Catch-22 (1970)
Directed by Mike Nichols

Plot Summary: Yossarian a bombadier during World War II is trying desperately to be certified insane so he can stop flying missions.

Catch 22 takes place during World War II on an American air base on the island of Pianosa off the Italian coast. I guess the overlying principle would have to be (hence the name) a catch 22. As explained in the movie early on, Catch-22 is a military term that is confusing and difficult to describe. In short, its basic meaning is that if there was a rule, no matter what the rule is, there is always an exception to it. It is a mysterious regulation that is in essence a circular argument. This catch keeps Yossarian in the war because a concern for one's own life proved that he is not really crazy, and to get out of combat you have to be crazy. The catch is used by the superior powers to uphold and increase their power, and yet it is harmful to those who do not have power in the first place. It creates situations where, when you think everything is perfect, Catch-22 pops up and makes your plans impossible.

The comedy mostly centres around the fact that most of the people in the movie are really not sane themselves and they are mostly doing things for their own self interest. Milo Minderbinder played by Jon Voight makes a deal with the Germans. He bombs his own air base in exchange for the Germans taking tons of unwanted chocolate covered cotton off his hands with the full knowledge of the base commander who also gets a share of the profits. What's good for M & M enterprises is good for the Air Force. The film is based on Joseph Hellers book of the same name which is actually a satire on 1950's corporate America. This slogan was a distortion of a slogan General Motors had in the 1950's- whats good for GM is good for the country.

The main character is Yossarian, who suffers from a severe fear of death. He and his comrades are in the Air Force. All of the men are in the 256th squadron. This novel takes place during World War II. Yossarian's main antagonist is Colonel Cathcart, whose goal in life is to become a general. Yossarian wants to stop flying missions so he does not get killed, yet Cathcart's aim is to continue raising the number of required missions in order to impress his superiors. He uses Catch-22's unfair illogical rules to keep the men flying. This creates a constant conflict between Yossarian and Colonel Cathcart.

Captain Orr (played by Bob Balaban) manages to escape the horror of the war through careful planning. Each mission he goes on is a practice in the art of crashing and survival in the sea. He makes sure he is able to inflate rafts, get food, and manoeuvre properly using a tiny spoon. These plans come in use when one mission he crashes but does not return. It is only then does Yossarian realize Orr's genius. All of this planning was used to help Orr sail off to freedom in Sweden, away from the death and destruction of World War II.

In a quick summary, some of the other important sub-plots in Catch-22 are as follows:

Nately (played by Art Garfunkel) and his whore are having a love affair. His whore never really responds to his love, but once she decides she loves him, Nately is killed in battle. Yossarian broke the news to her, and the novel concludes with Nately's whore trying to kill Yossarian in violent rage.

The film is good but somewhat of a disappointment if you read the book.The characters, except for Yossarian, did not seem to be fleshed out adequately. Ok so they had to cut out scenes and characters and subplots to condense it for the film. It was not a bad film at all & as the memory of the book fades the film seems to get better. Having said that this film should have been on the same level with M.A.S.H directed by Robert Altman also in 1970 but compared to M.A.S.H, Catch-22 comes a distant second.

My advice is take a couple of days to read the book and do the story some justice.

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