Anti-war gem.

Rating: 10/10 (16 March 2003)

The 11 season long television series became such a part of Americana that the message and even the movie itself has become largely forgotten. I had seen the television show a tremendous amount before I saw the movie and, to me, seeing them in that order made the movie even better. I now see both Donald Sutherland and Alan Alda as Hawkeye, but at least Donald Sutherland didn't turn the movie into a dramatic, preachy morality fest. It's utterly important that if you're seeing this after being a fan of the show to put the television show out of your mind. I expect some of you will have great difficulty with this due to lack of imagination but you are physically able to do it.
This film had me from the second I saw the opening credits, despite the fact that there's no discernable plot other than doctors at a MASH unit. The "vignette" style doesn't take away from the film at all. It's poking fun at the military by showing everyday life of these people who don't want to have anything to do with a war. It can even describe it as clowning. Not clowning in the sense that the common man knows, but clowning in the Waiting For Godot sense. Only not that absurd. This clowning is more subtle, characterized by these people trying to have a good time in war and being large characters with no same. Is that as clear as mud? Good.
This movie can be described the same way as a person would describe art. It wasn't created in a vacuum and the context is crucially important to understanding the story. The context of anti-Vietnam America is reflected by the anti-military and anti-war dialogue and visuals. This is an important point where the movie and TV show take opposite directions. In the show, Hawkeye and Trapper saved almost every patient they had. They were miracle doctors. The movie is far more realistic in showing death and amputations.
The acting was great on all fronts. Hawkeye, Trapper and Duke come in as large, comedic, mean characters who clash with the more down to earth Hot Lips and Burns. With hilarious consequences. The ensemble is comprised of excellent actors (Sutherland, Gould, Skerritt, Duvall, Kellerman) and they all work very well together. The movie and the show can't be compared in terms of acting because they're different. The show has much more slapstick than the film and you can't compare the more realistic movie to the more fanciful television show.
Robert Altman's directing can't be described. It's very vicarious so I won't try to explain it.
MASH is inventive, beautifully shot, expressive and it's anger is not misplaced. The anti-war message may have lost some of it's impact over the years but it still lives on and can be looked upon as a barometer for America at that time. Who knows? It may even make a comeback.