M*A*S*H - The Movie Video Showcase
Ranked #16,186 in Entertainment, #179,344 overall
They brought the human side to war --
I never saw this movie in the theatre, in fact, for the longest time I never knew it existed. I thought M*A*S*H was just a cool TV show.
Wow - what a great find the movie was for me. It is a bit "dark", but it is so well written and acted. It sets the bar for other movies to measure up to, in my opinion. Check it out here to see if you agree with me. Please, pass me the popcorn.
M*A*S*H - The Movie At A Glance

In M*A*S*H-and to a greater extent in his later films-Altman abandons conventional Hollywood narrative techniques in favor of a very personal style characterized by overlapping dialogue, improvisational acting, elliptical editing, wide-screen Panavision compositions, telephoto shots (specifically shots through windows and past obstructing foreground objects), and the development of a large community and of major characters within a limited time and space. These techniques alter conventions of narrative structure in two ways. First, the improvisational acting, the multiple babble of overlapping dialogue, and the frequently voyeuristic telephoto shots (particularly the shots of explicit gore in the operating scenes) generate a sense of spontaneity and authenticity usually found in documentary, rather than narrative, films. Second, the large number of characters arranged within the wide Panavision frame, the compression of space caused by the telephoto lens, and the continuous barrage of overlapping dialogue, music and P.A. announcements on the soundtrack combine to create an aural and visual denseness that demands much more of a viewer's attention and active participation than does the shallow-focus cinematography, the separation of major characters from peripheral characters, and the one-speaker-at-a-time dialogue of conventional narrative.
When M*A*S*H appeared in 1970, audiences-caught up in the spirit of rebellion generated by the civil rights movement, the women's movement, the drug culture, the demonstrations against the Vietnam War, etc.-revelled in the film's iconoclastic humor, its joyous deflation of patriotism, religion, heroism, and other values cherished by the establishment. The film became an immediate box office success, earning over $36 million in domestic rentals by 1983. The critics also favored M*A*S*H, but while they praised its innovative techniques, some critics thought that the film's humor was too smug and the scenes involving the trip to Tokyo and the football game were flaws in the film's structure. Today critics feel that M*A*S*H is inferior to most of Altman's later films (none of which proved as successful at the box office), though the film is still highly regarded for its innovative narrative techniques and its effective humor.
-Clyde Kelly Dunagan
(...from FilmReference.com)
Own M*A*S*H On DVD
The Cast Of M*A*S*H
- Donald Sutherland as Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce
- Elliott Gould as Capt. John Francis Xavier "Trapper John" McIntyre
- Tom Skerritt as Capt. Augustus Bedford "Duke" Forrest
- Sally Kellerman as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan
- Robert Duvall as Major Frank Burns
- Roger Bowen as Lt. Col. Henry Braymore Blake
- René Auberjonois as Father John Patrick "Dago Red" Mulcahy
- John Schuck as Capt. Walter Koskiusko "Painless Pole" Waldowski, DDS
- Carl Gottlieb as Capt. John "Ugly John" Black
- Danny Goldman as Capt. Murhart
- Corey Fischer as Capt. Dennis Patrick Bandini
- Jo Ann Pflug as Lt. Maria "Dish" Schneider
- Indus Arthur as Lt. Leslie
- Dawn Damon as Lt. Storch
- Tamara Horrocks as Capt. Bridget "Knocko" McCarthy
- David Arkin as SSgt. Wade Douglas Vollmer/PA Announcer
- Gary Burghoff as Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly
M*A*S*H Movie Log
Sign in to show you were here. Leave your thoughts or opinions, or just say hello.
-
Reply
-
BFuniv.com
May 5, 2008 @ 9:19 am | delete
- Great movie, great lens -- thanks for the memories.
-
-
Reply
-
badmsm Mar 1, 2008 @ 10:34 pm | delete
- A relative of my hubby's was the CO of the actual 4077th (in real life the 8055th). His name was Major Holleman, and he became CO in 1952. See this link http://www.koreanwar.org/html/units/8055mash.htm?set=25, Entry: 14782
-
-
Reply
-
rms
Nov 10, 2007 @ 10:30 am | delete
- Very cool lens! Nice work!
-
GypsyLyric
Thanks for visiting
by GypsyLyric
Books and music are a huge part of my life -- and I love so many varieties and types. Let me share some of my favorites with you through some lenses..... more »
- 65 featured lenses
- Winner of 13 trophies!
- Top lens » All People Are Not Created Equal
Explore related pages
- Horrible Bosses Soundtrack List Horrible Bosses Soundtrack List
- Christian Movies & Faith-Based Films Christian Movies & Faith-Based Films
- Vietnam Movies Vietnam Movies
- Angus Sutherland Angus Sutherland
- Top 10 MASH Quotes Top 10 MASH Quotes
- The Black Widow - Marvel Comics Character The Black Widow - Marvel Comics Character
