They cut out the funniest part of the book
They cut out the funniest part of the book, when Yossarian claims he "see's everything twice."
shareI agree. Also don't recall in the film any mention of flies in the eyes.
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MovieChat Forums > Catch-22 (1970) Discussion > They cut out the funniest part of the bo...
Haha, I think that's the funniest part, too. I first read it after I had taken a test in high school and had a really hard time keeping quiet. I was also in the same situation when I read about Nately and Kid Sampson's deaths.
shareI don't know, I was always partial to the chapter called "Milo the Mayor" where Yosarrian accompanies Milo on a grand tour of the Mediterranean and the extent of his syndicate's holdings. At one point, two German bombers arrive at the base to deliver something or other, and when the MPs arrive to take the crew prisoner, Milo intervenes, explaining they're members of the syndicate as well. And out come the stencils and the bombers have "M & M Enterprises, Fresh Fruit and Vegetables" painted over their swastikas. I think this would have been priceless in a movie, but we can't see all our favorite scenes from books show up in the necessarily compressed format of a motion picture. . .
shareHaha, Milo the Caliph of Baghdad.
Behold the one commandment!
God Needs Booze!
Inspired by this sequence, I have long wanted to build a model of one of these planes. I think there is also mention of them being painted white, or am I remembering something else?
They'd have to be Ju-52's, of course. COuld be a fun project!
--Jack, you have debauched my sloth!
I think the funniest part was when the man who was obsessed with parades, can't remember how to spell his name, became a general and ordered everyone to start marching. The scene was so overly epic and ridiculous it was just awesome.
The other funniest scene was when the soldier in white came back and everyone in the entire hospital began screaming and panicking beyond all reason.
"It's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything."
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I don't know, to me it was a toss up between that part of the book and "T.S. Elliot". I read that and I still didn't know the book was meant to be FUNNY. So I read that part and went "What???" And re-read it and laughed until I cried. Then I read it out loud to my roommate and called everyone I knew and read it to them. They all thought I was crazy, but I just thought it was the funniest thing I'd read. Up until then anyways.
"Did he just go crazy and then fall asleep?"
i agrree the soldier who saw everything twice was very funny and should have to be in the movie...pity it's not:(
There's no place like home.
That's why the book is the best..But the movie kinda clarified a couple things to me.
..And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.
The whole movie kind of suffered from Dunbar not being included. They seemed to be best friends in the novel and as a result of his declusion in the movie, Yossarian doesn't seem to have any significant connection to any of the other characters.
Not to mention many of the funnier scenes had Dunbar and Yossarian screwing around with the hospital staff ["he's back! he's back!" and "screw" comes to mind.]
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Actually Clevinger's Trial by "The Action Board" is the funniest part of the book!
shareWe all have different opinions and my favourite part was when Major Major Major Major was first promoted to Major and he was talking with one of the Lietentants (I think it was Schiesskapf?) and they kpt calling eachother 'sir'.
L-S: "You don't have to call me 'sir' sir, you are my superior officer.
MMMM: "But you are my Commanding officer sir.
L-S: "Yes I am sir, but you are still my superior, do you understand sir?
MMMM: "Yes Sir"
It was longer than that but I'll have to read the chapter again. Most of the book was funny, but that bit left me in stitches. Oh and the "Man who saw everything twice" got me chuckling, my brother thought I was mad.
Surprise!!
The whole movie kind of suffered from Dunbar not being included. They seemed to be best friends in the novel and as a result of his declusion in the movie, Yossarian doesn't seem to have any significant connection to any of the other characters.
Interesting comment. In the commentary on the DVD, Nichols expresses his regret, on several occasions, that he made the movie has so little connection between characters. He mentions this on technical levels, in how shots were framed and lit, and in terms of cutting out characters and scenes. He seemed to see this as a big flaw which he wishes he had handled differently.
He died. You don't get any older than that.
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I haven't seen the movie yet.. and I'm sad they cut that part out, it was one of the funniest most definitely!
I still can't wait to see the film though, although I doubt it will be nearly as good as the book was.
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
I don't know if you'll see this, but I wonder if you've seen the movie by now. I saw it a long time ago and again recently after reading the book again. It's perfectly acted, and the story is still non-linear. Just as important is that I think most people agree that what Heller was saying, the movie also says, the message isn't lost. So, if you haven't seen it yet, you really should, despite the changes I don't think you'll be very disappointed.
#51"That's right, one can make all kinds of explosives using simple household items"
The only way you can make a 550 page book into a movie is to cut some stuff. You can't just keep making it longer because even the best long movies do get boring. And I doubt anyone would have considered making it into a trilogy!
A Catch 22 mini series!
The film has lots of very good scenes and great acting, but it could have used an effort to achieve better pacing. The satiric gags come so thick and fast, and jump in so many directions, that they sometimes blur the story and the human credibility of the characters. A scene such as Nately's encounter with the pimp, which is part of the arc of the central story and reinforces that they're all doomed in the end, is half overshadowed by all the goofs and gags.
"Richelieu's men are notorious for their complete lack of taste."
I've just finished re-watching the movie with David Nichols and Steven Soderbergh commentary and found it most enlightening.
I would even say that Nichols admits that this film worried him a lot at that time without fully understanding the reasons for his own anxieties that now, after all the experiences made he can discern: the lack of the underlying background story and meaning for the characters.
If this is probably an absolute fundamental factor for Heller to convey the uniformity and impersonality not to talk about the value, or its absence thereof for the individual life: the movie comes through loud and clear and in a masterful way.
But to me it may be worth even of a remake that stays more to the narrative of the novel: each chapter is a character; each of them is memorable and at time hilarious in its satirical content.
Nichols himself seems to admit he would have done it differently using his present skills and in a much faster way, using more of the editing cuts and less of the complex long shots, so to include more of the left out characters like ex-PFC Wintergreen.
"T.S. Elliot" and the Major Major Major Major / Chief White Halfoat sagas got my attention to these days and get my votes.
I'm not sure if they could ever make a movie from the book, but to make now a mini-series would be a wonderful option. But then, again after MASH...
A remake is probably the only way to go. But it would have to be a mini-series. Maybe a 4 parter. I do cherish this film. Loved it so much...until I read the book! Then I loathed it. Havent read the book in quite a few years now, and the movie seems much better & enjoyable to me. If I read the book again soon (which I might) i'll regret the movie again.
It's a life long dilemma for me.
Yes there are so many scenes, and characters, we would like to see included in the movie. ------ My first copy of the book was a paperback copy which literally fell apart over twenty years ago from reading it so many times. I now have a hardback copy. ----- What a movie and what a book. -----😎 ----- Rusty
shareI have also read many times...had to get hardback because of this
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