Review of M*A*S*H (1970) by John W — 24 Mar 2011
I hate to say it, because this is an American classic, but "M*A*S*H" is now very dated. It's hard to appreciate the humor and satire in today's day and age. But thankfully Robert Altman's film is still a nice piece of filmic history.
It's fun to see Altman's sensibilities coming to life for the first time: his large ensemble, the overlapping dialogue, the use of the zoom lens to highlight specific aspects of the mise en scene and cast, the witty dialogue and human comedy.
I also love that "M*A*S*H" is funniest when the situations are closest to death and despair. It's an interesting combination. I also very much enjoyed the performances by Elliot Gould, Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt and Sally Kellerman.
I still think that by today's standards the film is very tame, but it's fun to look back on something that was very influential and risky for it's time. As a piece of film comedy history, "M*A*S*H" still works reasonably well.
This review of M*A*S*H (1970) was written by John W on 24 Mar 2011.
M*A*S*H has generally received very positive reviews.
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