Movie-A-Day 30: M*A*S*H

[Evil Ash]

Alright its my turn for the Movie A Day fun (bet you all were thinking I was going to do one of Evil Dead movies ... didn't you?! )

Saw this a couple of days ago on DirecTV and couldn't resist!

The dark anti-war, anti-establishment comedy that started it all for the crew of the 4077 and made Robert Altman one of the top directors in Hollywood.

SYNOPSIS: Based on the novel by Richard Hooker, M*A*S*H follows a group of Mobile Army Surgical Hospital officers as they perform surgery and pass the time just miles from the front lines of the Korean Conflict. Led by the sardonic Captains "Hawkeye" Pierce (Donald Sutherland) and "Trapper" John McIntyre (Elliott Gould), the film has the feel of an absurd three-ring circus, and is composed of a series of vignettes rather than a traditionally unfolding narrative.

One of the funniest movies I have ever seen and one that I would highly reccommend to anyone. The football game scene alone is worth the price of the DVD.

Favorite Line: "It looks like their ringer spotted our ringer"

Note: Sorry this was so late today guys ... I will do better for the rest of the week!

 

[Chaplin]

Great, great, great, great movie! Along with The Player and Gosford Park, MASH gives Robert Altman three of the best movies of the last 30 years--and each in their own respective decade and each being totally different than one another.

 

[arthurracoon]

I love the theme music and it is pretty funny.

Of course, I have only watched the tv shows with my dad.

 

[Stout]

One of the truly great movies of the latter half of the 20th century, and also my favorite TV show of all time...but it begs the question...which characters are better? Who's the better of each? I'll hold mine close to the chest until some others have sounded off.

 

[Chaplin]

Well, I have to say that I like Radar the best. In both movies...

Anyway, I think what you have is a tv show and a movie in name, but I think the tone really is interesting, and what even sets them apart from one another.

I like the tv show because it not only had the crazy humor, but it also had some very, very serious subject matter--mostly dealing with war and life and death.

Which characters are better? Well, I think the sign of a great actor is making the character your own. For example, in the movie Hawkeye is played by Donald Sutherland, in the tv show, Alan Alda. IMO, the roles were perfect for those actors--I couldn't see them being reversed. The same goes for Trapper as well and all the other characters.

Of course, the addition of Corporal Klinger in the tv show made the show great as well. Nothing beats Jamie Farr!

 

[Dback Jon]

MASH the movie, and MASH the TV show are both two of my all-time favorites.
Both are were cast excellently - and I think both castings suit the tones of the film and show.

MASH the Movie is a much darker show than the TV series - Donald Sutherland was the right casting for the movie. Alan Alda is much more of a comedian than dramatic actor, and would not have fit in the movie.

Of course, Radar is great in both.

 

[schutd]

Originally posted by Chaplin
Great, great, great, great movie! Along with The Player and Gosford Park, MASH gives Robert Altman three of the best movies of the last 30 years--and each in their own respective decade and each being totally different than one another.

Its weird how Altman either fires HUGE successes or lobs rotten tomatoes at you...

MASH is a HUGE success.

 

[Stout]

I think Frank Burns is much, much better in the show than the movie. Nothing against Duvall and his performance, but the show gave more time for Burns to shine, and he had a damn good whiny voice to boot.

Other than that, and Alda's magnificence, it's really hard to pick between them.

Except, of course, for Radar

 

[FischerKing]

Yeah baby - I love this movie. What a great pick. This movie was absolutely hilarious and I loved Donald Sutherland in it.

Shawn