Review of M*A*S*H (1970) by Ivan D — 31 Aug 2010

A very subversive take on the realities of war, but if one would look at its underlying context of "humor in the face of violence", I think "MASH" is exemplary in its portrayal, with characters like Hawkeye(Donald Sutherland) and Trapper(Elliot Gould) able to erase and momentarily forget the painful truth of facing its horrors.

The eponymous place for medical assistance is the perfect palette for the bloodstains of war. Though there's the constant dirt by the rain-caused mud, the pristine white blankets and suits of the surgeons served as the medium to highlight the bright red blood spurts and internal organs; the aftermath of battle that the soldiers forcefully try to forget and neglect.

In the middle of this primary Altman symbolism are a set of vignettes bordering insanity and cruel fun, and the "suicide" scene really provided the ironic twist of this satiric film: that even though they try to occupy their minds with idiotic fun and laughter, their humor still ends up playing with the idea of "death" itself.

And just like Altman's later film "Nashville", an unknown voice also connects the disjointed, unrelated episodes in one circular chronicle; a round cycle that may not mean anything than just cinematic fragments on the surface, but comes out just as important by the time the circle completes its form.

"War" for "MASH", "country music" for "Nashville"; Altman's visions of America that may very well be the definitive ones that can reflect its radical mentality at its most intimate form.

"MASH" may look like a farce, but Hawkeye's tears in the end fully suggests that it's not; it's really just how it was.