Slaughterhouse Five (1972) – Billy Pilgrim finds himself “unstuck” from time,
shifting back to his experiences in a Nazi prisoner of war camp and
forward through his life to his abduction by aliens.
shifting back to his experiences in a Nazi prisoner of war camp and
forward through his life to his abduction by aliens.
Directed
by George Roy Hill Starring Michael Sacks, Rob Leibman, Valerie
Perrine
by George Roy Hill Starring Michael Sacks, Rob Leibman, Valerie
Perrine
Why
I Liked It: An interesting story in a rather dated effort.
I Liked It: An interesting story in a rather dated effort.
Translating
any of Vonnegut’s novels to the screen is a challenge. With his
non-traditional stories and storytelling techniques, adapting to the
more linear storytelling more common to the movies requires extra
attention. Writer Stephen Geller does an outstanding job here.
Vonnegut approved of the adaptation and it would win a Hugo Award for
Dramatic Presentation in 1973. So it was off to a good start.
any of Vonnegut’s novels to the screen is a challenge. With his
non-traditional stories and storytelling techniques, adapting to the
more linear storytelling more common to the movies requires extra
attention. Writer Stephen Geller does an outstanding job here.
Vonnegut approved of the adaptation and it would win a Hugo Award for
Dramatic Presentation in 1973. So it was off to a good start.
The
script then goes to director George Roy Hill. Hill had directed
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” in 1969, and would follow
“Slaughterhouse Five” with “The Sting”. Hill seems
undervalued as a director. His directorial filmography only lists 19
projects, but they include these three, plus “The World According to
Garp”, “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, “Hawaii” and “Slap
Shot”. His movies received 37 Oscar nominations, winning 13 awards.
He handles the challenges of the script well.
script then goes to director George Roy Hill. Hill had directed
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” in 1969, and would follow
“Slaughterhouse Five” with “The Sting”. Hill seems
undervalued as a director. His directorial filmography only lists 19
projects, but they include these three, plus “The World According to
Garp”, “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, “Hawaii” and “Slap
Shot”. His movies received 37 Oscar nominations, winning 13 awards.
He handles the challenges of the script well.
Michael
Sacks (Billy Pilgrim) makes his movie debut here. With a quality
director leading the way and a solid cast of actors around him (the
supporting cast includes veteran character actors Sorrell Brook,
Eugene Roche and John Dehner) Sacks holds his own. He has to play
Pilgrim throughout the character’s life, from a young soldier to a mature
suburbanite. As he slides back and forth along his personal timeline,
Pilgrim feels like he is living other people’s lives.
Sacks (Billy Pilgrim) makes his movie debut here. With a quality
director leading the way and a solid cast of actors around him (the
supporting cast includes veteran character actors Sorrell Brook,
Eugene Roche and John Dehner) Sacks holds his own. He has to play
Pilgrim throughout the character’s life, from a young soldier to a mature
suburbanite. As he slides back and forth along his personal timeline,
Pilgrim feels like he is living other people’s lives.
All
of it comes together to tell the odd story of Billy Pilgrim. Vonnegut
drew from his own experiences as a German POW and the bombing of the
city of Dresden. The result looks dated today, especially the alien
kidnap segments. The story remains interesting but there is no way to
bring all the nuance of the Vonnegut story to the screen. Vonnegut
fans will enjoy the interweaving of characters that recur in the
Vonnegut universe, but may wonder at the absence of the phrase
“So it goes”. It appears approximately 100 times in the book but
isn’t in the script once.
of it comes together to tell the odd story of Billy Pilgrim. Vonnegut
drew from his own experiences as a German POW and the bombing of the
city of Dresden. The result looks dated today, especially the alien
kidnap segments. The story remains interesting but there is no way to
bring all the nuance of the Vonnegut story to the screen. Vonnegut
fans will enjoy the interweaving of characters that recur in the
Vonnegut universe, but may wonder at the absence of the phrase
“So it goes”. It appears approximately 100 times in the book but
isn’t in the script once.
Rating
– *** Worth A Look
– *** Worth A Look
Stories Are My Life 
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