Steve GannBad Movies That I Love: 1941
July 6th 2009 05:45
It just goes to show that even heavy hitter directors like Steven Spielberg can step up to the plate only to strike out with the the movie going public.
In one of Spielberg's few attempts at comedy he focuses on Southern California's hysteria following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
The downfall could have been the American public's ignorance about how sure some Californians were that an attack on the mainland was imminent. It could have also been a case of too many stars, or what I call The Cannonball Run Effect. I have also heard others complain of it being too over the top with explosions and still some complain of the high amount of slapstick humor.
The movie begins with a satirical take on Spielberg's movie Jaws, involving a naked girl and a Japanese submarine.
The basic premise of the film involves a reluctant German commander training a Japanese crew, who did not get to take part in the Pearl Harbor attacks. The Army is going around equipping oceanside homes with large field artillery units and worried citizens are busy forming watch groups
The film does posssibly get a little too ambitious with some scenes that are only known to followers of Los Angeles history including one highlighting the Zoot Suit Riots.
Spielberg was able to recruit some great actors like Slim Pickens as Hollis "Holly" Wood, Robert Stack as General Stillwell, Warren Oates as a "Maddog" Maddox, Ned Beatty as a homeowner overtaken with the nationalist fever, and John Belushi as the hilariously crazy Captain Wild Bill Kelso.
This is a movie that I could watch over and over, especially the scene with the ventriloquist doll serving as the lookout on top of a ferris wheel.
I would suggest brushing up on some WWII and Los Angeles history and giving this hilarious film a second chance.
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