Movies aren't novels.

Rating: 10/10 (24 June 2019)

Joe Heller had half this written work to induct the reader into the US ARMY. From pointless marching drills to the horrors of WW2 bombing missions, the written form gives him the time he needs to not only drill into the reader the monotony of war but its insanity. The movie picks characters that depend entirely on the casting which is great! If these characters were developed fully, the movie would be 5 hours long. Nichols made good choices & Buck Henry honed an equally good script. The youthfulness of the soldiers & airmen is made apparent. I thought the omitted scene in the novel where Nately & his whore ague shouting repeatedly at one another, "Tell your friends to stop ficky-ficking my friends!" regrettable, but generally Nichols choices were OK. I first read Catch 22 while still in traction after surgery recovering from combat wounds. It was easy to tell which bed ridden guy was reading it by the muted laughter & rattle of the traction equipment! A great book & good movie rendering. The B-25 action scenes & remote airfield scenes are spectacular!