Released at the height of the Vietnam War, suffering in comparison to Robert Altman’s equally anti-war dramedy “M*A*S*H,” seemingly more on a par with with equally cynical action comedy “Kelly’s Heroes,” which has had the benefit of a lot more TV exposure, “Catch” still plays the way it did way back in 1970 - as a pricey, “difficult” satire with a “difficult” shoot as baggage.īut wipe away the “Catch-22 lore,”the people cast and cast-aside, the fact that Nichols wanted the more age-appropriate Al Pacino as Yossarian, the young bombardier/anti-hero, and grapple with the film’s disordered narrative, the nightmarish focus of the story - an active-duty combat airman flying through and ranting through what we now call Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, coupled with a tinge of guilt. Laura reads to him.Perhaps it took a humorless, career-crippling George Clooney TV version of Joseph Heller’s novel to make us better appreciate Mike Nichols’ daring, infamously-expensive version of “Catch-22.” : Bob, the president doesn't have to read. : : which includes other examples of Catch-22 in action from the book. Sometimes the Catch is mentioned explicitly, more often not." Circular dilemmas of this sort appear over and over in the book. : : "So, there really isn't a Catch-22, despite its pervasiveness-and that's an example of the catch, of course. : : "In fact, Heller originally wanted to name his dilemma Catch-18, but a book by Leon Uris called Mila 18, historical fiction about the Warsaw ghetto uprising during WWII, had just been published, and the publishers were afraid there would be confusion. More body bags, please.) Gee, maybe if our President read Catch - oops. (An American President can't be seen to 'back down' or his penis shrivels up. (To this day, I intend, like Yossarian, to "live forever or die in the attempt.") There we were, in 1964, living under the administration of a President who was dragging us deeper into an unwinnable foreign adventure, who lied to us about the reason to enter the war, whose Texas cowboy mentality made him willing to throw away our lives to preserve his manhood. The freshness of its loopy narrative construction, the black humor, the perspective of its title/joke, all had a powerful effect on me. It interrupted my college class attendence (but furthered my education) - it was such a dose of sanity, I read it four times. When the book came out, it was a reveleation to me. : : : I don't think so the "catch" was really new. My recollection is that when I first picked up Heller's novel there was an impression in my mind that there was already a current expression with a different number, like "catch ten" or "catch twelve," or even just "catch number two." But I could be wrong. The catch was, their wanting to go home proved that they were sane. The fliers wanted to go home on the ground that it was insane to keep flying after the number of missions they had completed. : : : : If I remember correctly, I would paraphrase a previous contributor to this effect. : : : : : I HAVEN'T GOT A HAT (Freleng-1935) : : : : : I'd tip my hat to you, but I haven't got a hat! : : : : : I think you're swell, I do, I'm standing pat : : : : : But if I wore a cap, they'd never let me back in the University : : : : : I'm really not a sap, it's plain to see : : : : : I'd tip my hat to you, but I haven't got a hat : : : : : I'm just a college boy, even at that : : : : : Take it right off for you, but I haven't got a hat : : : : : I'd tip my hat to you, I'd do just that (The Phrase Finder site is the brainchild of Gary Martin. (See link below.) The information that I posted was from a book about book titles. I reposted it from the archives when we had the question come up again. : : : : : : : : : I wish I could claim credit for the new information on Catch 22.
By the way, all of you, this is a wonderful place you have here, a wealth of information! Thanks, Donna Please email me so I can explain to you my interest in having your quote.
I came on here to make the correction, and found that you have posted. Briggs, she mixed the two of you up, sorry. : : : : : : : : : : My researcher has just informed me that I am to look for ESC, not Mr. Thanks, Donna : : : : : : : : : : He'll be along shortly. Briggs I am speaking about, please notify me as to how I may email him, or please provide him my email address. I wish to email with him and perhaps quote him in a book. Briggs has a wonderful definition re: Catch-22. : : : : : : : : : : : : I have been informed that a Mr. In Reply to: Catch 18 posted by ESC on November 23, 2003
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