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Blu-ray Review
M*A*S*H*
 Official Synopsis:
The surgeons of the 4077 deliver even more hilarious hijinks on Blu-ray! Starring Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt and Elliott Gould, M*A*S*H focuses on three Korean War Army surgeons brilliantly brought to life by Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt and Elliott Gould. Though highly skilled and deeply dedicated, they adopt a hilarious, lunatic lifestyle as an antidote to the tragedies of their Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, and in the process infuriate Army bureaucrats. Robert Duvall, Gary Burghoff and Sally Kellerman co-star as a sanctimonious Major, an other-worldly corporal, and a self-righteous yet lusty nurse.
Our Take:
MASH, Robert Altman’s 1970 anti-war film is one of many Robert Altman films I just simply never got around to watching. For whatever reason, this lover of 70’s cinema has pretty much ignored the output of this American auteur. MASH not only helped correct this, but also left me hoping more Altman films find their way into my review pile.
The story of M*A*S*H is probably familiar to many through either this film or the long-running television series that followed two years later. I am not about to compare the film to the series for one very practical reason, I have never seen an entire episode of M*A*S*H. However, I highly doubt that a network television show could properly capture the Animal House-style anarchy and mayhem of M*A*S*H. M*A*S*H deliberately pushed the boundaries of what anyone was ever willing to do with the military film genre. There are no patriotic, salute-the-flag moments here. M*A*S*H seems to be made solely to show the irrationality and irresponsibility of war. The film is set during the Korean War, but is an indictment of the Vietnam War, a war young Americans were still dying in when M*A*S*H was made and released.
Throughout cinema history, during wartime in America, Hollywood would release what amounted to propaganda films to help bolster the war effort. With M*A*S*H, Robert Altman essentially does the opposite. By placing the focus of the action on military doctors, the audience is witness to the brutal carnage of war without ever stepping foot on to a battlefield. We hear bones being sawed; see blood spurt, and men die. Yet, this film is a comedy. Altman’s genius is juxtaposing the comedic styling of Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland with the brutality of war. Showing men dying for almost two hours would make an audience sympathetic, but nothing can rile up an audience like showing men dying, but the whole thing being just a game to others. That is where this film, a frat boy comedy on its face, saves itself from being a mere Sgt. Bilko or other plain comedy that just happens to be set in the military. The jokes in M*A*S*H are all delivered with the cost of war plainly in sight. I have never seen a message picture as entertaining as M*A*S*H, but I suppose that is the point. It will get you in the seats laughing, but when you think back to specific scenes, you are forced to think about wartime atrocities that put the laughs in perspective.
Audio & Video:
M*A*S*H has been released by 20th Century Fox on Blu-ray on a single 50GB dual layer disc. The 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encode is surely an improvement on past standard definition releases of the film. Although, MASH was intentionally shot soft by Altman and the militaristic color schemes do not make this an eye-popping visual treat on Blu-ray. This is an accurate transfer sans excessive DNR that keeps the grain structure of the film nicely in tact. The transfer seems to have been made from a decent print as dirt and debris rarely pop up during the film.
The film comes complete with both a remastered 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless surround track as well as an English mono track. I watched the film with the lossless surround track selected. MASH is a war film, but it is a 70’s film in all the best ways, by which I mean that it focuses on character interaction and dialogue over loud explosions and gunfire to make its point. As a result, this war film will not blow out your speakers, but will do justice to the ambient noise on the soundtrack as well as do its best to deliver dialogue clearly, but there's nothing it can do about Altman’s trademark overlapping dialogue. That will still be sure to confuse.
Special Features (Blu-ray Exclusive):
- The Complete Interactive Guide to M*A*S*H – When the feature is turned on icons pop-up denoting drinking, mumbled dialogue and other staples of the film and tallies them all for you.
Special Features (Standard):
Fox has carried over the supplements available on their past standard definition releases of the film.
- Commentary by director Robert Altman
- AMC Backstory: M*A*S*H (25 minutes)
- Enlisted: The Story of M*A*S*H (41 minutes)
- M*A*S*H: History Through the Lens (44 minutes)
- Remembering M*A*S*H: 30th Anniversary Cast & Crew Reunion (30 minutes)
- Still Gallery
- Theatrical Trailers
Conclusion:
With a wealth of bonus material, M*A*S*H is a must-own on Blu-ray for those who have yet to add this 70’s classic to their collections. For those who already own the film, a double-dip is worth it for those that watch the film often or like me, just like to know every title in their collection is the best available technical representation of the film. Casual viewers and collectors alike may not find the technical upgrade worth a re-buy, however, due to Altman’s shooting style.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Overall Picture:
Movie: A
Video: B
Audio: B
Extra Features: B+
- Matthew Orlando
Staff Writer
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