How I Won the War
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Richard Lester
Michael Crawford
John Lennon
Roy Kinnear
Lee Montague
Jack Macgowran
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Lieut. Ernest Goodbody, a middle-aged veteran of World War II, smugly reminisces about his triumphs in the British Army. His warm memories are belied, however, by the realities of his disastrous military career. Goodbody's humble origins and insufficient education were inadequate preparation for leading the clumsy and irreverent Third Troop of the Fourth Musketeers. Among the motley group are Clapper, a portly inductee worried about his wife's infidelity; Gripweed, a dispirited Cockney; Juniper, a buffoon who sometimes appears in clown face; the Melancholy Musketeer, a coward; and Transom, the only regular soldier, whose valiant efforts to cover Goodbody's many mistakes are futile. Goodbody is no better at dealing with his superiors than with his men, and he never makes sense of General Grapple's warning to beware the "wily Pathan." The troop is sent to the North African desert to set up an advance cricket pitch for VIPs, and a few of the men are killed. One by one, however, their variously colored ghosts return and continue to perform their duties. When the outfit is sent to France, and eventually to Germany, the pattern of death and the returning ghosts continues in a progressively bleaker atmosphere. Goodbody, now alone, is captured at the Rhine by Odlebog, the Nazi commandant, who is controlling the last remaining bridge and hopes to sell it to the Allies. Odlebog, who is simply obeying orders and finds the whole business of war quite inhumane, is killed beneath a tank navigated by Grapple. The present-day Goodbody, holding a lonely reunion for his men, is left to reminisce with the sole survivor, the cowardly Melancholy Musketeer.
Director
Richard Lester
Cast
Michael Crawford
John Lennon
Roy Kinnear
Lee Montague
Jack Macgowran
Michael Hordern
Jack Hedley
Karl Michael Vogler
Ronald Lacey
James Cossins
Ewan Hooper
Alexander Knox
Robert Hardy
Sheila Hancock
Charles Dyer
William Dysart
Paul Daneman
Peter Graves
Jack May
Richard Pearson
Pauline Taylor
John Ronane
Norman Chappell
Bryan Pringle
Fanny Carby
Dandy Nichols
Gretchen Franklin
John Junkin
John Trenaman
Mick Dillon
Kenneth Colley
Crew
Don Challis
Phyllis Crocker
Eddie Fowlie
Hubert Froelich
Dinah Greet
Les Hammond
Philip Harrison
Gerry Humphreys
Richard Lester
José López Rodero
Denis O'dell
Alan Pattillo
Roberto Roberts
John Victor Smith
John Stoll
Ken Thorne
David Watkin
Charles Wood
Videos
Movie Clip
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
And I'm not a thief, really. I've never found anything worth keeping.- Gripweed
Trivia
John Lennon wrote "Strawberry Fields Forever" while shooting this movie in Spain.
John Lennon found the Spanish location quite boring, so Ringo Starr flew out to keep him company.
Notes
Location scenes filmed in West Germany and Spain. Opened in London in October 1967. Actual footage of World War II battles is used, with each battle shown in a different color tint.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Fall October 23, 1967
Released in United States January 1990
Shown at United State Film Festival Park City, Utah January 21 & 28, 1990.
Actual footage from World War II was used for battle sequences.
Released in United States Fall October 23, 1967
Released in United States January 1990 (Shown at United State Film Festival Park City, Utah January 21 & 28, 1990.)
