Amazon.com video review:
Watching this director's cut, it's finally possible to see why
the studio made Spielberg mercilessly hack up this comedy: it's a
screaming movie (everyone screams a lot), and screaming movies do not
need character development. So all those character-development scenes
hit the cutting-room floor and, surprise, they were all critical to
Spielberg's pace for the humor in this film. The screaming wasn't that
funny then--and it still isn't--but what is funny are the reinserted
development scenes, showcasing the now-evident sense of hysteria in
the Los Angeles community, post-Pearl Harbor. A bunch of certified
nitwits, and a few certified lunatics, act as if Tojo Hideki's entire
Imperial force is just off the mainland. Actually, one Japanese
submarine is, and it helps fuel the frenzy. John Belushi is Wild Bill
Kelso, an insane fighter pilot, and Dan Aykroyd plays a conciliatory
tank commander. Robert Stack's performance as General Stilwell, one of
the best of the film, finally makes sense. Also fun for the numerous
cameos, Spielberg's inside jokes, and John Williams's great
score. --Keith Simanton
Amazon.com video review:
Watching this director's cut, it's finally possible to see why
the studio made Spielberg mercilessly hack up this comedy: it's a
screaming movie (everyone screams a lot), and screaming movies do not
need character development. So all those character-development scenes
hit the cutting-room floor and, surprise, they were all critical to
Spielberg's pace for the humor in this film. The screaming wasn't that
funny then--and it still isn't--but what is funny are the reinserted
development scenes, showcasing the now-evident sense of hysteria in
the Los Angeles community, post-Pearl Harbor. A bunch of certified
nitwits, and a few certified lunatics, act as if Tojo Hideki's entire
Imperial force is just off the mainland. Actually, one Japanese
submarine is, and it helps fuel the frenzy. John Belushi is Wild Bill
Kelso, an insane fighter pilot, and Dan Aykroyd plays a conciliatory
tank commander. Robert Stack's performance as General Stilwell, one of
the best of the film, finally makes sense. Also fun for the numerous
cameos, Spielberg's inside jokes, and John Williams's great
score. --Keith Simanton
