Over the past couple of years Ive become super into revisiting the films I saw as a kid but haven’t seen for years.  I have sort of given up trying to keep up with all the new films that are released, way too many and not enough time to try to see them all (and its an impossible task) and so I have been heading into my physical media collection and popping in a disc for a film I haven’t revisited for years (and in some cases, decades) Over the past few weeks I’ve revisited a ton of Clint Eastwood films, lots of Dustin Hoffman classics, and recently Ive been revisiting some of the Steven Spielberg films that I haven’t seen for a while.  Today I headed back to the 1979 film ‘1941’ a film that Steven directed between Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and Raiders Of The Lost Ark. ‘1941’ is definitely a strange film but its a strange film I really enjoy and not one that I think too many people talk about nowadays when having a conversation about Spielberg films but its worth watching if you haven’t seen it and worth a revisit if you haven’t seen it for a while.

Set only a few days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the movie takes us into the hysteria of the California population who believed that the California cost would be the next to be attacked. Doesn’t sound like a comedy does it? Well that’s where the ‘strange’ comes into it. It is a comedy set at a dramatic time in history. 

For me the film works, especially when you remember the time period when the film was made (not set) 1979 was right in the time period of the Saturday Night Live movies, films like Animal House, Stripes, The Blues Brothers, Caddyshack and ‘1941’ fits right into that genre of films and the cast list is stacked with much of the talent that was and would be in those films. ‘1941’ is such a zany bonkers fun film that will have you smirking for the 144 minutes (if you watch the directors cut) or just short of 2 hours of you watch the theatrical version.

Id love to have been in the ‘pitch’ meeting for this film  ‘I want to make a comedy set around the time of Pearl Harbor’

I bet that was a very interesting meeting.  I had a blast rewatching ‘1941’ a film which I haven’t seen since the 90s. The sheer who’s who onscreen put a huge smile on my face. John Candy, Slim Pickens, Eddie Deezen, Murray Hamilton, Christopher Lee, Ned Beatty, Frank McCrae, Dick Miller, Dan Ackroyd, Mickey Rourke (his first big screen appearance), Warren Oates, Robert Stack, Treat Williams and of course the legendary John Belushi to name just a few in this huge cast. (Looking into the making of the film, ‘1941’ could have had John Wayne in the role that was played by Robert Stack but Wayne spat his dummy out and moaned about the story being unpatriotic)

Its not often I have used the phrase ‘zany’ but when talking about ‘1941’ that word definitely fits. ‘1941’ was a huge production (it cost $35million) and whilst it didn’t set the box office on fire as hoped. It did take in over $90 million so it made money and wasn’t the ‘flop’ that people often think it was. Its often talked about as one of Steven Spielberg’s ‘failures’ and I don’t think that’s fair. No its not one of his biggest hits but considering the list of successes that are on the Spielberg list. I think to have one film that didn’t live up to the heights of ET or Raiders Of The Lost Ark is okay. Not everything can smash the box office celling. So I would recommend if you haven’t seen ‘1941’ then do check it out and please do head for the directors cut as there is a lot more in there than the theatrical.

For Spielberg fans, you’ll see that the film starts off with a scene involving Susan Backlinie, who played the first victim in Jaws. In ‘1941’ she is seen swimming in the ocean before being disturbed by a Japanese submarine. There’s also a nice nod to Spielberg’s 1971 film Duel. In the scene where the gas station is blown up by Wild Bill Kelso (played by Belushi). Its the same gas station that is blown up in Duel.

And so my morning was very well spent. Revisiting a fun film that I hadn’t seen for years. Revisiting classic Eddie Deezen scenes (you get more in the directors cut), John Candy scenes and watching the always watchable John Belushi doing his crazy thing. I love it! I then decided that the 144 minute film wasn’t enough ‘1941’ for me and I headed into the feature length making of (runs for around 1 hr 40 minutes and is from 1995) that is on the bluray to learn more about this blockbuster film that  did make money but sadly didn’t exactly bust the blocks back in ’79. ‘1941’ is a fun film thats part of Spielberg history and so if you are a completist. Then do check it out! I think this is perhaps the 4th time I’ve seen the film over the years and each time I see it, I notice new things.