Remember that really awful sitcom based on “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” that was on for like half a season back in the day? Or more recently when they attempted to make the “Barbershop” franchise into a TV series? Maybe I was just too harsh of a critic of these shows because I loved the movies so much, but regardless of the reasons, these failed projects made me suspicious that any TV show based on a movie would not only be awful but actually put the film from which it was derived to shame. Little did I know that “M*A*S*H” as a sitcom is far superior to “M*A*S*H” as a film.
And “M*A*S*H” is one of my least favorite sitcoms.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with dark humor, in fact I have a repertoire of Christopher Reeve jokes that would make Seth MacFarlane jealous, but I also respect comedy and am firmly of the belief that there are certain types of humor and they all have to be allowed to stand on their own. Most importantly, they are like foreign cuisine; they are great by themselves but should never be combined. The problem I have with “M*A*S*H” is that there are times It wants to be Billy Wilder-esque gallows comedy, times when it wants to be “Animal House”-like sophomoric humor and others still where it attempts basic old slapstick. Settling on just one of these sub-genres would have really benefitted this movie.
The first major character introduced is Cpt. “Hawkeye” Pierce, a surgeon in the civilian world who has been drafted into the Army, given a commission and a job in the 4077, a field surgery unit. He arrives in the midst of the Korean War along with another presumed draftee Cpt. Forrest (Tom Skerrit). Both are very begrudgingly and contemptuous of the power structure that forced them there. They steal the jeep of a fellow officer (albeit a career military one) and proceed to the officer’s area where they manage to alienate themselves from the majority of the company, most notably their overly religious commander Maj. Burns (Robert Duvall).
The two friends both detest the conditions in which they have to work and the fact that they even have to be there in the first place but still remain focused on their objective, more due to their commitment as surgeons than soldiers. However they soon become disillusioned by the judgment they encounter by their superiors, in particular Maj. Houlihan (Sally Kellerman) who is a sanctimonious military nurse. Her constant berating of Hawkeye and Forrest for their insubordination and lack of respect for the uniform drives them to a state of borderline hatred for her.
Houlihan’s comeuppance takes shape in the form of a very public exposure of her own faults, as the public address system (which also cleverly serves as the narrator in several transitional scenes; probably the most innovative directorial tool implemented in the film) broadcasts her affair with Maj. Burns. Hawkeye and Forrest take great joy in mocking her by repeating her bizarre mid-coital ramblings to her face the next day. This scene is intensely important due to the fact that the “good” people are shown as having even worse faults than the “bad” people. Hawkeye and Forrest simply drink and are promiscuous, whereas Houlihan and Burns are not only adulterers but hypocrites.
Teetering on the brink of a breakdown Houlihan is forced to endure an even greater humiliation when Hawkeye and Forrest engage in a wager as to whether or not she is a natural blonde. In order to settle their bet the two roll up the wall to the women’s shower tent- exposing her to the entire company. While I understand this scene is supposed to be a “stand-up-and-cheer” moment depicting good vanquishing evil, I think it ultimately diminishes Hawkeye and Forrest’s characters. I just can’t force myself to believe that, no matter how embittered the two may be, that they would revert to such a juvenile tactic. I also believe that this scene has the same negative effect on the film itself. This is akin to a “Revenge of the Nerds” panty-raid and has no place in a film that was geared towards educated adults.
”Frank, were you on this religious kick at home or did you crack up over here?” (Hawkeye Pierce, “M*A*S*H")
There is, however some very intelligent humor in the film as well, particularly what is implied more than what is actually said. As is the case with most of the funniest things, you don’t have some big punchline or a visual equivalent to an “Applause” sign telling you “ok, here’s the funny.” For instance, the small talk the surgeons make about what they do in their off-time or their lives back home are only mildly funny; what is hysterical though is the way they are so matter-of-factly talking while performing amputations and dealing with organs. Equally hilarious is one surgery scene where the discussion on how well or sloppily to make the patient’s stitches depends on if they are an officer or an enlisted soldier. This is also effective in reiterating the point of separation of class that exists just as much in the military as in civilian life.
Without a doubt the most hysterical scene in the entire film is the prank assisted suicide of the unit’s distraught dentist who is so upset at the personal fear that he may be gay that he opts to commit suicide, asking for the assistance of the 4077’s surgeons. Hawkeye convinces him that there is an almost immediate suicide pill he can take and die painlessly (what should be a flattering nickname for a dentist “Dr. Painless” now becomes a hilarious mockery). After throwing an elaborate party for Dr. Painless, Hawkeye leads him to a casket with an entourage of medics singing what would become the iconic “M*A*S*H” theme song “Suicide is Painless.” Of course the suicide pill turns out to be nothing more than a sedative, but when Painless wakes up with one of the company nurses he decides he must not be gay so no harm is done and he isn’t afraid of living anymore. I can’t stress the point enough that this scene does not make light of suicide but rather cleverly satirizes the circumstances in combat that can lead to it. In this case a guy with a cushy job, in no real danger and with everything to live for thinks he has it worse than the troops on the front lines who come back to the surgical area to be repaired.
One element of the film that I found confusing was the frequent use of fast, tight zoom shots; either on character’s faces when they are being introduced or on specific items. This particular directorial style can serve two very different aims; to establish intensity or indicate something important happening or to serve as a sort of substitute for the dotted lines that indicate field of vision in a comic book- again an extreme marriage of dead-seriousness and total lightheartedness. I suppose it is also very possible that this is done specifically for this purpose, to indicate finding humor in the most dire of conditions. In a way, time is “M*A*S*H’s” greatest enemy in this case since that particular effect is now mostly associated with ludicrous kung-fu flicks.
Possibly my biggest gripe with this movie is the misuse of great characters, particularly Trapper John MD and Radar. I understand that one of the principle themes is supposed to be the mysterious past of Trapper John, his life prior to the war and his medical credentials, but Elliot Gould is such an incredible character actor and he serves as the perfect complement to Hawkeye in so many ways that an expansion of his character could have made for a much greater dynamic when comparing and contrasting the two. To an even greater extent the quirky, goofy company administrator Radar serves as an example of the most conventionally odd character being the one who has his head on the straightest and his superior level of awareness of the goings-on of the company really reinforce one of the movie’s central themes; the ruling class being generally inept.
I have been giving this movie a hard time over the last several paragraphs but contrary to how it may seem I didn’t dislike it. Instead I just believe it suffers from an identity crisis that makes it hard to fully embrace. All in all what I take away from “M*A*S*H” more than anything else is the perfectly clear implications of the horrors of war, the level of commitment, dedication and morale you are going to get in a military draft situation and the scathing metaphor of hypocrisy in the military representing the greater hypocrisy of war in general. It is no mistake or coincidence that “M*A*S*H” takes place during a controversial Southeast Asian military conflict (The Korean War) and was released in the midst of a different controversial Southeast Asian military conflict (Vietnam). The examples of despair, senseless gore to the point of absurdity and a resounding contempt for the mission are very blunt and courageous for the time.
By commenting on a divisive issue so on the forefront of the American conscience at the time the best comparison to anything like “M*A*S*H” I can make is to “South Park.” You know, back when it was still relevant and funny…
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