Written by Ring Lardner Jr., loosely based on Richard Hooker's novel, and partly improvised; I'd forgotten how funny this is. It sometimes comes across like a silent slapstick comedy but is anarchic and particularly anti-authoritarian, finding targets for fun in adherence to strict military practices and religion, the 'last supper' of Painless being one such example. Altman's predilections for the zoom lens and overlapping dialogue are well in evidence. But amidst the gore of the surgery scenes you come away with the impression that these surgeons really know what they're doing. The camp loudspeaker announcements are frequently hilarious.
Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould make a wonderful couple heading a large cast, also comprising Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Roger Bowen, Robert Duvall, Rene Auberjonois (priest), David Arkin, Jo Ann Pflug, Gary Burghoff (Radar), Fred Williamson ('Spearchucker'), Michael Murphy, John Schuck and Bud Cort.
Photographed by Harold E Stine, well edited by Danford Greene and Altman. Paramount.
Altman reckoned he got away with it as 20th Century Fox was preoccupied by large scale problems on Tora, Tora, Tora and Patton. It was unexpectedly a huge box office hit.
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