This review should be read over a P.A. system to get the proper atmosphere. Now hear this – Robert Altman’s career making film is finally come out on Blu-ray. The black comedy hasn’t lost its ability to make you laugh or to make you think about war. I’m sure Altman would be proud.
The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, or MASH, is operating behind the front lines in Korea during the Korean War (1950-1953). Surgeon Capt. Hawkeye Pierce (Donald Sutherland) and Capt. Duke Forrest (Tom Skerritt) have recently arrived at the unit. They’re bunking with Major Frank Burns (Robert Duvall), a poor surgeon and deeply religious, and the freewheeling Hawkeye and Duke immediately clash with him.
They approach the company commander Lt. Col. Henry Blake (Roger Bowen) to get Burns out of their tent and also have a thoracic surgeon assigned to the company. The thoracic surgeon arrives in the form of “Trapper” John McIntyre (Elliot Gould) and a new chief nurse Major Margaret Houlihan (Sally Kellerman) also arrives. Pierce and McIntyre become fast friends and engage in all sorts of shenanigans as the war rages on.
If you didn’t know that the song “Suicide is Painless” had lyrics you’re probably more familiar with it from the long running television show MASH. The show was based on the anti-establishment film directed by Robert Altman. It would be the first time that Altman bucked the system, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last.
It would seemingly become a turning point in 1970 and would largely be reflecting the country’s current dissatisfaction with the Vietnam War. The Korean War would only last around three years, but MASH would grace television screens for eleven years and Vietnam would drag on for much longer than both.
The films on screen at the time seemed to glorify war and Altman’s subversive masterpiece stated that war was a fool’s game in which there were no winners and “the man” didn’t know what he was doing running things. It would perfectly reflect the attitude of a large population towards the Vietnam War, that would rage on for another five years after the film debuted. The film is a masterwork from Altman.
An anti-war war film, Eli Cross wasn’t the first to invent them. Even the supporters of Vietnam could be drawn in by the broad comedy antics of the surgeons of the 4077. Tricky devil that Altman.
His style was a freewheeling one with overlapping dialogue and actors making up lines on the spot. Controlled chaos might be a way to describe it. It would be the beginning point of a wonderful career.
MASH is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (2.35:1). Special features include a commentary by director Robert Altman. The only new one is an interactive guide that offers pop-up information during the film.
The remainder of the special features come from the previous DVD edition and are presented in standard definition. They include the 24 minute “AMC Backstory: MASH,” the 41 minute “Enlisted: The story of MASH,” the 44 minute “MASH: History through the Lens,” and the 30 minute “Remembering MASH: 30th Anniversary Cast and Crew Reunion.” There’s also a still gallery and 6 minutes of theatrical trailers.
MASH may not have been the turning point to the end of the Vietnam War, but it would reflect the attitude of a country tired of war. Altman cloaked his message in comedy and even if you don’t get or want to get what he’s saying you can still be entertained by the film.
MASH [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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