“One of the reasons M*A*S*H is so funny is that it's so desperate.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“As a savage comedy about man's rebellion in the face of death it has rarely been bettered.” - Alan Morrison, Empire Magazine
Wednesday, June 4, 6:00 p.m. & Saturday, June 7, 2:00 p.m. | Altman’s irreverent comedy about a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital marked a major breakthrough for his career. Released during the Vietnam War but set during the Korean War (20th Century Fox insisted Korea be referenced in the opening sequence for fear the film would reinforce anti-Vietnam War sentiment) M*A*S*H’s medics, led by surgeons "Hawkeye" (Donald Sutherland) and "Duke" (Tom Skerritt), mere miles from the front lines, use bawdy pranks to cope with the horrors of combat. A sharp commentary on the absurdity of war wrapped in a blue comedy, M*A*S*H suggests that instead of crying, you might as well laugh. M*A*S*H was in production simultaneously with Fox’s PATTON and TORA! TORA! TORA! “Those were big-budget pictures, and we were cheap,” Altman said. “I knew that if I stayed under budget and didn't cause too much trouble, we could sneak it through." M*A*S*H won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, garnered five Academy Award nominations, including Altman’s first for Best Director, and became the third highest-grossing film of 1970.
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival
Winner - Best Adapted Screenplay, Academy Awards
Nominee - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Sally Kellerman), Best Editing, Academy Awards
Robert Altman Centennial | June–August 2025
Robert Altman (1925–2006) is one of the rare directors whose name alone conjures his style. Say a film is “Altmanesque” and you’ll get nods of understanding—most cinephiles know the auteur’s calling cards: large ensemble casts; overlapping dialogue; a roving camera, and a subtle critique of the American Dream. Altman was prolific (a hardworking midwesterner), directing 36 feature films, and well over 100 episodes of television. Nominated for five Best Director Academy Awards, Altman was presented with an Honorary Academy Award in 2006—and he passed away nine months later, at the age of 81. When asked by Playboy Magazine in 1976, “When you look into your future, what do you want to have accomplished?” Altman answered, “All I want is to do what I'm doing. What else would I do?”
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu