“M★A★S★H Mash” Wars and armies are worthless! Unraveling the masterpieces of anti-war films created by master filmmakers

How to make an anti-authority film under a conservative production system?

Let's look back at 1968, when this work was made. The assassinations of charismatic human rights activist Martin Luther King and senator Robert F. Kennedy just before the presidential election. The growing movement against racial prejudice among African Americans. As the Vietnam War continued to intensify, anti-war sentiment quickly increased in the United States. Times were changing dramatically.

There were also big movements in Hollywood this year. The ``Hays Code,'' which promoted regulation of extreme depictions, was abolished and a new rating system was adopted. Depending on the extreme depiction, the viewing age limit may be restricted, so as a studio that prioritizes business, we would like to avoid that. `` Bonnie and Clyde '' (1967), a violent masterpiece considered to be the forerunner of American New Cinema, had been released the previous year, but at this point Hollywood's major studios remained conservative. Of course, I wanted to avoid movies that were loudly anti-war.

“Bonnie and Clyde” preview

Zanuck admits that making the anti-war film ``Mash'' under such circumstances was a ``gamble.'' The selection of Altman, whose track record in the film industry was unknown at this point, was also a gamble. In fact, Altman had a ``previous conviction'' when directing the TV series ``Combat,'' for which he was fired as director during the season for including an anti-war Arrival. Despite this, Zanuck is betting on the talent of this talented Toshihide.

Fortunately for Altman, 20th Century Fox had other war blockbusters in the works. At the time, the company was known for its `` Tora, Tora, Tora! ” (1970) and “ Patton Tank Corps ” (1970), both of which cost over $10 million, huge sums at the time. Inevitably, the attention of the company's higher-ups turned to that direction, and ``Mash,'' which cost about $3.5 million to make, was treated lightly. Altman, who wanted to proceed with the filming without attracting attention, reportedly told the staff, ``Don't draw the attention of the bigwigs.'' A movie based on the Korean War is a smokescreen. Altman's focus was on the Vietnam War, which was turning into a quagmire.

That unspoken word appears for the first time in a major Hollywood production!