M*A*S*H

M*A*S*H. 1970 20th Century Fox.
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Roger Bowen, Rene Auberjonois, Michael Murphy, Gary Burghoff, Fred Williamson, Bud Cort, Kim Atwood, Marvin Miller
Screenplay: Ring Lardner, Jr.
Director: Robert Altman
Availavle from Amazon as a single DVD, or as part of the Robert Altman Collection.

Based on Richard Hooker's novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, and set during the Korean War in 1951, Robert Altman's M*A*S*H was a huge hit in 1970, when many Americans were confused, weary, and angry about the ongoing conflict in Vietnam. M*A*S*H was also Altman's first project employing his filmmaking trademarks of widescreen photography, zoom lenses, overlapping sounds and dialogue, and a large ensemble cast largely improvising when the cameras were on. It also inspired the sitcom on CBS that ran for eleven years, even if Altman hated the show, and would only refer to it as "that series".

The film itself has several different ongoing storylines surrounding the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital; namely the arrival of the rebellious and mischievous new surgeons Captain Hawkeye Pierce (Sutherland) and Captain Duke Forrest (Skerritt) to the 4077th, who arrive in a "borrowed" Jeep, flirt with the nursing staff, and begin feuding with their tent mate Major Frank Burns (Duvall).

* A new thoracic surgeron named "Trapper" John McIntyre (Gould) comes to the unit, and Hawkeye is absolutely convinced he knows him from somewhere, even if Trapper John isn't talking about who he is, or where he came from. Trapper John also witnesses Major Burns blame another private for a patient's death, which leads to Burns getting punched out in front of another newcomer: Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan (Kellerman). Burns and Hot Lips find that they have repressed sexual tension for one another, which leads to a publicly broadcast tryst over the camp's PA system. Hawkeye taunts him the next day, and Burns attacks him, which gets him sent back to the United States.

* Meanwhile, Father Mulcahy (Auberjonois) discloses to Hawkeye later on that the unit's dentist Painless Pole (John Schuck) believes he is homosexual and decides he's going to kill himself. Hawkeye and company stage an impromptu Last Supper where Painless takes a "black capsule", which is actually a sleeping pill. Hawkeye then arranges a sexual encounter between Painless and another nurse who is returning to America soon, thus curing Painless of his "problem".

* Duke and Hawkeye make a bet that Hot Lips isn't a natural blonde, so they come up with a plan to see if the curtains match the drapes, so to speak, publicly humiliating Hot Lips after she's caught by the boys in the shower. She goes to Colonel Blake ranting and raving, and ultimately threatens to resigns her goddamn commission. There's also an ongoing plot featuring Ho-Jon (Atwood), who is drafted into South Korea's army, but after Hawkeye drives him to an induction center, he is found to have high blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat, but he is not disqualified from service. Instead, it's insinuated that Hawkeye gave Ho-Jon medicine to induce those symptoms to keep him from being conscripted.

* Trapper and Hawkeye are sent to Japan to operate on the son of a U.S. congressman...and to play golf on decent courses. They arrive and order the man into surgery immediately, so they can get on the links that much faster, not to mention enjoying a decent lunch. Hawkeye and Trapper also encounter problems with the hospital's commander, who can't stop the "Pros from Dover" from returning with a Japanese-American baby with serious medical issues. The commander is sedated, and then blackmailed when he is photographed in bed with a prostitute.

* The 4077th plays a friendly football game with General Hammond's (G. Wood) unit, where some money is thrown into the pot to make it interesting. Hawkeye enlists a neurosurgeon, Dr. Oliver Harmon "Spearchucker" Jones (Williamson), a former pro player, to play for their side while wheeling and dealing with the money bet on the game. Jones is kept out of the game until the second half. Even with Jones on their side, the 4077th does win the game on the last play of the game in a "semilegal" play, leading to a big ol' brawl after the game.

M*A*S*H is also well known for the song "Suicide is Painless", with lyrics written by Altman's son Mike, who ultimately made more money than his father got for directing the film in royalties. The making of the movie was reportedly difficult, thanks to tension between Altman and his cast. Donald Sutherland claimed he was the only principal cast member not using drugs during filming, and he along with Elliot Gould spent a third of their time on the set trying to get 20th Century Fox to fire Altman, who at the time had not earned the credentials to justify his unique filmmaking process. The film also earned one Academy Award, for Ring Lardner, Jr., who had spent twelve years blacklisted by the Hollywood studios (1954-66) by the House Un-American Activities Committee, which went along with another Oscar that he wrote under a pseudonym during his twelve year ban (he never revealed for what movie).

Highly, highly, highly recommended film.