An anachronistic ride or why 1941 failed at the box-office

Rating: 8/10 (21 February 2010)

"1941" was a brave attempt (and only one to date) at slapstick comedy from Steven Spielberg's part. He already said years ago that when he first read the Gale and Zemeckis script, he couldn't stop laughing. So, how come this promising comedy with a #1 director at the helm was coldly received by audiences and reviewers alike as "unfunny" in 1979? Clearly, the major problem with this film was that the way Spielberg created this movie in 1979 was not in phase with the standards of the time.
One remark that was often used in many '70s reviews of "1941" was that it was too loud! Too noisy!! People felt the need to put their hands on their ears while watching it. Everybody in that film was screaming!!... The sometimes fast paced editing was VERY intense too for audiences who were almost scandalized by such attack on their senses. Remember, we were in 1979. Disco was at its peak and worst, WWII movies were as outdated as the western genre back in those days. At the box-office, Grease was still the big picture.
In 1979, comedy was mainly on TV with shows like "Three's company", "M*A*S*H, All in the family, etc... In fact, one of the last successful comedy at the box office before "1941" was the smooth 1978 "Heaven can wait" with Warren Beatty. It is not hard to understand that within this context, the enormous and noisy "1941" could not find its place. This film would have been much more successful in the late 90's or early 2000's with the video game generation. The proof is that it has now reach a cult status much deserved.
Full of wonderful actors with plenty of references about the golden age era of Hollywood slapstick comedies, "1941" was truly a labor of love from Spielberg, who I wish had not disavowed his own creation and should have stand by it over the years.