictures didn't always match the high quality and wonderful composition of the people pictures (one of which now hangs on my wall after I purchased a second copy of the book for that purpose). No doubt the animal subjects were more difficult to manage!

it's creative and beautiful. . . .give Herb a break!.......2001-12-16

its a sensual and magical collection of photos. they are beautifully shot, creatively composed, and wonderfully printed. no, it does not tell the whole story of a vast continent--but don't require it to! this isn't photojournalism, and isn't trying to be.
it is a powerful view of a particular landscape (kenya) and certain individuals of the maasai. you've never seen nakedness look so natural on someone--a wonderful reflection on being human, rather than any comment on race or tribe. lighten up, and let yourself enjoy it!

Yuck yuck yuck.......2000-10-13

Oh, what a stinker of a book! Luckily, I got it as a present and didn't squander my valuable cash. This is a classic example of the worst stereotypes of Africa. Africa is a desert. Africa is full of Animals. Africa is deadly. Africans run around naked. Heck, Ritts' presentation of Africans is EXACTLY THE SAME as his presentation of animals. Whether accidental or intentional, it is insulting all the same. SHAME SHAME SHAME.

Strangly, I have found this to be a USEFUL book. I use it as an example during my lecture on "Stereotypical Images of Africa" in my African History Class. Without this redeeming feature, I would probably use it as a backstop on the rifle range.

The most evocative African photography I've ever seen.......1997-12-01

I've been to East and southern Africa many times and love the wildlife and admire the people, both of whom I photograph a lot. I have purchased many books of photography of Africa, but none as stunning as this one. The black and white adds a new dimension and the juxtaposition of people and animals is smashing and intriguing. This is the only book of African photography that I actually felt compelled to pay full price for in a regular bookstore- -- and did!!! That is my most enthusiastic endorsement!!

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The human form as it should be seen, beautiful and strong

Herb Ritts: Men/Women

Manufacturer: Twin Palms Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Portraits | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 094409211X

Customer Reviews:

The human form as it should be seen, beautiful and strong.......1997-01-31

In my own work, these books are among the most influential I have ever seen. Herb Ritts is truly one of my personal idols, and the reason for that is evident upon opening the cover of either of the books in this two book set. His images of the human form reveal more than just its nudity, but also its beauty, and strength. Some of the models would qualify as "supermodels", some are less well known, but all are prime examples of the healthy, beautiful human form. Review by Edward Lynn, student of commercial photography, The Art Institute of Seattle

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general information

Herb Ritts: Pictures
Herb Ritts
Manufacturer: Twin Palms Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Portraits | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

general information.......1999-12-15

i would like to know a general information : the weight of the product that we select is charged on the shiping rates? Cause i leave in POrtugal so i need to know if the rates that you have are for all the weight or not. I would like to get Century By Bruce Bernard which is very heavy. Can you give me this information? my e-mail adress Zemarcelino@hotmail.com THank you for your kind attention.

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Herb Ritts: Works
Herb Ritts
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K4XRD8

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Work
Herb Ritts
Manufacturer: Bulfinch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0821223720

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Work
Herb Ritts
Manufacturer: Boston: Bulfinch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VENQEM

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David Copperfield
Herb Ritts
Manufacturer: David Copperfield International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006S2FLS

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Herb Ritts Work
Herb Ritts
Manufacturer: Documenta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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