Directed by Robert Altman
Written by Ring Lardner Jr. from a novel by Richard Hooker
1970/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Instant
Hotlips O’Houlihan: [to Father Mulcahy, referring to Hawkeye] I wonder how a degenerated person like that could have reached a position of responsibility in the Army Medical Corps!
Father Mulcahy: [looks up from his Bible] He was drafted.
Altman perfects his style complete with overlapping dialogue and organized chaos. I enjoyed my re-watch a lot but the misogyny, sexual objectification, and misanthropy throws kind of a pall on the proceedings.
The story is set near the front lines of the Korean War. Hawkeye Pierce (Donald Sutherland) arrives at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital to take his turn doing combat surgery under very harsh circumstances. The irreverant, bad boy Hawkeye gets on the nerves of bible-thumping Maj. Frank Burns (Robert Duvall). Soon Burns has an ally in by-the-book nurse Maj. Margaret (Hot Lips) Houllihan (Sally Kellerman), chief nurse at the hospital. When ace surgeon Trapper John McIntyre (Elliot Gould) arrives he is a perfect match for Hawkeye and the two mercilessly rag Burns and Hot Lips.
Time marches on. When the hospital’s well-hung dentist believes he has turned gay after an episode of impotence, he plans suicide. Hawkeye and Trapper John plan a resurrection. The film ends with a crazy football game in which each team brings in its own ringer. With Roger Bowman as Lt. Col. Henry Blake; Gary Burghoff as Cpl. “Radar” O’Reilly; Bud Cort as Pvt. Boone; and David Arkin as the voice on the PA system.
This is a cleverly made and written film. The perfect anti-war film for 1970. As the years have passed, its cynicism and objectification of women has become more evident (all the nurses are eyed as potential sex partners). This may have been the first time I’ve seen the movie with subtitles and they definitely added to my understanding of the dialogue. Despite my little quibble, I would class this as a must-see movie.
The film is much more cynical than the TV series would ever be.
M*A*S*H won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. It was nominated in the categories of Best Picture; Best Director; Best Supporting Actress (Kellerman); and Best Film Editing.
I can only agree. Except that I think the cynicism is actually in place. The cynicism is essential for these people to stay sane, and it is the cynicism that make it poignant
I really had not so much problem with the cynicism. It was more the portrayal of women that stuck out.
P.S. My sister-in-law (65) tested positive for Covid after being sick at home for about a week. She was hospitalized with pneumonia the next day, still in a regular room. This disease is the pits. My nephew and brother tested negative but might be positive by now. Nephew’s fiancee (22) hasn’t got her test results back yet but has lost sense of taste and smell and had to go to the emergency room after falling down a flight of stairs due to dizzyness. We are still hunkering down here in California. Our county has the second highest number of cases in California and our valley ICU’s are strained – not by beds but by staffing.
For your delectation I offer the following song: “2020” sung by Ben Folds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4znKUAMFY9A
That all sucks so bad. I really am so sorry. Please be careful.
I do hope they all recover and recover in full.
Here the virus is on the rise. We are approaching 100 cases per day and people are worried. We are finally starting to use masks in Denmark as like the last country in the world.
Loved the song. What a terrible year.
Im sure the Danes will be far more cooperative about mask wearing than Americans are. Scary that the Germans are beginning to rebel.
Are your schools open still? It’s a huge issue here. Politicians here say kids need to be in school for a long list of psychological and sociological reasons but every time they try it they find a Covid positive kid. I wouldn’t send my kid to school here on a bet.
Well, the children are still on summer break, but so far start up is on schedule. As the last semester ended they had a corona safe school environment pretty much settled. Also they found that the children are not really spreading the virus. It is worse with university students. They are not likely to attend lectures in the autumn semester. Not as safe for them as the small children.
My son told me he is looking forward to the end of corona so he can give a hug to his girlfriend (he is 10!)
Handshakes may go the way of the dinosaur but hugs will never die!
M*A*S*H is best viewed in context, I suppose. Altman at his best.
Perhaps, this is a time for hopeful films. Rewatch a musical or two?
Yes, I really need the good old classics right now. And maybe some concert films. Lockdown Edition II. Stay tuned probably for “The Awful Truth” a title that is apt for our times with content for the ages!
On to Lockdown Edition II!
Yes indeed! I’m on a roll. I’ll go back to 1970 when sis-in-law gets out of hospital. Hope it’s soon.