Catch 22 is a film directed by Mike Nichols, adapted from the Joseph Heller novel of the same name. We follow a WWII bombardier, Captain Yossarian as he struggles to come to grips with his crippling fear of death every time he climbs into a plane. Having never read the book, I cannot personally comment on it but the film is hefty combination of both satire and shock. Usually setting you up with the comedy and then dropping you down with pure shock. It is a fairly funny film, but if you haven’t read the book, like me, it can be somewhat difficult to follow. When this film lies on the satire, it lays it on thick, typically in the depictions of the characters surrounding our lead, Yossarian.
Col. Cathcartt the man in charge of the airbase is a man out for glory and recognition at any cost. He continues to raise the amount of missions his men have to fly before being rotated out in the hopes of having the squadron with the most amount of missions and a medals. In one scene in particular, Cathcartt whines to the base chaplain that he didn’t make the Saturday Morning Post. We are seeing the idea of a man so obsessed with notoriety that he seems to almost forget that he is fighting a war. Another example of satire through character is the character Major Major. Yes his first and last name is Major. When the base loses its squadron commander, Col. Cathcartt promotes Major Major to, well, to a Major. Yes, Major Major Major. Even though Major has never led a squadron before let alone even fly a plane, Cathcartt decides that he is the only Major on base and thus the only one qualified for the job. Major Major spends the rest of the film attempting to dodge people who attempt to come to him with problems. Here we see a man frightened by the prospect of having so much responsibility lumped on him when he has no idea what he is doing. We see it in an overtly comical way but still a very realistic and relatable.
One of my favorite examples of satire in the film is the least satirical in my mind because I can truly see it actually happening. At one point, Yossarian and his squadron are ordered to bomb a small town on the coast. When Yossarian figures out that bombing the town would have no military importance and would end up killing innocents for no reason, he drops his bombs in the ocean. The rest of the squadron follows suit. When the higher ups learn of this, they panic. Rather than deal with the PR fiasco that would go with such a failed mission, they concoct a story of bravery and award the entire squadron medals. This situation stands out to me because of how it simply reeks of the truth and at its heart, that’s what true satire is. True satire presents you with the horrifying truth and then makes you laugh at it.
At the heart of the film is our protagonist Yossarian. He is a sane man coping with an insane situation and is surrounded by insane people. He spends the entirety of the film attempting to convince people he’s crazy so he doesn’t have to fly anymore but it is to no avail. The catch is that he is seemingly the only sane man surrounded by insane people making him the odd man out and by default, making him the crazy one. There are almost too many examples of amazing satire in this film to be discussed here but I strongly advise everyone to watch it. Films like Catch 22 and M*A*S*H* have really opened my eyes to just how effective satire can be when dealing with rough issues. It hands us very deep, emotional, meaningful and sometimes disturbing messages but in a light and hilarious wrapper. I agree with Ian Hunter when he says the best humor is satire and I believe, especially in times like these, we need more of it.
Sources
Ebert, Roger. "Catch-22 :: Rogerebert.com :: Reviews." Catch-22 :: Rogerebert.com :: Reviews. Sun Times, n.d. Web. 04 Sept. 2012. <http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19700101/REVIEWS/1010305/1023>.
Hunter, Ian. "The Best Humor Is Satire and There's a Reason We Have So Little of It Today." Citizens Centre Report 4 Nov. 2004: n. pag. Web. 04 Sept. 2012. <http://search.proquest.com.ai.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/219299221?accountid=130772>.
Canby, Vincent. "Catch 22." New York Times 25 June 1970: n. pag. Print.
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF1738E760BC4D51DFB066838B669EDE
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