Although crude, this movie is a hit.

Rating: Null/10 (16 October 2003)

M*A*S*H is a comedic film portraying war and the insanity of war. It stars amateur actors and evolves into a professional work. The film takes place in a `Mobile Army Surgical Hospital' stationed in Korea watched over by Lt. Col. Henry Blake (Roger Bowen). This army hospital camp becomes informal with the hilarious antic of maverick medics: Hawkeye Pierce (Donald Sutherland), Trapper John (Elliot Gould), and Duke (Tom Skerrit). These antics include trips to Japan to golf, rigging football games against rival teams, and driving Major Frank Burns (Robert Duvall) insane and attacking Hawkeye. He is sent home in a straitjacket. These characters subject others to hatched schemes and crazy adventures to take minds off war. Although serious surgeons, Hawkeye, Trapper John, and Duke poke fun at the seriousness of war.
M*A*S*H is an attempt to show distaste fro Vietnam through the Korean War experience. Director Robert Altman's rebellious spirit is felt throughout the entire film. Culture of the time was under attack from morality and sexuality challenges. During filming, Vietnam took brothers, fathers, and family to war. This tempted the realist director to show the black comedy of war. This movie shows the horrific events resulting from war. Altman daringly introduces the blood and grimness of war through gruesome surgeries. For instance, a nurse calls for Hawkeye when a patient's neck sprays blood. She tries repeatedly to stop the wound from bleeding by covering the wound with her hand. Many thought the surgery scenes were too graphic. This dark comedy expresses the anarchic, anti-war message of the 1970s. The director's intent was not to show Korea, but to confuse the viewer by thinking it was Vietnam. The movie makes a full assault on Korea, Vietnam, and war in general. Contempt for war and authority is seen through the actions and motives of Hawkeye and Trapper. Even though the film was on a low budget, the message of M*A*S*H comes out loud and clear. It shows the madness of war and how to survive the insanity.
This film is one of my personal favorites. I like the underlying message about war in general. It also represents the view of the people from the 1970s and how they react to war. I appreciate the dialogue overlapping over the other dialogue. It adds the chaos of what people say and the actual chaos around them in the movie. As viewers, we can see that the movie had a low budget, but really ties the movie together is the lack of money and material possessions. War is not rich and neither are those who are drafted into war.