How I Won the War

John Lennon receives second billing in Richard Lester's 1967 black-humored satire/antiwar statement, but he's really just another member of the ensemble of distracted and bumbling World War II troops under the command of Michael Crawford's eager but incompetent Lt. Goodbody, a cheery upper-class twit promoted to officer by virtue of class rather than intelligence or leadership aptitude. Lester had directed Crawford in The Knack … and How to Get It and Lennon in A Hard Day's Night and Help!, all three of which are better films than this well-meaning misfire. The absurd mission at the center of the plot—to build a cricket pitch in the North African desert in advance of the British invasion—is embedded in an awkward mix of in-jokes, gallows humor, bizarre antics, gruesome death scenes (actual battle footage is edited into the comic chaos), and multiple flashbacks, with performances that are sometimes inspired and at other times no more than shameless mugging. As an impish foot-soldier named Gripweed, Lennon can be endearing, but the slapstick often falls flat and the collision between comedy and tragedy is awkward. This MGM Limited Edition Collection title is a MOD (manufacture on demand) DVD-R release, with a solid image quality, but no extras beyond a booklet. The cult of Lennon makes this an essential addition for completists, but it's little more than an oddity for everyone else. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)[Blu-ray Review—Jan. 26, 2016—Kino, 109 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1967's How I Won the War features a solid transfer with a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack. Extras include “Trailers from Hell” segments with filmmakers Allan Arkush (3 min.) and John Landis (3 min.), and a Richard Lester trailer gallery. Bottom line: this uneven 1967 curio will mostly appeal to Lennon fans.]