M*A*S*H
Directed by Robert Altman
- comedy
- drama
- war
The story
One of the world's most acclaimed comedies, M*A*S*H focuses on three Korean War Army surgeons brilliantly brought to life by Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt and Elliott Gould. Though highly skilled and deeply dedicated, they adopt a hilarious, lunatic lifestyle as an antidote to the tragedies of their Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, and in the process infuriate Army bureaucrats. Robert Duvall, Gary Burghoff and Sally Kellerman co-star as a sanctimonious Major, an other-worldly Corporal, and a self-righteous yet lusty nurse.
What it’s like
Loose, overlapping zooms and muffled, multi-track dialogue give this 1970 film the feel of a hand-held documentary that has wandered into a field hospital. Its palette is washed-out khaki, olive and sickly green under overcast skies, with the surgical tents glowing dull white under bare bulbs, and the camera drifts through crowded frames where three or four conversations play out at once. Scenes are interrupted by blaring loudspeaker announcements and folk-tinged pop, and the rapid-fire banter often collides with the sudden, matter-of-fact sight of wounded men on operating tables. The vibe is irreverent and bitterly funny, a shaggy, anarchic dark comedy with an undertow of grief, best suited to a late evening with friends or a sardonic afternoon when you want satire rather than sentiment. Its rhythm is restless and episodic, and its central pranksters drift from cheerful mischief toward something more weary and defiant, as the surgeons build their own rebellion against military rules. Intensity is moderate: there is bloody surgery and war casualties shown in clinical, brief glimpses, with no sustained gore, plus frequent crude jokes, sexual innuendo and some nudity. It is for viewers who enjoy anti-establishment satire, ensemble chaos and comedy that stays sharp about death.
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