Film 40/52: 1941 (1979)


Despite the fact that Steven Spielberg directed my favorite film of all time, Raiders of the Lost Ark, there are still a number of films in his oeuvre that I have yet to see. 1941 was one example that I had never seen in its entirety, so I decided this series was the perfect opportunity to make up for that oversight. The self-proclaimed 'Comedy Spectacular' was written by the fresh out of USC dynamic writing duo of Bob Zemeckis and Bob Gale (the Two Bobs), with producer John Milius sharing a story credit. Loosely inspired by true events, the film humorously details the hysteria surrounding the fear of an imminent attack by the Japanese in California in the weeks following the Pearl Harbor attack.  

Though the film was poorly received both critically and commercially, the players involved, and the fact that it fell between Spielberg's classics Jaws/Close Encounters and Raiders gave me plenty of reasons to refuse to believe that it had no merit. It's an over-the-top, slapstick comedy, chock-full of fun performances and cameos, and I found it to be particularly entertaining to spot the intentional, as well as coincidental, associations with so many other films in Spielberg's filmography.

The film opens with a fantastic parody of the opening of Jaws, down to the use of the same actress (Susan Backlinie) and John Williams' callback to his own Academy Award-winning score. We follow several different characters whose fates are ultimately intertwined by the conclusion of the film, including John Belushi's P-40 pilot (who blows up the gas station featured in Duel); Tim Matheson trying to seduce Nancy Allen by taking advantage of her airplane fetish; zoot-suit dancer Bobby DiCicco trying to win over Diane Kay from soldier Treat Williams (who tries to escape the clutches of Wendy Jo Sperber); Nazi Christopher Lee alongside Japanese Commander portrayed by Toshiro Mifune; Robert Stack as General Stillwell... the list goes on. 

Some of my favorite cameos are from Michael McKean and David Lander (Lenny & Squiggy), Murray (Jaws) Hamilton and Eddie Deezen (along with an Eddie Deezen ventriloquist dummy), and Warren Oates. Several other Spielberg veterans turn up as well, include Lorraine Gary (Jaws), Lucielle Benson (playing basically the same role she played in Duel!). And that's still only scratching the surface of the extended cast. 

There's an Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom-level dance sequence, which eventually leads to an epic fight scene between the army, navy and marines that is appropriately accompanied by music from The Quiet Man; something Spielberg and Williams would do again in E.T. 

It truly is a kitchen sink movie that continues to escalate right up to the bombastic conclusion. Is it Spielberg's best effort? Of course not. But is it an entertaining film? If your expectations are set appropriately, I certainly think so. And I would say the film benefits from the past 40+ years, given that so many of the cast members have gone on to be so recognizable. I'm glad we gave the film the big-screen treatment, and have no doubt we will watch it again. 


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