Yossarian shows up naked to receive his medal.
Then the longest silence in film history.
Followed by Orson Welles:
"Unless I miss my guess, Captain... you're out of uniform."
Gawd I was laughing so hard my dog started humping my leg.
Oh yeah, that was a great scene. I also thougt the first time they see Dreedle's "Nurse". And the chairs.
Yossarian's scream with the man in the body cast after the nurses "adjust" the IV bottle..
And my all time favorite scene is where they're all getting ready for take off and giving the thumbs-up from plane to plane and then they come to Yossarian with his bird and a bitter scowl. Many a time I've felt just like that.
I thought another funny scene was when some guy was talking about trading the silk or whatever for eggs I think it was, and he asks, "where did you get all that silk" and then it cuts to the guy on a bombing mission, "wheres my parachute." Made me laugh anyway.
shareI enjoy the scene where Milo and Col. Cathcart are leisurely strolling down the runway discussing food shipments and mess hall finances. Behind them, a burning plane comes screaming out of the sky and violently touches down. They continue talking calmly as we hear the subsequent crash and explosion off screen. As they get in their jeep, the camera follows along, panning over to give us a full view of the flaming wreck in the background. Meanwhile, they drive off, still chattering about groceries completely oblivious and unphased. It was morbidly side-splitting.
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I don't know about the funniest, but the creepiest scene was where Yossarian was chasing Milo's jeep trying to kill him because of Nateley's death. Yossarian is in the back seat, flanked by Milo's guards. Milo responds from the front seat while looking straight ahead:
M: Nateley had sixty-seven shares in M&M Enterprises. He died a rich man.
Y: It doesn't matter, he's still dead!
M: Then his family will be rich.
Y: He was too young to have a family!
M: Then his parents will be rich.
Y: They already are!
(Here's the creepy part)
Milo turns in his seat and looks Yossarian in the eye.
M: Then they'll understand.
I get goosebumps every time I see that scene. Hell, I got goosebumps just typing this.
The scene that creeped me out was toward the end where Milo is standing in his jeep with his hand raised. He looked just like hitler.
shareSkyRick wrote:
"I don't know about the funniest, but the creepiest scene was where Yossarian was chasing Milo's jeep trying to kill him because of Nateley's death. Yossarian is in the back seat, flanked by Milo's guards. Milo responds from the front seat while looking straight ahead:
M: Nateley had sixty-seven shares in M&M Enterprises. He died a rich man.
Y: It doesn't matter, he's still dead!
M: Then his family will be rich.
Y: He was too young to have a family!
M: Then his parents will be rich.
Y: They already are!
(Here's the creepy part)
Milo turns in his seat and looks Yossarian in the eye.
M: Then they'll understand."
That's one of my favorite scenes in the movie, especially the last line.
Apparently these lines are all Buck Henry's work because they aren't in the book.
That's one of my favorite scenes in the movie, especially the last line.
Apparently these lines are all Buck Henry's work because they aren't in the book.
That scene gives me the chills and that line and exchange have to be one of the most brilliant in cinema history.
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I really loved the scene where he was in bed with Luciana and said
"He was very old"
"I thought you said he was just a boy?"
"He died, that's as old as you get"
I'm pretty sure it wasn't in the book either, ace!
Page 39:
"Do you know how long a year takes when it's going away?" Dunbar repeated to Clevinger. "This long." He snapped his fingers. "A second ago you were stepping into college with your lungs full of fresh air. Today you're an old man."
"Old?" asked Clevinger with surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"Old."
"I'm not old."
"You're inches away from death every time you go on a mission. How much older can you be at your age?"
For me it has to be when they are on the beach and whoever is flying the plane goes mad, crashes into the man on the raft. Sick result I know, but it’s a black comedy and I just laughed out loud and long.
Help him help him!!
I like the scene at the funeral.
Major Major: "What is it?"
Chaplain: "Oh...nothing. I thought I saw something."
Major Major: looks over, "A naked man in a tree?"
Chaplain: "Yes thats it!"
