CATCH-22
A film review by Shane R. Burridge
Copyright 1997 Shane R. Burridge
(1970) 121m.
There is a danger in producing films that take on `big themes', especially if they spring from masterfully written source material: they give more for the critics to pick over. Despite much praise for his first two features, stage-director-turned-film-director Mike Nichols was unable to avoid dismissive reviews for his much-anticipated film version of Joseph Heller's classic anti-war novel. But perhaps filmgoers were expecting too much - if not the impossible. As anyone who has read the book can tell you, adapting Heller's labyrinthine work for the screen would be a monumental task for even the most seasoned of film-makers. It's time to give Nichols his due: he and writer Buck Henry (who also appears in the film) manage to retain the novel's panoply of characters and distinctive blend of satire, philosophy, farce, and horror. Nichols also makes an effort to retain the mood of the book by casting Alan Arkin in the pivotal role of Yossarian - his charismatic performance effectively guides the audience through the fractured narrative of Heller's story.
In essence, film is about Yossarian, a bombardier trapped in a WWII airforce base situated on a Mediterranean island. He wants out of the war, but the army has conveniently provided a loophole - catch-22 - that will prevent him from ever leaving until they are through with him. The circular logic of this catch is Heller's metaphor for the self-serving logic of the military in wartime, and Nichols exploits its farcial nature for all it's worth, keeping much of Heller's giddy dialogue: sometimes it's hard to tell if a scene is being played straight, or for laughs. Nichols confounds this further by compiling a staggering cast of actors both comic (Bob Newhart, Richard Benjamin, Norman Fell, Jack Gilford) and dramatic (Martin Balsam, Anthony Perkins, Jon Voight - memorable as Milo Minderbinder - Martin Sheen, and Orson Welles, who was offered the part of General Dreedle after being beaten to the punch by Nichols in adapting Heller's book for the screen). Who plays who isn't really important anyhow: each character is so wound up in their own private routines, schemes, or enterprises that they remain oblivious of their absurd situation. It's only Yossarian, who appears to be in a state of extreme agitation throughout the film, that really seems to know what's going on - but as he is brainwashed by the eponymous catch-22 even he can't be sure whether or not he is crazy.
As would be expected from Nichols, performances from the cast are fine all round, but he also uses his setting to explore cinematic territory unavailable in the domestic scenarios of his earlier films. He uses every inch of the wide-screen frame to good effect - this is definitely one to see in a cinema. Also with: Art Garfunkel, Paula Prentiss, Charles Grodin, Bob Balaban.
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