| | | A comedy spectacular!
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, English, Spanish, French, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound
Spectacular is certainly the word for this utterly wild comedy directed by Steven Spielberg and nominated for three Academy Awards®. Lavish effects sequences highlight this hilarious, all-star extravaganza set in Los Angeles just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when fear of a Japanese invasion threw the city into a state of Pandemonium. Screwball characters run wild on Hollywood Boulevard as manic servicemen, zealous store owners, teary-eyed girls, high-stepping chorus girls and bickering Nazis are thrown together in this fast-rising comic soufflé that even features a sendup of Spielberg's own "Jaws" opening.
"...elements of fantasy and black humor." VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever
Editor's Note
Steven Spielberg's 1941 is a big-budget zany comedy detailing the hilarious panic that gripped Los Angeles after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Army General Joseph Stilwell (Robert Stack) is in charge of protecting the Californian coastline in the weeks following Pearl Harbor. Dan Aykroyd and John Candy are members of a tank crew responsible for setting up a cannon in Ned Beatty's backyard. As explosions burst forth and air-raid sirens scream, John Belushi, Tim Matheson, and Treat Williams are part of the army corp reacting to the news of war with a somewhat energetic craziness. They dance at the USO, compete with each other to get the prettiest girls, and watch as Hollywood Boulevard becomes a pile of ruins. The film features cameos by many Spielberg friends and associates, including directors Sam Fuller and John Landis and actors James Caan, Mickey Rourke, Penny Marshall, and Susan Backlinie, reprising her famous skinny-dip from the first scene in JAWS. Michael McKean and David Lander, otherwise known as Lenny and Squiggy from LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY, play Willie and Joe--a hat's-off salute to Bill Maudlin's famous World War II cartoon characters. The film suffered from critical venom upon its initial release but has since become a cult fave.
Plot Summary
Steven Spielberg takes a surprisingly comic look at the panic gripping L.A. in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This underrated comedy spectacular features outstanding special effects, large-scale action scenes, super stunts...and a mind-boggling number of stars.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 | | Storyboards And Production Photgraphs | | Widescreen Version | | Subtitles: Spanish, French | | Steven Spielberg's Home Movies And Behind-The-Scene Footage | | 28 Restored Minutes | | Deleted Scenes | | An Original Documentary On The Making Of: Including New Video Interviews With Steven Spielberg, Bob Gale And Others | | Interactive Menus | | Trailers |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Universal |
| Release Date: 8/1/2006 |
| Running Time: 148 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1979 | | Catalog ID: 20550 | | UPC: 00025192055027 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1980) | | | William A. Fraker, Nominee, Best Cinematography | | | A.D. Flowers, et al., Nominee, Best Visual Effects | | | Gene S. Cantamessa, et al., Nominee, Best Sound |
| Memorable Quotes| "Madness. It's the only way to describe it: madness. This isn't the state of California. This is the state of insanity. G2 should pour knockout drops into the water..."----General Stilwell (Robert Stack), reacting to the panic in Los Angeles over the threat of a Japanese invasion right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor | | "We've got to find a way to make these things smaller."----Japanese sailor, trying to get a large radio into his submarine |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"...[1941] remains dear to [Spielberg's] heart..." -- Rating: B 06/14/1996 p.71Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide 7 of 10
Gargantuan comedy from the bigger-is-funnier school of filmmaking. Some excellent vignettes and dazzling special effects...
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