How I Won the War (1967)

An inept British World War II commander leads his troops through a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe.

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

Patrick Ryan (novel), Charles Wood (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Crawford, John Lennon, Roy Kinnear

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Crawford	...	Lt. Goodbody
John Lennon	...	Gripweed
Roy Kinnear	...	Clapper
Lee Montague	...	Transom
Jack MacGowran	...	Juniper
Michael Hordern	...	Grapple
Jack Hedley	...	Melancholy Musketeer
Karl Michael Vogler	...	Odlebog
Ronald Lacey	...	Spool
James Cossins	...	Drogue
Ewan Hooper	...	Dooley
Alexander Knox	...	American General
Robert Hardy	...	British General
Sheila Hancock	...	Mrs. Clapper's Friend
Charles Dyer	...	Happy-Trousered Man

Storyline

This movie features Beatle John Lennon and Roy Kinnear as ill-fated enlisted men under the inept command of Lieutenant Ernest Goodbody (Michael Crawford). The story unwinds mostly in flashbacks of Lieutenant Goodbody who has lower-class beginnings and education which make him a poor officer who commands one of the worst units of the Army.

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Plot Keywords:

black comedy | eyeglasses | man wears eyeglasses | flashback | soldier | 

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Taglines:

"What we want is more humane killers!"

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Genres:

Comedy | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Lennon found the Spanish location quite boring, so Sir Ringo Starr flew out to keep him company. However, Lennon also found working on the project a refreshing change from his increasingly arduous and isolated musical career with The Beatles. Namely on set, Lennon was just another cast member, and a relatively minor one, who could interact with others largely as a normal person with the crew. As such, Lennon insisted on attending the production every day even when he was not required on set as a learning experience.

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Quotes

Clapper: What we want is more humane killers!

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Connections

Referenced in The South Bank Show: The Making of Sgt. Pepper (1992)

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Soundtracks

Aftermath
Written by Ken Thorne
Performed by John Lennon (as Musketeer Gripweed and The Third Troop)

User Reviews

Borderline Unwatchable

Take a movie like this. You may have heard somewhere that it was pretty bad. But, being an inquisitive sort, you visit IMDb first anyway. Here, you are greeted with plenty of reviews that tell you that it's not so bad - some even call it a masterpiece and a hidden gem.

Then, you watch it and the cold hard reality hits you - it's just not that good of a movie. The first half an hour seemed to take about four. Yes, there are "innovative" aspects such as tinting people and scenes differently, but ultimately this is cheap and adds little.

There are far better anti-war films of the same period. "How I Won the War" with a big star (Lennon) was made in 1967. Steve McQueen's "The Sand Pebbles" of 1966 is, although a much longer movie, an infinitely better anti-war film that managed to convey all of the same philosophical points as HIWtW (and more) and do it with subtlety, class, and genuine humanity.

The saving grace of HIWtW should have been comedy - absurdist or otherwise. The ingredients were there - war and military life are just asking for the application of ironic and observationalist British wit. Alas, while the characters spend most of the time speaking in that fast British way as if they were saying something as clever as, say, Monty Python or Fawlty Towers, what they actually say is substantially less interesting. Pity.

This film is not particularly worth watching.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

How I Won the War

Filming Locations:

Desierto de Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Petersham Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1