IMDb RATING
5.5/10
2.6K
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An inept British World War II commander leads his troops through a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe.An inept British World War II commander leads his troops through a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe.An inept British World War II commander leads his troops through a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe.
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was the first time John Lennon wore his soon-to-be-trademark granny glasses in public.
- GoofsWhen Goodbody lands on the beach, he eventually comes across rows of helmets with black capercaillie feathers, representing a military graveyard, with a French flag at half-mast. No French troops wore helmets like this, but the Italian Bersaglieiri did.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Film Review: Film Review (1967)
- SoundtracksAuf Wiedersehn, Sweetheart
(uncredited)
Written by Eberhard Storch, English language lyrics written by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons
Performed by Vera Lynn With Soldiers and Airmen of Her Majesty's Forces
Featured review
Brilliant, gets better with age!
'How I Won the War' has to be one of the most original, bizarre and imaginative war films ever made. I first saw it late one night as an impressionable kid and immediately was drawn by its unusual style and narrative. To have the film tinted in several different colours to show the stages of the war was both daring and cool. One gets the feeling of having witnessed something larger, more intimate and important than just a mere war movie.
There are no real heros in this film, certainly Michael Crawford and his troop are pretty cowardly and inept, whereas the Germans are depicted, in the raid on the fuel dump scene, as being content with religious service and a bit of soccer.
It is true that history is written by the victors and Michael Crawford's character, Goodbody, is one of only two survivers from his regiment. He proudly states at the very end of the film that he "won the war". Maybe he did, but his actions and his balmy enthusiasm show us just how idiotic war can be.
My favourite scene was the one with Goodbody and the German officer who befriends Goodbody for much of the film. Together, they talk about how cruel both the British and Germans are, and how the German officer has killed many Jews. Goodbody then talks about how he got his commission and why he is fighting. It ends with the German officer telling Goodbody that he (Goodbody) is a fascist. "Am I?", replies Goodbody, "but I don't particularly dislike Jews."
When the very affable German officer, who is attempting to surrender, is blindly run over by an advancing British tank, we know that in this war the good, the bad and the ugly become mixed up and inseperable.
I currently own a very worn out video of the film and am hoping it will be released soon on DVD here in Australia.
There are no real heros in this film, certainly Michael Crawford and his troop are pretty cowardly and inept, whereas the Germans are depicted, in the raid on the fuel dump scene, as being content with religious service and a bit of soccer.
It is true that history is written by the victors and Michael Crawford's character, Goodbody, is one of only two survivers from his regiment. He proudly states at the very end of the film that he "won the war". Maybe he did, but his actions and his balmy enthusiasm show us just how idiotic war can be.
My favourite scene was the one with Goodbody and the German officer who befriends Goodbody for much of the film. Together, they talk about how cruel both the British and Germans are, and how the German officer has killed many Jews. Goodbody then talks about how he got his commission and why he is fighting. It ends with the German officer telling Goodbody that he (Goodbody) is a fascist. "Am I?", replies Goodbody, "but I don't particularly dislike Jews."
When the very affable German officer, who is attempting to surrender, is blindly run over by an advancing British tank, we know that in this war the good, the bad and the ugly become mixed up and inseperable.
I currently own a very worn out video of the film and am hoping it will be released soon on DVD here in Australia.
helpful•237
- robertwb
- Jan 2, 2004
- How long is How I Won the War?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 49 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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