The unexpected box office success of Robert Altmanís Korean (anti-) War movie did as much as Easy Rider to establish director-led power in '70s Hollywood.
The fact that it wasnít independently produced, but sneakily done on the 20th Century Fox backlot, only proved that the studios had to quickly wake up to audience tastes.
In his first major movie, Altman instantly established his trademark style. Lines of dialogue overlap.The camera zooms in on an actor midway through a speech rather than cutting to a traditional close-up. Several storylines make up a patchwork featuring an ensemble cast.
M_A_S*H captures the insanity of war by placing lewd, comic set-pieces alongside graphic military hospital operations. By letting off steam, these doctors survive the horrors thrown at them - but their goofing around takes on a political dimension in this army context.
Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould, with their anti-authority manner, do more than buddy bonding: this is a reversed victory 'V', stuck in the face of an American administration intent on sending more soldiers to Vietnam.