The Six Greatest Performances In Mike Nichols’ Films
RIP Mike Nichols. From Dustin Hoffman to Robin Williams, this is where to start your retrospectives.
The Young Ensemble
Catch 22 (1970)
There are many joys in this over-looked gem. The cinematography is astounding – intensely choreographed long shots that match anything that Alfonso Cuarón has achieved, natural lighting transitions that bleed from bleached-out day to burgundy dusk, and practical special effects make for a surreal wartime experience.
It’s the cast, though, that really brings the book to life. Seeing a young Alan Arkin, Art Garfunkel, Martin Sheen, Bob Balaban, Charles Grodin and Jon Voight yelp and growl their way through Joseph Heller’s circular logic is a delight – the frat house tensions and ashen reality of men in service is finely observed. They’re all broad types, but by the final scenes we see the damage the war has on them all.