The staff of a Korean War field hospital uses humor and hijinks to keep their sanity in the face of the horror of war.The staff of a Korean War field hospital uses humor and hijinks to keep their sanity in the face of the horror of war.The staff of a Korean War field hospital uses humor and hijinks to keep their sanity in the face of the horror of war.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 15 wins & 26 nominations total
Timothy Brown
- Cpl. Judson
- (as Tim Brown)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe fourteen-year-old son of director Robert Altman, Mike Altman, wrote the lyrics to the theme song "Suicide is Painless." Because of its inclusion in the subsequent television series, he continued to get residuals throughout its run and syndication. His father was paid $75,000 for directing, but his son eventually made about $2 million in song royalties, with payments continuing, from first syndication through the present day, as M*A*S*H (1972) continues in syndication around the world.
- GoofsAt the 14 minute mark you can see Trapper in the operating theater, but he hasn't yet arrived to the 4077th.
- Crazy creditsThe shot of Hot Lips being revealed in the shower was replaced with her exiting the helicopter in network and basic cable showings when Sally Kellerman's name was announced.
- Alternate versionsSome of the scenes that were altered in the US "PG" version:
- The arterial spurting from the neck of a patient in the operating room was removed.
- When O'Houlihan is surprised in the shower, the tent flap begins to rise but the scene cuts away before seeing her.
- The "F-word" was removed from the football game.
- ConnectionsEdited into Give Me Your Answer True (1987)
- SoundtracksSuicide Is Painless
(1970)
Music by Johnny Mandel
Lyrics by Mike Altman
Sung by an unidentified chorus during the opening credits
Also sung by Ken Prymus (uncredited) during the last supper scene
Featured review
I should probably watch this again, since so many consider it a masterpiece. Maybe I was over-prepared (Hey, it took me a second viewing of 'Citizen Kane' to get my past pre-set expectations!). But while I could see why M*A*S*H was groundbreaking and important for a Hollywood film of it's day (lack of the usual clear narrative line, anti-war stance, overlapping, improvised dialogue, sexuality, bloody operating room scenes serving as ironic counterpart, etc), it felt pretty dated and unfocused. There are some very funny moments, but a lot of the ironies seem easy, and there's a lack of a true darker underpinnings and ideas, unlike, say, 'Dr. Strangelove'.
A lot of the humor is juvenile, cruel and silly. And while I get that's the point – nothing can be more deeply juvenile, cruel and silly than war, it got repetitive and heavy handed after a while. The performances are good, but beyond Robert Duvall, none of the characters have much in the way of dimensions. People stay exactly what we think they are from the moment we meet them.
Walter Chow makes a good argument on the web site 'Film Freak Central', that the sexism, homophobia, etc are the whole point. Altman is saying we're ALL beasts at heart, even if we act like we're bucking the system. It's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure I buy it's what Altman was intending.
A lot of the humor is juvenile, cruel and silly. And while I get that's the point – nothing can be more deeply juvenile, cruel and silly than war, it got repetitive and heavy handed after a while. The performances are good, but beyond Robert Duvall, none of the characters have much in the way of dimensions. People stay exactly what we think they are from the moment we meet them.
Walter Chow makes a good argument on the web site 'Film Freak Central', that the sexism, homophobia, etc are the whole point. Altman is saying we're ALL beasts at heart, even if we act like we're bucking the system. It's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure I buy it's what Altman was intending.
- runamokprods
- Aug 7, 2010
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- MASH
- Filming locations
- Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA(4077th MASH Campsite)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $3,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $81,600,000
- Gross worldwide
- $81,600,000
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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