Retcon M*A*S*H.
- Thread starter Mr. Scott
- Start date
Whereas I never much cared for M*A*S*H until it outgrew the frat-house humor and became more sophisticated.
Eh, something for everyone? Where you saw sophistication, I saw a pretentious soap opera. With sprinkles of your sophistication, a MASH movie would work. But, if that makes too large a part of it, then it collapses under its own preachy weight. And the last thing audiences today need is to go "escape" into the theater for a sermon from Hollywood on the horrors of war...
Perhaps. I'm not fond of remakes, depending on the quality, and whether there is a really good reason to revisit the material. But, I think MASH would be ripe for another shot at the cinema, given how relatable the material would be. Of course, you would have to get just the right writer(s) to catch that timeless humor, while still updating it for now...
Ben-Hur was a rehash of a silent film that was a rehash of a novel. Casablanca was a rehash of a play. Citizen Kane was a thinly veiled rehash of the life of William Randolph Hearst. West Side Story was a rehash of Romeo & Juliet, which like virtually all Shakespeare's plays was a rehash of an earlier work. I could go on. The majority of the most successful and acclaimed movies ever made are adaptations of pre-existing concepts. Originality is in the execution, not the source.
*sigh* And Shakespeare covered every viable topic in his plays.
That wasn't what I meant, as I suspect you know. I merely meant that a successful project (MASH) has no need to be copied verbatim or, worse, tinkered with while keeping the name(s) of the original. That dog's been beaten-let's pick a new one.
^Like I said, the quality of a story is in its execution. If someone found a way to redo M*A*S*H and do it well, pull off something fresh and worthwhile, that would be enough to justify it. I think it's naive to assume one can judge in advance that a certain type of project isn't worth doing. In the right hands, even the most unexpected thing can turn out to be brilliant.
Not that I think that's likely. M*A*S*H was a product of its era, and its quality was largely a result of the particular group of people involved in it and their own distinct creative choices. I don't like the movie at all, and from what I've read about the original books, I'd almost certainly like them even less. So I don't think that M*A*S*H is a concept that's guaranteed to succeed. I just think it's unreasonable to dismiss the concept of remakes out of hand, given how many great works of fiction -- including the M*A*S*H TV series itself -- have been remakes.
Not that I think that's likely. M*A*S*H was a product of its era, and its quality was largely a result of the particular group of people involved in it and their own distinct creative choices. I don't like the movie at all, and from what I've read about the original books, I'd almost certainly like them even less. So I don't think that M*A*S*H is a concept that's guaranteed to succeed. I just think it's unreasonable to dismiss the concept of remakes out of hand, given how many great works of fiction -- including the M*A*S*H TV series itself -- have been remakes.
I dismissed a re-do of MASH because it is what it is-a singular creation of its time. Lightning in a bottle. It could be redone but I would question whether it could be redone as good or better without changing it so much that the use of the very name becomes either ridiculous or pointless or both. That's where I'm coming from. Oh, and, of course, I wouldn't appreciate(on a personal level) someone screwing with an important icon of my childhood.
MeanJoePhaser
Admiral
I won't dismiss any possibility. I just see the possibility of it being handled right as so low, it makes me wince. So as not to be entirely dismissive, I'll offer up a wannabe premise : The first half-hour or so is S1-3. A fiasco, courtesy of the personas we know (P&M's antics, B/H writing endless reports, HB's struggle to keep control) has the camp on the verge of being shut down, efficiency aside. Radar then contacts his all-powerful network of fellow company clerks and does what he has to, finagling transfers ; BJ to tone down P&M, Charles to counter Burns' butchery, and Potter to take over, easing Henry's burden and shutting down B/H's command aspirations. The war and the wounded are a constant, and at some point maybe Hawkeye gets a feminist moment--not truly changing or Alda-izing, but realizing he could be just a little better on the subject. The frame could be two extended reports by Sidney Freedman and Colonel Flagg.
"In short, Sigmund, I have come to the conclusion that, if the 4077th MASH did not really exist, then in some way, shape or form, neccessity would have demanded its invention. When it comes to war, we all need a place where we can just break down and cry our eyes out--or laugh our asses off. Sometimes both at the same time, and if we're lucky, while blottoed out of our minds. These people hated the insanity of the war so much, they trademarked their own brand, and in that effort, the effort to save every single life that passes through here, they will not yield so much as a single inch."
"In short, the 4077th serves a useful purpose. Its as if all the symp-wimps, dupes, useful idiots, useless zealots and surprisingly clever elements of our military are gathered into one small place--where I and those concerned with intelligence can keep a close eye on them. Strongly suggest continued and intensive scrutiny of all personnel, for a period of not less than eleven years."
Thanks, Mistral. I've written a lot of MASH-fic, some humor pieces, and three AU's. One of those was a mostly failed piece called 4*0*7*7*, in which all the characters were there from start to finish, with some shifting alliances and personalities as a result. The two others were a half-serious, half-for-fun piece called J*L*A* (and I'll leave up to your imaginations as to who got amagalmated with who-hint; it was during Batman's overlong intense loner jerk period) and 'The Never-Ending Battle' a storyline which had the medics we know interacting with the worlds of SF/F. For example, in 1998, older Hawkeye meets with Fox Mulder concerning long-time suspicions about Henry's death, while keeping secrets about himself; A British medic named Duncan stays at the 4077th-and Potter realizes he hasn't aged a day since WW1; In 1954, an early reunion of the staff in Tokyo is shattered by news that a giant monster is bearing down on the city, causing the staff to come together once again to treat the unending torrent of wounded; In 1956, Soon-Lee Klinger confesses to Father Mulcahy that the real Soon-Lee is lost in time--and that her name is Keiko O'Brien.
The point of this self-advert is that in doing this, I still had to reconcile things like a timeline of the war, Hawkeye's mother and sister, Radar's early-eps persona, and like that. If somebody wants to make something more than the fic I just described, they must do their homework, and I am not convinced that Hollywood's system can even semi-reliably find that person. I didn't hate the 'Get Smart' I saw just the other night--it had its own charm, up to a point. The things that got me were how often they missed the lesser Don Adams moments. When the guy asked 99 to dance, Max should have said 'Well, I'm flattered, fella-- but you're just not my type'. In a MASH remake, I have the ominous impression of many shower scenes and assorted pranks--and me at home, hoping that it at least renews interest in the show.
