How I Won the War (1967)

Studio: MGM/United Artist
Theatrical Release: October 23rd, 1967
DVD Release: March 20, 2011
Nor Rated

Review by James Klein

Although it has been released in the UK for some time, Richard Lester's How I Won the War has finally come out on DVD. The film is mostly known for being the only film John Lennon acted in where he wasn't playing himself. Although he is on the cover of the DVD, the real star is Michael Crawford playing the role of Lt. Goodbody, an inept leader of a bunch of misfit soldiers in WWII.

Richard Lester's bizarre black comedy is very much in the same spirit as Catch-22, MASH, Slaughterhouse Five and The Ninth Configuration. Lester directed Lennon before in numerous Beatles films, most notably A Hard Day's Night and Help! If you've seen either film, you should know what to expect. How I Won the War is an experimental film, mixing real war footage within the movie and at times color tinting the images during different battles. With everyone's thick English accent and characters talking a mile a minute, it was quite difficult to understand what was going on or what people were saying. I could barely understand half the jokes so I sat back and enjoyed the site gags (there are some funny slapstick moments that I enjoyed). The movie jumps back and forth between Goodbody as a POW talking to a German soldier he has befriended and Goodbody's intro to the military. He tells the German soldier his story as to how he got to where he is now. With all the jumping back and forth between timelines, it was hard to get a grasp as to what was going on. I found the film hard to get into but once I did, I rather enjoyed it.

What drew me into the film were the sudden serious moments such as characters talking to the audience or deceased characters coming back to life as almost ghosts, walking with their platoon. I also thought the strongest part of the film is Goodbody's brief friendship with the German soldier. These moments helped me get past the faults I had with the film: the long running time, hard to understand dialogue, and John Lennon's horrible acting.

How I Won the War isn't for everyone but if you enjoy satire or experimental films, than you may want to check this out.