Ryan McNeil
I’m stealing an idea for a little while. It’s an idea made popular by Nathaniel at The Film Experience , and one that I learned about through Catherine at Cinema Enthusiast.
The series is called “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”, and it’s designed to take a still frame of a film and wax poetic about what you like about it. Nathaniel makes the series communal by getting everyone to pick stills from the same film. I’ll work that in wherever I can, but I imagine this will largely be me pulling stills from different titles. My only criteria is that I want to stick to the classics, and for me the “classic” line is being drawn at 1983.
Edit: Unbeknowst to me, Nathaniel has been running the “Hit Me” series for quite some time. Out of respect for that, I’m going to name my series something altogether different. Apologies to Nathaniel and everyone at TFE – and do check out all of the awesome entires in their series so far. (RM)
Today though, I begin with M*A*S*H.
One doesn’t think so much of visuals when one thinks of Robert Altman’s Korean War comedy, but there are so many wonderful moments. There are great expressions galore, wonderful group shots, and some deceptively wonderful composition. Take the shot above for example.
After dropping off a Ho-Jon at a clinic in Seoul, Hawkeye rejoins his travel party and is just about ready to roll. As he stands up on his jeep to call something out, he hears “Hey Soldier!” behind him and strikes up a conversation with a small American film crew from a distance of several yards.
What I love about this shot is how it echoes the moment. Sutherland is a tall and lean dude, so he’d stand out in a crowd anyway. Perched up on his jeep he pretty much dares you not to notice him. However, as you can see, he is surrounded by an entire throng of people – and not a one of them are paying him any attention. As it is, his greens almost make him blend into the walls around him and the very jeep he stands on.
What’s interesting is that the shot works despite itself. Hawkeye is standing just a bit to far to the left, so much so that he’s almost dead-centre. But then – that’s M*A*S*H: a collection of pros who seem too off-axis to do the job they are there to do, and yet who get the job done anyway.
Here’s three more from M*A*S*H for the road…
I swear I was thinking of starting something similar yesterday.
This film was fun. I don’t remember many specific shots but I guess the last one was pretty awesome.
Go for it! It’s a neat way to discuss one particular element from any title you could think of. makes for good content.
I’m so glad to see MASH getting love. It’s an amazing movie.
My freeze frame moment would be your first one… I think. That’s the “suicide is painless” conclusion, right? When the nurse bones Painless to resurrect him from the dead? And of course, #3 is close behind although it’s kind of the same (incredible) sequence.
The irreverence in that movie is something that I hope lives for years and years. I want some kid in 2046 to tell me, when I’m 70, that they love how anti-establishment MASH was.