A Tribute to Dick Lester

This is a good morning; while waiting to pick up my Brittany spaniel from the groomer, I'm sitting in my apartment, snacking and watching one of my favorite films, How I Won the War, a 1967 film by one of my favorite directors, Richard Lester. Surprisingly, I was able to DVR this off the Family Channel, of all places! And it occured to me while watching this--are any of my friends familiar with this film, or Richard Lester? And if they were to sit and watch this, would they even understand it?


Dick Lester is perceived today as being one of the most understated directors in history. He steered away from A-list blockbusters and instead focused on making unique and often quite artistic films. His films are hilarious, to those who are able to keep up with the frantic, witty British humor of the 1960s in which Lester, and the Monty Python movies, engaged--a style so unique I can only think to describe it as "cerebral slapstick." Lester refused to follow common standards of filmmaking; particularly I have noticed his films are so oddly paced--the dialogue and movement are often very hectic. Although he is most known for the three Superman movies (and the Three Musketeers films and Butch & Sundance films...and that Robin and Marian film with Audrey Hepburn and Sean Connery...never mind, though...), I'm going to highlight my three favorite Dick Lester films in this blog. They all actually use most of the same actors; Lester had favorite character actors, like the delightful Roy Kinnear, who he re-used film after film.

1. How I Won the War (1967)

Don't be fooled by the movie box; How I Won the War is not a John Lennon film, in the way that, say, Desperately Seeking Susan was a Madonna film. Admittedly, I wanted to see this movie so badly because of my adoration of Lennon, and although he is hailed as the "star," his character, Gripweed, has little screen time and even less dialogue--although he does deliver some very memorable lines. It's difficult to imagine a star of such magnitude as Lennon appearing in a film today and the film not focusing on extreme close-ups of the mega-celebrity, or attempting to support whatever "image" the superstar already had. (Can you imagine, for example, if Kurt Cobain had made a movie...could he have played anything but a moody, depressed tough guy?) However, the film nods only once to Lennon's celebrity--at the beginning, Gripweed is asked if he's married, and he replies, "No, I play harmonica," a quiet homage to the Beatles' early records with Lennon on mouth organ. Lennon is truly a small part of the film, which is also a testament to his seriousness about the film and trying to be a good actor, as opposed to just using this as another vehicle for fame or money. Other Lester favorites, such as the comically innocent and passionate Michael Crawford as Lieutenant Goodbody, give excellent performances. The fast-paced dialogue, influenced by a novel and a play, is so witty, it even makes the most astute viewer want to pause the film and ponder what they just heard. The film takes on so many different perspectives, it's almost unsettling; sometimes, the characters unexpectedly turn and speak to a "fourth wall." In a very memorable moment during one character's death, another character actually ushers away one of Lester's cameramen, saying, "There, there, you've seen enough." At one point, the film switches to a movie theatre, and our characters are on the big screen, with people eating popcorn, watching them die. It is that astonishing filmwork that makes Lester so unique and this gritty film so disturbing. Lester's ideas were far ahead of his time; for example, adding canned laughter to a war scene, and altering the colors of the movie (each stage of the war is depicted with a different overall tint). How I Won the War is one of the most understated and intellectual films I have ever seen, and truly an ignored piece of cinematic greatness, and provided one of the best quotes of the 1960s--"We've got to find a more humane way to kill people!"





2. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a huge leap from How I Won the War--it is an almost pointless movie, and certainly not as dark as HIWW, but nonetheless very similarly absurd. It follows the same fast pace as Lester's other films, however, unlike the very well-composed HIWW, the cast in FTHWF are constantly outshining each other--and it may not be unintentional. Buster Keaton and Phil Silvers seem to constantly be stealing each other's spotlight, somewhat in accordance with their characters' feuding. Dick Lester packed the film with so much noteworthy talents that one stand-alone "star" would be hard to determine; it would even be difficult for the audience to pick one favorite character. While a seemingly innocent flick, the film is packed with very adult humor; perhaps its PG rating is because the humor would sail right over most children's (and many adults') heads. I've seen this movie several times and can never help but to laugh hysterically at many of the scenes. It's the most audience-friendly version of Dick Lester's wit, the most easily understood of his 1960s films. There are unforgettable quotes heavy on clever wordplay that would make anybody giggle, but truly, it's the actors who make this movie--not even Lester's brilliant directing and management. Although meaningless, Forum is a hilarious waste of time.



3. Help! (1965)

The fact that this movie was a part of the Beatlemania of the early and mid-1960s is very unfortunate, because it will never be taken seriously as a film, but always seen as "one of the Beatles movies," like Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine. Lester, who also directed A Hard Day's Night, also downplays his work with the Beatles, stating that he allowed them to re-write his scripts because their natural jargon was much funnier than his writing, and also saying that the films' settings were simply determined by where the band wanted to vacation. However, the music could be taken out of Help! entirely, and you would still have a solid comedy, unlike A Hard Day's Night, which is dependent on the presence of the hit records it was designed to promote. Unlike HDN, there is a plot, centering around a Middle Eastern cult who ritually sacrifices its members and has the chosen sacrifices wear a holy ring before their death. Ringo Starr, in all his Beatlemania-era womanizing, has a fling with one of the cult members and unknowingly comes into possession of the holy ring. For the rest of the movie, the Beatles are fleeing from the deadly cult, with the help of an insider (Eleanor Bron) and two scientists determined to capitalize on the band's peril (Lester favorites Roy Kinnear and Victor Spinetti, both in defining roles). Although lighthearted, the movie actually has some well-done scenes of intrigue as the boys are on the run. And while it falls prey to mid-60s cinematic exploration--such as the scene where Paul is injected with a drug that makes him shrink so small he can fit into an ash tray--the film's strength comes from the performances of the Beatles themselves and their hilarious dialogue. If Lester honestly did let the Beatles re-write their projects with him, he made a smart move; certain quotes from the movie will linger in my head for days after I've seen it. It's hard not to chuckle throughout the movie at the very witty dialogue. And although the Beatles' music probably weakened the film's cinematic credibility, it's undeniable that the inclusions of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," "The Night Before," and other mid-60s classics isn't thoroughly enjoyable. :=)