Genre Grandeur – M*A*S*H (1970) – Encore Review 2 – MovieRob

For this month’s next review for Genre Grandeur – Films About Doctors, Nurses and Hospitals, here’s a review of M*A*S*H (1970) by me.

Thanks again to J-Dub of Dubsism for choosing this month’s genre.

Next month’s genre has been chosen by James of Blogging By Cinemalight and we will be reviewing our favorite Films With Santa Claus or Santa Claus impersonators.

Please get me your submissions by the 25th of Dec by sending them to santa@movierob.net

Try to think out of the box!

Let’s see what I thought of this movie:

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“[as Frank Burns is being taken away in a straight jacket by the MPs] Now, fair’s fair Henry. If I nail Hotlips and hit Hawkeye can I go home too?” – Duke Forrest

Number of Times Seen – Between 10-15 times cable in the 80’s and 90’s, video, 4 Aug 2008, 25 May 2017, 27 Aug 2020 and 30 Nov 2022)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – Medical staff close to the front lines during the Korean War must deal with love and life as they attempt to save the lives of the injured soldiers wounded on the battlefront.

My Take on it – When J-Dub chose this genre for this month, I knew immediately that this would be my choice.

The TV show that was made based on this movie lasted 13 years, but as much fun as it is, it still isn’t as profound and amazing as this movie.

Forgetting about the political undertones of the film, the characters and various storylines are created so superbly here that even if this can be seen as a collection of skits that happen over the course of time, there is still a perfect development of the various characters that help create such a fun and endearing atmosphere.

The cast is amazing and Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould and Tom Skerritt are perfectly chosen for their respective roles.

The dialogue is great and helps the audience get an idea of why the characters act as they do as they attempt to deal with the carnage and horrors of war that they see on a daily basis.

The way that the dialogue overlaps between the characters add so much more realism to the way that things play out.

Highly Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Tom Skerritt recalled that the dialogue was about 80% improvised. In order to create a different kind of atmosphere, Robert Altman cast some of the parts from improvisational clubs who had no previous movie or TV experience. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)