M*A*S*H (2006, DVD)

I have to wonder just how many people actually think of the movie first when they hear the word M*A*S*H spoken. How many people even know that it was originally a movie? The television series was a hit for eleven years, but it all started with a wonderful film directed by Robert Altman. If you have never seen the movie, only the television show, do yourself a favor and rent the movie. I had seen the movie a few times on television, but there were scenes which were cut. The new DVD release is completely restored and uncut; a real treat to watch. How do you sum up a story when there really is...

Probably no cinematic comedy produced by Hollywood in the last half of the twentieth century is as irreverent, disdainful of authority, critical of war and its effects, and, incidentally, as funny as M*A*S*H, that 1970 comedic masterpiece starring Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Tom Skerritt, Gary Burghoff, Sally Kellerman, and Robert Duvall. Written by Ring Lardner, Jr., and directed by Robert Altman (in his directorial debut), this is another one of my all-time favorite films; one I've seen many times, and one that I recently purchased on DVD. M*A*S*H is actually a very difficult film to..

Although most people nowadays tend to associate the title M*A*S*H with the Emmy-winning TV series which aired originally on CBS from 1972 to 1983, the truth is that the very popular show is a spinoff from two sources - the novel by Richard Hooker (real name: Richard Hornberger), and the 1970 film directed by Robert Altman (Nashville, Gosford Park). Based on Hornberger's experiences as a draftee doctor who served in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War, the three incarnations of M*A*S*H all share various characters, settings, and situations. Most of the action takes place at...

When film buffs mention like directors like John Ford, Orson Welles, Stanley Kubrick, or Elia Kazan. They know what films they would be mentioned or immediately know a movie by watching and be aware of a style. Then there s the late Robert Altman who is known by his own cinematic style. Overlapping dialogue, lots of improvisation, and a huge cast, Altman has made many films that in a variety of genres where some movies were considered seminal while others were considered his worst. Yet, Altman defined himself through his own improvisational style and his deep collaboration with actors into...