Independent Films, Film Profiles

Catch-22 (film)
by Mike Nichols

Catch-22 is a 1970 war film adapted from the book of the same name by Joseph Heller. Considered a black comedy revolving around the "lunatic characters" of Heller's satirical novel, the film was mired in production problems and artistic issues that led to its commercial failure.[2]Although a talented production team – which included director Mike Nichols and screenwriter Buck Henry (who also acted in the film) – worked on the film for two years, the complex task of recreating a World War II bomber base and translating an anti-war satire proved daunting. Besides Henry, the cast included Alan Arkin, Martin Balsam, Richard Benjamin, Norman Fell, Art Garfunkel, Jack Gilford, Bob Newhart, Anthony Perkins, Paula Prentiss, Martin Sheen, Jon Voight and Orson Welles.[3]The story follows the adventures and misadventures of Captain Yossarian, a fictional U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier, and the other members of his squadron stationed on the Mediterranean island of Pianosa during World War II. The pacing of Catch-22 is frenetic, its tenor intellectual, and its tone largely absurdist, interspersed with brief moments of gritty, almost horrific, realism. The film does not follow a normal chronological progression. Rather, it is told as a series of flashbacks and dream sequences from the point of view of the central character.[4]