How I Won the War

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How I Won the War

1967,

1h 49m,

Comedy/

War

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Watchlist

43%

14 Reviews

Tomatometer

61%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

43%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Captured by German soldiers, British officer Ernest Goodbody (Michael Crawford) details his history as a commanding officer. While he describes himself as a noble and heroic officer, the truth is that he is a bumbling idiot whose own ineptitude and idiocy end up costing the lives of most of his company. As his own men continue to drop like flies, their ghosts remain on the battlefield, marching along with their commanding officer even after death.

Variety Staff

Variety

Sep 10, 2007

Patrick Ryan's novel has been adapted into a screenplay which, as directed by Richard Lester, substitutes motion for emotion, reeling for feeling, and crude slapstick for telling satire.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Feb 9, 2006

Dated, maybe, but Lester's gruesomely black anti-war comedy still looks inventive, and manages occasionally to hit home with its blend of surreal lunacy and barbed satire.

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

May 9, 2005

2/5

I am afraid Mr. Lester has not added a single discouragement of war, but simply a little discouragement toward patronizing too-pretentious films.

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Gene Youngblood

Los Angeles Free Press

Jan 31, 2020

We've been handed this kind of tripe in every Terry Thomas, Peter Sellers, Martin and Lewis, Laurel and Hardy Army spoof ever made.

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Manny Farber

Artforum

Oct 3, 2018

It suggests an overaged boyishness almost incapable of relating to the hard-nosed, dry, sardonic war films supposedly under attack here.

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Penelope Houston

The Spectator

Apr 11, 2016

A film so critical of others' attitudes should perhaps have given more positive vetting to its own.

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Ron W

Nov 28, 2018

Not very good and very misleading, it creates the impression that Lennon is the star but in fact hes barely even in it.Overly silly and the blurry grungy video quality doesn't help.

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Han G

Jan 6, 2017

Richard Lester's anti-war comedy is kind of shaky and doesn't hold up well...but Lester's most brilliant move seems to have been casting Beatle John Lennon in the film...probably the main reason it is still even sought after at all. I do think the idea of showing archived footage of a battle tinted a color while a member of the troop dies, and having a sort of ghostly figure represent each dead member of the troop colored the same tint as the battle is a great visual idea, but the execution was somewhat sloppy and it doesn't entirely work. And while there are some mildly humorous parts early on...the film isn't all that funny, and it's stark comment on war isn't as poignant or as strong as it probably should be. The movie tries, isn't totally worthless, but really the main reason to watch it (and the reason I have seen it a couple of times) is that you get to see John Lennon acting (and he is a rather decent actor for the part). Otherwise...not the best anti-war film of that era or any other.

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Richard Lester

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Synopsis

Captured by German soldiers, British officer Ernest Goodbody (Michael Crawford) details his history as a commanding officer. While he describes himself as a noble and heroic officer, the truth is that he is a bumbling idiot whose own ineptitude and idiocy end up costing the lives of most of his company. As his own men continue to drop like flies, their ghosts remain on the battlefield, marching along with their commanding officer even after death.

Director: Richard Lester
Producer: Richard Lester
Screenwriter: Charles Wood
Production Co: Petersham Pictures
Genre: Comedy, War
Original Language: British English
Release Date (DVD): Mar 20, 2011
Runtime: 1h 49m

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