Seen: August 8th, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 6
It's a shame that I've waited so long to watch this film. While it was remarkable in it's time, it's fallen victim to it's own originality and time.
Altman's vision was remarkable here. He didn't tell a story with this film, he painted a picture.
There's no real plot in this film. It's basically a chronological series of gags designed to introduce us to a camp full of people thrown together by war. It's scenes play almost like sketch comedy. While they share a common setting and characters, they tend to be whole, if a bit simple, in themselves. While they do teach about the characters, there's no real sense of continuity, it all seems jumbled and out of time.
Altman himself had trouble bringing the film together as a whole. The loudspeaker interludes which stitch the scenes together was conceived during editing.
But what the film lack s in cohesiveness, it makes up for in raw power. There's an honesty here that's a bit overwhelming.
This is a picture about war, and it doesn't shrink from it's horrors. Indeed, the horrific surgical scenes offer an bleak explanation for the behavior of most of the camp. The reactions to death from a psychological perspective are well understood, and the gamut of those reactions is reflected in the characters.
There's an air of anti-establishmentarianism in the film, which directly reflects Altman's views. It's both blatant and subtle. The conflicts are fought both openly and internally between the characters and reflected in their situations. The problem is that the improvisational and comedic nature of the film sometimes undermines it's message. The ludicrous nature of the whole football games is a shining example.
Several groundbreaking aspects of the film have become commonplace. The juxtaposition of humor and horror. The improvisational nature of the piece. The chaotic nature of the dialogue, with characters stepping on each other's lines intentionally. All of these are found routinely in film today, but were revolutionary when the film opened.
The fact that the film spawned a much loved television franchise that spanned eleven seasons doesn't help it either. Many people don't realize that there was a film, much less that it came before the series.
But despite all this, it's a film of significance and one worth seeing. It launched Altman's career, and whether you like his work or not, it's an turning point in cinema. It also launched the careers of many actors. The cast list itself is pretty amazing. Try to clear your mind and appreciate it for what it was, not what it may be now.
The Good: Groundbreaking improvisational dark comedy and satire
The Bad: More than a bit dated
The Ugly: Being overshadowed by your television spawn
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