Blu-Ray Review: ‘M*A*S*H’ Still Resonates Nearly Four Decades Later

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CHICAGO – I worry that young people out there raised on syndicated reruns don’t know that the beloved TV show “M*A*S*H” is actually based on not just any movie but a great comedy featuring two actors at or near their prime and directed by one of the best directors that ever lived. Perhaps a great new Blu-Ray release from Fox will correct the oversight.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

“M*A*S*H” still stands as one of the best comedies of the ’70s, nearly four decades after it was released. Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Gary Burghoff, and Robert Duvall star in the film that introduced the world to the surgeons of the 4077, a group of Army medical experts stationed in Korea during the war who look at the darkness of war with a hilarious, lunatic viewpoint.

M*A*S*H was released on Blu-Ray on September 1st, 2009.
Photo credit: Fox

Available for the first time on Blu-Ray, “M*A*S*H” has held up beautifully as not just a great comedy on its own right but a time capsule of what was to come for everyone involved including Sutherland, Gould, Altman, and the franchise as a whole.

Very loosely based on the novel by Richard Hooker, the film version of “M*A*S*H” won numerous awards including the Grand Prix at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Screenplay (it was also nominated for Picture, Director, Supporting Actress, and Film Editing). It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy).

Since its initial run, “M*A*S*H” has been recognized as a classic comedy more and more every year. On the American Film Institute’s “100 Years…100 Movies,” the film was named the 56th best of all time (in both the original 1998 list and the updated one in 2007). Bravo named it the 17th best comedy of all time on “100 Funniest Movies”.

See where the “M*A*S*H” phenomenon began with a great Blu-Ray release of the film presented in 1080p with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Special features include “Complete Interactive Guide to M*A*S*H,” Commentary by Director Robert Altman, “AMC Backstory: M*A*S*H,” “Enlisted: The Story of M*A*S*H,” “M*A*S*H: History Through the Lens,” “Remembering M*A*S*H: 30th Anniversary Cast & Crew Reunion,” Original Theatrical Trailer, Portuguese Trailer, and a Still Gallery.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com