How I Won The War - Film - British Comedy Guide (original) (raw)

How I Won The War. Image shows from L to R: Clapper (Roy Kinnear), Drogue (James Cossins), Gripweed (John Lennon), Spool (Ronald Lacey), Juniper (Jack MacGowran), Transom (Lee Montague). Copyright: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Genre

Film

Released

1967

Stars

Michael Crawford, John Lennon, Roy Kinnear, Lee Montague, Jack MacGowran, Michael Hordern, Jack Hedley, Karl Michael Vogler and more

Writers

Patrick Ryan and Charles Wood

Director

Richard Lester

Producers

Richard Lester and Denis O'Dell

Company

Both anti-war and anti-war-film, How I Won The War is an absurdist, fourth-wall-breaking take on the futility of armed conflict, based in part upon Patrick Ryan's 1963 comic novel of the same name.

Told in parallel with his eventual capture by German troops in Spring 1945 as the Allies close in on the Reich, the film focuses on British Lieutenant Ernest Goodbody, a complete incompetent in charge of a small band of men who view him with rightful disdain. He and his men are tasked with trekking far behind enemy lines in the African desert in order to prepare a perfect English cricket pitch for the coming British troops.

Facing multiple obstacles and calamities en route - many of their, or rather, Goodbody's, own making - the unit face dehydration, starvation, fuel shortage and death at enemy hands before they can fulfil their ultimate task.

Additional details

UK certificate

X

Duration

110 minutes

Distributors

United Artists

Production

Location

Camera set-up

Single camera

Picture

Colour

Broadcast details

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