Danby: "Oh, dont worry. Thats just Yossarian."
Haha, yeah, then Milo climbs up and offers him chocolate covered cotton.
Yossarian says something like, "you can't feed people that. You'll make them sick!"
Milo says something like, "just try it, please."
Yossarian, "you eat it!"
Milo, "ive tried it...and it made me sick."
Good scene, yeah, i know i butchered the lines a bit.
I love the scene where they set out for the town on the hill, full of Italian people and a monastary...and Art Garfunkel tells Yossarain, "i don't know, maybe its some kind of strategy thing."
Good stuff. Made me realize what a jewel the book was, though...
Haha, yeah, then Milo climbs up and offers him chocolate covered cotton.That cotton scene may have made me laugh almost as loudly as the naked Yossarian scenes with Orson Welles. I, too, loved the exchange between Garfunkel and Arkin about the strategy. Every scene mentioned in this thread (that I've read so far) was great
Yossarian says something like, "you can't feed people that. You'll make them sick!"
Milo says something like, "just try it, please."
Yossarian, "you eat it!"
Milo, "ive tried it...and it made me sick."
That is a clear example of how this movie failed. In the book that is one of the most heart wrenching scenes.
God. I hate this film.
Why do you hate this film? Without a shadow of a doubt; one of the greatest films ever made.
"Weather conditions have improved tremendously over the mainland, so you won't have any trouble at all seeing the target. Of course, we mustn't forget, that means that they won't have any trouble at all seeing you."
You said the film was a black comedy, but even in the book the crash wasn't meant to be humorous.
I've only seen the film once before, if the chaplain is told at the funeral that it's Yossarian in the tree, that's also a disappointment. In the book, he wonders for what seems like a while whether or not he even really saw a man in the tree. I can't remember if he ever finds that out that it was Yossarian.
Also, when Yossarian gets his medal, I don't think they acknowledge that he's naked. They discuss it before they go out to give it to him, but don't say anything to him. I'm not sure about that though.
#51"That's right, one can make all kinds of explosives using simple household items"
Personally I loved both the book and the movie. Buck Henry's script is its own thing and its quite good. I think it captures the spirit of the book quite well and he even plays with the non-linearity of how the story is told. It's not the same, but it's great on its own. Finally I read something so true in regards to people downplaying this film because of it's differences from the book: (from the users comments)
We Hate This, That's the Catch, 19 June 2000So you all can now safely stop hating on the movie because it's not like the book. K-thanks!
Author: tedg ([email protected]) from Virginia Beach
This is great film-making. I have never experienced greater skill with sound editing. The acting is terrific, the writing crisp and intelligent. The conception deeply nested. Why has the viewing public discarded this film? Interesting question.
Usually the answer is that the film is a poor evocation of the book. It is, of course; films are fundamentally different beasts than books, so the closest one comes is to have congruence of story. But the story is the least important element of either fine books or movies. No intelligent viewer looks for sameness in an adaptation.
I think the reason is simple. We are happy to accept war as heroic. Deep down, that's what we believe; whether as an inescapable fact of evolution or of chauvinistic indoctrination. Against this backdrop, we apply the stuff of our apparent convictions: that war is funny (MASH, the escape movies) or grossly brutal and confusing (Platoon, the first part of Pvt Ryan-- which then reverts to the noble). We just cannot accept the view that war comes from stupidity and selfishness, because it convinces that we, all of us every one is at root stupid and selfish.
This movie is so good, it convinces of that fact, and that's why no one wants to watch it. So no one is convinced. That's the catch.
Well, the film can be enjoyed separately from the book probably, I wouldn't really doubt that. But, if you're having a discussion about the differences between the film and the book of course you're going to bring up what you would have liked to have seen be included. I'm tired of comments saying that people don't have a right to look for similarities in a film adaptation of a book. It's condescending and untrue. Why is the film being made if they're not going to make sure they do the book justice? I think even the makers of this film would say, and did say, that their intention was to do the book justice.
