M*A*S*H

A few years ago, I came across a podcast that was dedicated to discussing classic war movies. The particular episode I listened to was focused on the 1970 Robert Altman movie MASH (Stylized as M*A*S*H). It became apparent early on that the two men reviewing this film were from a younger generation than I was because the vast majority of the conversation was about how offended they were by so much of what was being shown on screen and how this movie should be cancelled for being sexist, racist, and homophobic. I listened to their conversation for about fifteen minutes before shutting it off because, while there is a grain of truth in that line of thinking, it is also so narrow-minded that it prevents you from seeing past that and to what this film is actually doing. Imagine taking the same approach to reviewing Blazing Saddles. 

MASH is a concept that I was familiar with from childhood thanks to the presence of the follow-up television series that ran from 1972 to 1983. It seemed to be everywhere when I was a child and I saw many episodes growing up. I was aware of the film at that time but it was not something I was seeking out at that age; I didn’t actually see it until I was well into my 20s. I didn’t read the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker until I was in my 30s. 

What I learned from consuming all three versions is that MASH the movie is a relatively faithful adaptation of the source material, whereas the series that followed went down a different path, especially the further into that series it got. There’s a misogyny to that book that was brought over to the film that Alan Alda started sponging away when it became a series. It still exists early on, but by the time we got to the mid-seasons, it was all but gone. Some will see that as progress—Alda did, for sure—but it also is placing modern-day ways of thinking on a series that is supposed to be representing an earlier, less “enlightened” era of time. It makes for a more inclusive viewing experience, but it lessons the cultural impact of the original story. 

The film doesn’t have a conventional plot but follows the exploits of several military surgeons as they save lives, crack jokes, drink homemade liquor, and get into relationships with the various nurses in their unit. Richard Hooker’s novel is episodic. Because Robert Altman was determined to do that book justice, the film he made is equally episodic. This could be four episodes of a series spliced together with distinct chapter breaks in between. Some of these breaks don’t even seem to flow together but just happen suddenly and without explanation, such as a whole plot-line involving Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce Jr. (Donald Sutherland) and Captain John “Trapper John” McIntyre (Elliott Gould) flying to Japan to operate on a Congressman’s son. This is an abrupt shift from the previous scene in the movie and comes out of nowhere. Later on the film suddenly shifts into a football movie with the MASH unit competing against a rival group, scheming to win a hefty monetary bet. This kind of haphazard storytelling is a trademark of Robert Altman’s and gives the movie its signature tone. 

This also means, though, that this film doesn’t have a throughline plot. It begins with Hawkeye and Captain “Duke” Forrest (Tom Skerritt) being assigned to the MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) and ends with them getting their discharge papers and preparing to go home. We learn little to no background details about either of them, nor anyone else for that matter, but get to know them through how they cope with being in a war they didn’t sign up for. That comes in the form of romancing—in some cases outright sexually  harassing—nurses, pulling pranks, and being as sarcastic as humanly possible. It’s their way of dealing with a situation they didn’t sign up for.

They especially target Major Frank Burns (Robert Duvall), a man in whom they share a tent initially and identify early on as being a hypocrite and a bully. Burns is first seen reading a Bible and teaching one of the locals, Ho-Jon (Kim Atwood), how to read from it. Frank is quickly exposed for whom he truly is, a bully who takes his anger out on others. He’s also quick to hop into the sack with another woman despite being married, though he is judgmental about others who do the same. 

Into the fray comes Major Margaret Houlihan (Sally Kellerman), a regular army nurse and the subject of Frank’s lust. Her sole function early on is to be an antagonist for Hawkeye, Duke, and McIntyre. They represent the insanity of forcing men to go off to war whereas she represents those who lavish in it. These two clashing ideals make up a good deal of the interpersonal conflict in the first half of the film. After they literally expose her to the whole camp, her part in this film is greatly diminished to the point that she becomes a literal bimbo in the final half hour. It’s a rare misstep in this movie and an even rarer example of the television series eventually doing her character justice. 

This film released in 1970, though it takes place in the 1950s. This allowed it to tackle a touchy subject in American history without directly touching on it. It may claim to be about the Korean War, but you wouldn’t know that if you didn’t read the opening text or catch the random bits of dialogue that spell it out. This is actually a veiled commentary on the Vietnam War, which was still raging on at the time. 20th Century Fox realized this and insisted that that opening text be included to avoid confusing audiences as to what war was being depicted. This didn’t stop the thoughts, though, leading to the film being banned from showings on any U.S. Army and Air Force Bases. That, of course, only encouraged military personnel to seek it out elsewhere. Nothing drives the desire to see something quite like banning it. The same results occurred when religious groups tried to ban The Exorcist.

Despite the early 1950s setting, the film reflects the mindset of the late 60s and early 70s. The attitudes of the men and women are more indicative of the latter time period than the earlier. The chapter dealing with Captain Walter “The Painless Pole” Waldowski (John Schuck) is a clear example of this when he finds himself unable to perform in bed one day and comes to the conclusion that he must therefore be gay. He decides the only path forward for him is to take his own life. This is perhaps the moment that most offends modern viewers who see this as homophobic and tone-deaf, but it was the mindset of many people in the 70s. 

This moment can also feel a little callous as those around him— Hawkeye, McIntyre, and the lot— don’t seem taken aback by his decision to end his own life. How it is resolved is also viewed as sexist, too. There is no doubt that this sequence is dated and would never be found in a modern film, but it is an accurate view of a bygone era. When the nurse who has been tasked with setting Painless’ mind straight again leaves the next morning, the camera lingers on her face for just a moment, and we think she may be troubled with what she has done. Then her expression shifts to a big smile. It may be sexist, but she was very much in on it. 

Mash is not the kind of film that could be made anymore because fragile minds cannot get behind the mindset of the 1970s. Even modern films that are set in that era are filtered by modern sensibilities so as to avoid offending those who cannot process a different way of thinking. That makes films like this or Blazing Saddles products of their time that exist in that bubble permanently. Going back to that podcast I mentioned before, they talked about remaking the film with modern sensibilities and how great that would be. I say, absolutely not. This film is nearly perfect as is, and no remake could ever catch that spirit and irreverence the way Altman did. Even the series, as good as it was at times, doesn’t live up to this. Let it stand as a reminder of a different time and leave it at that. 

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Ingmar Bergman

Best Director: Robert Altman

Best Supporting Actress: Sally Kellerman

Best Screenplay - Based on Material from Another Medium: Ring Lardner Jr. (won)

Best Film Editing: Danford B. Greene

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Release Date: January 25, 1970

Running Time: 116 minutes

Rated R

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Roger Bowen, René Auberjonois, and Michael Murphy

Directed by: Robert Altman