Review of How I Won the War (1967) by Michael T — 18 Jan 2016

British film director Richard Lester directed some great movies in his time and had quite a flair for comedy films. How I Won The War was not one of Lester's best. It is enjoyable but Lester does not seem to have the same affinity for this project as Robert Aldritch had in The Dirty Dozen (definitely not a comedy but still a subversive look at the War movie) or Robert Altman had for M*A*S*H* (a comedy and far more subversive than the TV series that followed).

Lester does include clever bits where character's break the fourth wall; incorporates actual newsreel war footage; and has soldiers who die in the course of the film reappearing as monochromatic ghosts.

Michael Crawford stars as a hapless British officer who manages to get most of his men killed in North Africa while on a top-secret mission to set up a cricket pitch behind enemy lines. The most famous cast member is John Lennon of the Beatles who had worked with Lester on the classic Hard Days Night film.

Also on hand is Lester regular Roy Kinnear along with Jack MacGowran and Michael Hordern.