But as I said, that doesn't mean the film is bad when taken on its own, I have to see it again. It also seems like people are misinterpreting the story. It's supposed to be satire, it's not saying that "war is funny", that's seems like an annoying oversimplification.
#51"That's right, one can make all kinds of explosives using simple household items"
It also seems like people are misinterpreting the story. It's supposed to be satire, it's not saying that "war is funny", that's seems like an annoying oversimplification.Neither the book nor the movie is trying to say "war is funny", and quite frankly I don't see anything in these posts that reflect that either. The film entirely does the book justice without making it into a 40 hour mini-series (just to make sure everybody's favorite parts of the book make it into the film). Buck Henry has written a masterpiece of a script based on a masterpiece of a book (although I must say that "Picture This" was really Heller's tour de force). Both are obviously anti-war satires that exemplify the absurdity of bureaucracies and how easily they are manipulated by the few. This may well be the best and most poignant dark comedy film ever produced. Personally I'm quite tired of hearing endless whining about how the film "isn't like the book". To me this is a lame criticism, and wholly without merit.
Why is the film being made if they're not going to make sure they do the book justice?
I never meant to imply that the movie should be "exactly the same as the novel", doing a book justice doesn't have to mean that. I understand that there will be changes.
#51"That's right, one can make all kinds of explosives using simple household items"
Yep, I have to agree that the "you're out of uniform" gag is propably the finest example of deadpan humour delivery in cinema history. I crack up every time I see it. Orson Welles delivery is perfect, but what really gets me is the way they just stand looking at each other for about 20 seconds, trying to decide if what they are seeing is real.
My second favourite scene is the where Milo is talking about the deal he made for the eggs.
Cathcart: "Where did you get that much silk?"
Cut to Yossarian in the plane:
"Where the hell is my parachute?!"
Pure fried gold :-)
Nope.. the funniest bit is where Orr trots off after confirming to Doc Daneeka that Yossarian is crazy.. just watch the way the little guy skips off down the runway like a little show pony or something.. hilarious.. and quite obviously crazy
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I'm with you on that one - I wasn't paying attention the first time round when I noticed the nurse
attaching the bottle containing a dubious looking liquid and the other nurse attaching an empty
bottle to his groin hose - 'they didn't?...' I thought to myself. So I skipped back a few seconds
to check. Hilarious.
btw, this film and it's style of humour reminded me a lot of MASH, which was made in the same year.
Does anyone know anything about how either film influenced the other, if at all?
Catch-22 was written years before M*A*S*H. While I enjoyed M*A*S*H, I reckon it is a poor imitation of the shining brilliance of Catch-22.
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Oh, I would not say that Orr is crazy. He was considerate enough to Yossarian to build him a stove. And he did practice ditching in order to wind up in Sweden, which was the sanest activity in the picture.
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"The Germans promised to take it off our hands if we ran this mission for them"
share"The Germans promised to take it off our hands if we ran this mission for them"
Yeah, that one did it for me. Of all the absurd LOL moments in this movie, the one where the Germans took the surplus cotton off their hands in exchange for bombing the airfield was tops.
I also like the absurd medal award ceremony, in which the curvaceous WAC laughs at naked Yossarian, and General Dreedle tells her, "Get back in the car, you smirking slut!"
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The scene when Yossarian confronts Aardvark after Aardvark raped and killed a young Italian girl.
Yossarian: You killed a human being! She's lying out there in the street!
Aardvark: She has no right to be there, you know. It's after curfew.
Then the MP's bust in and arrest Yossarian for being AWOL while Aardvark grins in triumphant relief. Classic.
for me it has to be "the man in white" who's all bandaged up.. where the nurses come to check on him and just switches the feeding- and urine-bottle around.. and yossarian screams.. ha ha ha
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I forgot to mention a part that amused me was when Yossarian walked into a room, pushed a guy off a chair, took the guy's drink, sat in his chair and cozied up to the same women the other guy had been with (I guess the women were Nately's 'ho' and her sister)...as if to say, "I don't care if they were yours, they're mine now!" And the other guy didn't do anything about it
People eat cotton candy. This is
better...it's made out of real cotton.