A Few Words About A few words about... 1941 (1 Viewer)

[Steve Christou]

Apart from being a substandard dvd transfer the extended version of 1941 also has an alternate version of the scene where the Japanese kidnap Slim Pickens... disguised as christmas trees! This cringeworthy sequence goes on for far too long, I wish they'd kept in the shorter more effective theatrical version of that scene. Hopefully future editions of this film will give one the option... oh for chrissakes please release the original theatrical edition of this classic comedy on dvd, or at least include it intact on disc 2!

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I saw this film on HBO when I was 13 and have loved it ever since! It was the sheer enthusiasm that the film displays that grabbed me, the scale, the total and complete destruction and chaotic verve that it had, the madness, the mayhem and our paranoia of war ending up right in our backyards.

Eddie Deezen's puppet, the ferris wheel rolling down the pier, John Williams go-for-broke score, the all star cast, everything just came together and made each viewing a treat for me back then and I still love it now. One thing that will always stay with me, seeing Robert Stack crying while watching Dumbo while the shit's hitting the fan outside the theater.

I have the current dvd and it is truly abysmal, almost unwatchable really. One of these days, perhaps to accompany one of Speilberg's new film's to dvd, Universal will remaster and reissue it. I'll still keep the current one if they do, it's got some great extra's on it.

 

[Mattias_ka]

Any news on a new DVD/HD-DVD release?

 

[Mike_Richardson]

Seamless branching between the original edit and the expanded cut would be nice, plus the original mono track would be nice to have as well.

Not to be picky, but the "expanded cut" actually IS the "original edit." That is Spielberg's preferred version and also the length that the movie was originally previewed to test audiences. It wasn't just a "Director's Cut" that was re-edited sometime after the fact -- it's how the movie was supposed to play from the very beginning.

The studio cut it down after previews, I'm pretty sure mandating the cuts to get it under two hours. Not even sure Spielberg had a hand in the trimming there -- if he did it was almost certainly against his desires. IMO why would you want to see that version when key story points, characters and subplots are recklessly excised in that released print? Artistically it has little merit when held up to the original length version (and I realize some sarcastic folk will say 1941 has little artistry on-hand at all, but I agree with Mr. Harris -- it's great fun, Williams' score is fantastic, and the whole enterprise is solid entertainment).

Also, the movie was in stereo from the very beginning -- so there's no point in including the mono track.

 

[John Hodson]

I've watched 1941 on cable several more times since I posted in this thread last year and I'm now of a mind to agree with Robert's assessment in the first post, that even in it's emasculated state, it's 'one of the great comedies of the second half of the 20th century'.

 

[MatthewA]

I love that. May I use it as a signature?

 

[rich_d]

This film never really caught mass appeal but that's o.k. I've mentioned this before but this is a family favorite.

John Belushi with a squeaky toy, what's not to love.