Spielberg's (Slightly) Misunderstood Comedy of Destruction

Rating: 5/10 (19 August 1999)

Discussing the virtues and failings of Spielberg's personal albatross, "1941", is a daunting task indeed--mainly because there are a multitude of both to be found in this sprawling, convoluted, monstrosity of a comedy film. Viewers who had come to love the wunderkind director for his tours de force, "Jaws" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", certainly didn't know what to make of this splashy, goofy spectacle, and largely passed on the movie. Critics pounced hungrily on the film as the inevitable (or was it hoped for?) downfall of a director who had quickly become "too big for his britches". Now, 20 years later, a new Director's Cut DVD/Laser Disc provides viewers a fresh chance to see whether "1941" is an unrecognized classic, or whether it is the horrible, worthless drivel critics of the 1970s made it out to be. The answer? It is neither.
As far as its much-touted flaws are concerned, the main characters (and they are abundant!) aren't particularly engaging and, at their worst, are downright annoying. The plot is paper-thin, and Spielberg forces the movie to move in a mind-numbingly frenetic pace seemingly to cover up this glaring fact. Worst of all, the film just isn't funny--well, not very funny, at least. What few genuine laughs there are do not warrant the film's staggering production values and 2 1/2 hour running time (it is interesting to note that John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd would repeat this formula of laughs via annihilation a year later and, in the process, create a comedy masterpiece--"The Blues Brothers"). To his credit, on the DVD's/Laser Disc's "Making of 1941" documentary, Spielberg tries to address these concerns, stating that he never had a strong vision for the film (a significant no-no for a director) and that he thinks that co-writer Robert Zemekis' talent for chaotic pacing (as evidenced in his films "Back to the Future, Part II", "Death Becomes Her", and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit") would have been better suited for directing the film.
Interestingly though, upon a recent viewing of the film, numerous virtues become evident. The film is graced with William Fraker's exquisite cinematography (though the heavy-handed use of smoke and fog effects leads to a occasionally murky image on home video, even in as superior a format as DVD). The film is buoyed along by a broad and bold (is there any other kind?) score by John Williams. The set pieces and choreography are breathtaking, and the visual effects (utilizing some of the finest miniatures in cinematic history) are nothing short of phenomenal.
Looking at the film in context with the rest of Spielberg's career, the over-the-top characters, situations, and events seem to be the director's way of highlighting the insanity, and ultimate immaturity, of war, but it is a difficult view to contextualize with the man who would later bring us the highly patriotic and respectful "Saving Private Ryan".
In the final equation, it seems that for every misstep in the film, a little gem can be found, as well. So, even in retrospect, does the film deserves its position as the worst film in Spielberg's career? Well...yes; however, the film is still likely to have appeal to die-hard Spielberg afficionados, as well as fans of top-notch visual effects. The general comedy film fan, on the other hand, will surely walk away from "1941" feeling he/she has just wasted 2 1/2 hours of his/her time.