The British Film Institute has detailed its upcoming Blu-ray release of Richard Lester's film How I Won the War (1967), starring John Lennon, Michael Crawford, Roy Kinnear, Lee Montague, and Jack MacGowran. The release will be available for purchase on May 20.
Synopsis: Hapless British commander Lieutenant Goodbody (Michael Crawford) enthusiastically leads his troops on a series of debacles on the battlefields of World War Two – including the calamitous installation of a cricket pitch behind enemy lines...
Featuring John Lennon in his only non-musical screen performance, How I Won the War is a biting satire not just on war, but also the concept of the war movie. A surreal farce fantastically brought to life by Richard Lester's stylised direction, it remains a unique and innovative cult comedy, which is presented here on Blu-ray for the very first time in the UK.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Animated Genesis (1952, 22 mins) and A Short Vision (1956, 6 mins): stylish, striking outstanding anti-war animations
Head Rag Hop (1970, 3 mins): bold blues-soundtracked Pop-art abstraction
Plod (1971, 21 mins): long thought lost, this absurdist anti-authoritarian fusion of poetry and pop music was shot on the streets of Liverpool, and stars supreme sound-satirists The Scaffold
Richard Lester in Conversation with Steven Soderbergh (1995, audio only): the director discusses his career in an interview recorded at the NFT
Feature commentary by Richard Lester authority Neil Sinyard
Trailers From Hell: THE KNACK…and how to get it and The Bed-Sitting Room. With audio commentaries by Allan Arkush and John Landis
First pressing only: Fully illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Neil Sinyard, writing by the BFI's Ian O'Sullivan, recollections on Plod by The Scaffold's Mike McCartney and full film credits