1941

The words Spielberg and comedy don't usually go together, but that didn't deter Steven Spielberg from attempting this genre with his 1979 entry 1941.

It's December, 1941, and Pearl Harbor has just been attacked, causing America to be on high alert. The military thinks that Hollywood will be the next target, causing a frenzy amongst the Hollywood community. Chaos ensues.

1941 is a loud and slapsticky, but it's also a lot of fun. Written by Back To The Future scribes Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and John Milius who is better known for his manly epics like Conan The Barbarian and Red Dawn, 1941 seems like an odd choice for Spielberg. I think it's because Spielberg was such a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick's that he was trying to do what Kubrick did with Dr. Strangelove. It's definately not on that level. More cartoony than dark. Kubrick even told Spielberg that it was good, but not funny.

Spielberg assembled a huge cast that includes John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, Robert Stack, Treat Williams, Tim Matheson, and Nancy Allen, to name just a few. Everybody does a great job. Both John Wayne and Charleton Heston were approached to play the Stack character, but they felt the movie was unpatriotic.

Overall I think 1941 is a fun ride.

It's available on dvd and blu ray.