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1941 (1979)
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| Videos (see all 4) |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
14 December 1979 (USA)
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Tagline:
A Comedy Spectacular!
Plot:
Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
California
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Pearl Harbor
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Captain
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Submarine
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Upskirt
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Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars.
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NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Boos! and Whoop-doos!: The Epic Origins of a Future Summer
(From MovieWeb. 1 June 2009, 10:54 AM, PDT)
Spielberg's Musical Aspirations
(From WENN. 25 June 2002)
(From MovieWeb. 1 June 2009, 10:54 AM, PDT)
Spielberg's Musical Aspirations
(From WENN. 25 June 2002)
User Comments:
Worth watching at least once.
more (179 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Dan Aykroyd | ... | Sgt. Frank Tree | |
| Ned Beatty | ... | Ward Douglas | |
| John Belushi | ... | Capt. Wild Bill Kelso | |
| Lorraine Gary | ... | Joan Douglas | |
| Murray Hamilton | ... | Claude Crumn | |
| Christopher Lee | ... | Capt. Wolfgang von Kleinschmidt | |
| Tim Matheson | ... | Capt. Loomis Birkhead | |
| Toshirô Mifune | ... | Cmdr. Akiro Mitamura (as Toshiro Mifune) | |
| Warren Oates | ... | Col. 'Madman' Maddox | |
| Robert Stack | ... | Maj. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell | |
| Treat Williams | ... | Cpl. Chuck 'Stretch' Sitarski | |
| Nancy Allen | ... | Donna Stratton | |
| Lucille Benson | ... | Gas Mama (Eloise) (as Lucille Bensen) | |
| Jordan Brian | ... | Macey Douglas | |
| John Candy | ... | Pvt. Foley |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
The Night the Japs Attacked (USA) (working title)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
118 min | USA:146 min (director's cut) | West Germany:111 min
Country:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo (35 mm prints) |
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)
Certification:
Brazil:12 |
Argentina:Atp |
Australia:M |
Chile:TE |
Finland:K-12 |
France:U |
Iceland:L |
Netherlands:AL |
Norway:12 (original rating) |
Norway:15 |
Peru:PT |
Singapore:PG |
Sweden:15 |
UK:PG |
USA:PG (certificate #25726) |
West Germany:12
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Japanese Commander Mitamura's statement to German Captain Kleinschmidt about the latter's having "no prerogative to question my orders" is a parody of American General Ripper's statement to British Group Captain Mandrake in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964).
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Goofs:
Anachronisms: During the general's speech at the airport a number of WW2 era airplanes have been staged as a contemporary backdrop. However, visible in the background are some new airliners and what seems to be a B-52 parked at this modern-day airport.
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Quotes:
Captain Loomis Birkhead:
[after the reporter runs off] I tell ya, DuBois, there are drawbacks to being a general's aide. I mean, the general could have been a few minutes later, now couldn't he?
Pvt. DuBois: Well, it is wartime, sir, we all have to make sacrifices.
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Pvt. DuBois: Well, it is wartime, sir, we all have to make sacrifices.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Howard Stern on Demand: Jimmy Kimmel" (2006)
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Soundtrack:
In the Mood
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (179 total)
Message Boards
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section |
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1941 is a unique movie. 1 part of it is animal house-esque lowbrow humor, 1 part is B-movie love story, and 1 part stoic war movie, and 2 parts insane hilarity.
It is a weird mix to say the least.
First, the problems: 1. The first half of the movie is slow. It grinds on making you wonder why you're watching this movie.
2. The "Love story" subplot is poorly executed for what this movie is trying to do.
3. many of the actors are not used to their fullest potential (especially Dan Akroyd and John Candy) while others receive excessive screen time. (see: The slow moving love story sub-plot) But then there are the good aspects: 1. John Belushi is hilarious. He would have been funnier had he interacted with more characters rather than appearing in many solo shots, but he was funny.
2. The "Epic Battle" was great. It had me laughing as my sides hurt.
3. Slim Pickens: His appearance in the movie was truly where the movie stopped being slow, and the fun really started. He was great in his scenes and between the dialogue and his visual scenes, you can't help but laugh.
There's more, but in short, if you don't mind sitting through a slow build up, the payoff is worth the wait.
It's not the best movie ever, but in the barren entertainment landscape that is Weekend Television: Finding this movie can be like an oasis in the desert. It's solid Saturday afternoon fun.