It's all about the 4077, baby!
Remember when M*A*S*H used to be on television, and everyone thought Alan Alda was cool because Hawkeye Pierce was cool? Remember when you'd laugh at the funny parts and wish there were more? Did you ever have a giant question mark in your head about why Hot Lips was called "Hot Lips, " or why in the hell the theme song had words, and why those words dealt with suicide? Did you ever just sorta dig M*A*S*H, and then forget about it?
I did. I enjoyed it, and then forgot about it. Then I got a little visitation from something called M*A*S*H the movie. I starting watching this foreign substance, thinking, "what the hell is this? That isn't Hawkeye!" Boy, was I wrong. That not only *was* Hawkeye, and not only was he awesome, but so was the rest of the film.
I mean, where else are you going to find Elliot Gould (such a kick-ass Trapper John, I must say), Tom Skerritt, Robert Duvall, and Donald Sutherland just being cool together? The comedic beauty of the film is that yeah, it's silly, but at the same time it's completely dry and tongue-in-cheek. Being the war film buff that I am, I had to take into consideration some of the reviews that the film has gotten (in contrast to my other favorite war films--particularly Vietnam films [The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, Platoon], you have to realize that M*A*S*H comes at it from a completely different angle, forgoing the drama and focusing on the guys attempts to make the best of what they have). While it is the prototype for the television series, people have often discarded the film as "not serious" enough to compare to the television show. But what would you do in East Asia? Would you round up a bunch of guys in your unit and play a football game? Yeah, probably. Would you drink martinis in nothing but your BDUs and a bucket fishing cap? Hell, yeah! When faced with the day-to-day gloom of operating on wounded soldiers, what allows one to validate his existence? Not that saving lives isn't a lofty job, but one must exist for some semblance of happiness. What is life for, if not the enjoyment of hitting on nurses in the mess hall?
This film isn't a drama; though it doesn't seek to poke fun at the Korean conflict, it does try to bring light to a murky situation. What do you do when you're (drafted!) thousands of miles from home, never knowing if you'll see your family again? What's to say that you'll ever return to the way of life to which you've become accustomed? What would you do? Would you take an excursion to Japan under the guise of a life-saving operation to go golfing? You bet your ass you would, cause I would too. Life, when you have nothing, needs to be improvised. And I think M*A*S*H is a damn good example of how this could work. Plus, it's a damn funny, well-acted, brilliant film.
I'm sorta feeling a little, "Alan Alda, who?" right about now. After his fine performance, you better believe that Donald Sutherland is my Hawkeye from now on; why don't you make him yours, too?
Who wouldn't want these guys to operate on them? Lovin' 'em!
I did. I enjoyed it, and then forgot about it. Then I got a little visitation from something called M*A*S*H the movie. I starting watching this foreign substance, thinking, "what the hell is this? That isn't Hawkeye!" Boy, was I wrong. That not only *was* Hawkeye, and not only was he awesome, but so was the rest of the film.
I mean, where else are you going to find Elliot Gould (such a kick-ass Trapper John, I must say), Tom Skerritt, Robert Duvall, and Donald Sutherland just being cool together? The comedic beauty of the film is that yeah, it's silly, but at the same time it's completely dry and tongue-in-cheek. Being the war film buff that I am, I had to take into consideration some of the reviews that the film has gotten (in contrast to my other favorite war films--particularly Vietnam films [The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, Platoon], you have to realize that M*A*S*H comes at it from a completely different angle, forgoing the drama and focusing on the guys attempts to make the best of what they have). While it is the prototype for the television series, people have often discarded the film as "not serious" enough to compare to the television show. But what would you do in East Asia? Would you round up a bunch of guys in your unit and play a football game? Yeah, probably. Would you drink martinis in nothing but your BDUs and a bucket fishing cap? Hell, yeah! When faced with the day-to-day gloom of operating on wounded soldiers, what allows one to validate his existence? Not that saving lives isn't a lofty job, but one must exist for some semblance of happiness. What is life for, if not the enjoyment of hitting on nurses in the mess hall?
This film isn't a drama; though it doesn't seek to poke fun at the Korean conflict, it does try to bring light to a murky situation. What do you do when you're (drafted!) thousands of miles from home, never knowing if you'll see your family again? What's to say that you'll ever return to the way of life to which you've become accustomed? What would you do? Would you take an excursion to Japan under the guise of a life-saving operation to go golfing? You bet your ass you would, cause I would too. Life, when you have nothing, needs to be improvised. And I think M*A*S*H is a damn good example of how this could work. Plus, it's a damn funny, well-acted, brilliant film.
I'm sorta feeling a little, "Alan Alda, who?" right about now. After his fine performance, you better believe that Donald Sutherland is my Hawkeye from now on; why don't you make him yours, too?
Who wouldn't want these guys to operate on them? Lovin' 'em!
posted by Jess @ Sunday, January 01, 2006
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