'M*A*S*H' is a movie?
June 26, 2002
I love watching MASH reruns. I always have. The show is clever, funny, poignant: better then just about everything on TV today. However, a few weeks ago, I stated liking MASH even more.
That is when my roommate went out to Scarecrow and rented M*ASH, the movie. Filmed in much the same style as the TV series (the movie actually came out in 1970, before the show), it captures the rough-and-ready, cold reality that medics in the Korean War faced, and is a complement to legendary director Robert Altman, who has worked on more then 40 movies and TV series, including some episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
I had to watch it at home, but you can see this masterpiece on the big screen, if you so choose. The Grand Illusion Cinema at 1403 N.E. 50th St. is playing M*ASH today and Thursday at 7 and 9 p.m., and features a "BEAUTIFUL NEW PRINT." (Emphasis theirs.)
This movie is worth seeing. The comic timing is flawless, the plot is rich and the political satire is ingenious. For those who know and love the show, this film will give a new perspective on the characters, and for the uninitiated, a chance to see a fast-paced, damn funny movie. (A quick search on Google turns up 85,000 matches; not bad for an old movie and TV series that was canceled 20 years ago.)
While the movie and series shared many of the same themes, don't come to the theater expecting a 116 minute M*ASH episode. First, the show was recast after the movie, and the only actor who stayed on was Gary Burghoff (Radar). Hollywood had more lax censors then CBS as well: Expect some swearing and bloody operating rooms. There is no cross-dressing Corporal Klinger either. Sorry.
While this movie is great, it's not perfect: it feels a bit episodic, and some of the episodes went on too long. Also, the lead up to the final climax also seemed empty and silly, but this didn't spoil the movie at all.
The genius of M*ASH has always laid in its mixture of slapstick humor and poignant, disturbing images of the effects of war, from just behind the front lines. This week, take a rare opportunity to see the beginnings of what became an important piece of American culture.
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