1941 (1979)
Sexual references and incidental coarse langauge
| Director: | Steven Spielberg |
| Actors: | John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, Michael McKean, Christopher Lee |
Steven Spielberg's 1941 is a big-budget zany comedy detailing the hilarious panic that gripped Los Angeles after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Army General Joseph Stilwell (Robert Stack) is in charge of protecting the Californian coastline in the weeks following Pearl Harbor. Dan Aykroyd and John Candy are members of a tank crew responsible for setting up a cannon in Ned Beatty's backyard. As explosions burst forth and air-raid sirens scream, John Belushi, Tim Matheson, and Treat Williams are part of the army corp reacting to the news of war with a somewhat energetic craziness. They dance at the USO, compete with each other to get the prettiest girls, and watch as Hollywood Boulevard becomes a pile of ruins. The film features cameos by many Spielberg friends and associates, including directors Sam Fuller and John Landis and actors James Caan, Mickey Rourke, Penny Marshall, and Susan Backlinie, reprising her famous skinny-dip from the first scene in JAWS. Michael McKean and David Lander, otherwise known as Lenny and Squiggy from LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY, play Willie and Joe--a hat's-off salute to Bill Maudlin's famous World War II cartoon characters. The film suffered from critical venom upon its initial release but has since become a cult fave.
| Status: | LongWait |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 115mins |
| Origin: | UNITED STATES |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
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Member Reviews (3)
3 Member
Reviews
SelbyM
says
Belushi dies young and we suffer for that. This counts is one of the best US comedies ever produced. The last sequence with the house going over the cliff is superb but that does not mean that the comedie is not a sustained joy.
Robtheailean
says
This movie (I first saw it in Laser Disk, just after release) is a classic. It captures with a ruthless clarity - and a lot of black humour, the panic that gripped the West Coast of the US after Pearl harbour.
Unfortunately, it lay in the boonies for years - it was roundly criticised in the US - as it was considered Spielberg's Flop.(Yeah, like he makes bad films...)
Biggest problem with this film is US aufiences do not appreciate humour directed at them... and it lampoon's the insane behaviour of many of the residents of California (especially). ned beatty is great - but unfortunately, he is also a great example of the behavior of LA residents at the time.
Consider the number of times Darwin was bombed, and the stoic bravery of those people; LA never saw a thing - yet it was an article of faith at the time that the japanese had/were already landing in droves.
It is also one of the last times John Belushi and Dan Akroyd appeared together (You do know about the Blue's Brothers???).
Belushi OD'd not long after. Dan Akroyd has spent the remainder of his career looking as though he expected Belushi to re-appear (and save his train wreck of an acting sequel). They were a formidable pair. Search for old showings of Saturday Night Live for the reasons (many).
You should watch this: 1. because it is an extremely good movie and 2. it is an early look at Spielberg's emerging genius.
phil
says
Rather humerous skit at the ineptitude of beaucracy,had a good laugh at the american paranoria.