I only watched the first episode and I wasn't that impressed. I love the book, I try to reread it every couple of years. I know film rarely compares to literature, I thought the 1970 film starring Alan Arkin, Martin Sheen, Art Garfunkle... etc, a was decent attempt at an adaptation. The writers and director only had a limited time frame to put as much of the book into the film, and I think they did a better job than the new miniseries, from what I have seen. Although the miniseries does cover a lot more scenes and characters, so it's like a... Catch-22? I think a big draw of the film was the 16 real flying B-25Js and 1 H, some made to look like B/C's. All the 17 B-25s takeoff in the first minutes of the film from the Mexican desert (stand in for Italy), a stirring and moving seen, probably never to be recreated again. The film didn't have the "action" that the miniseries has, but after the second bombing mission of the miniseries it felt like I was watching the first mission again, except that two B-25 peel off to the left smoking. I agree with barrett_g there are some inaccuracies, specifically the .50 in the nose viewable outside, but nowhere to be scene on interior shots of the nose, but don't take away from anything. What I was afraid happening in the miniseries was that things would look too polished, that the urgency, grittiness and absurdity of the book might not come through and I don't think it does, compared to the film or the book. The famous Catch-22 scene in the book and film is a fantastic back and forth between the desperate Yossarian and Doc Daneeka. The Catch-22 conversation in the miniseries didn't hold any of the desperation or urgency, it seem like Yossarian was giving quick one word responses to further the conversation to it's conclusion. The passage about training had me laughing out loud when I read the passage in an airport years ago, I had completed training a few years earlier so the organized chaos was still fresh in my mind. The training scene in the miniseries while appreciated felt unguided and at times rushed. They got almost every line of dialogue correct from the book, George Clooney's character in the book is two different characters a Lt and a Col, but they combined them for him to be a Maj. However every line of dialogue went by without any meaning to anybody watching. Having read the book, I understood what was happening, but the build up isn't conveyed to the viewer. I think that Hugh Laurie (House) as Major de Coverly is a good choice, and I like that they are able to expand and include other characters; the film left out a lot of characters and events. I'll watch the rest of the miniseries later. In short I love the book and I think the movie does a decent job of portraying the literature. I think the miniseries attempts to cover a lot, but falls flat on the delivery.
Here is an article from on of the pilots from the 1970 film:
https://www.jahitchcock.com/Catch22.htmlSome screens from when I tried to recreate Catch-22 last year:
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,3623.msg658031.html#msg658031Sorry that airfield was on another computer whose power supply fried the drives.
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Topic: Anyone else watch “Catch 22” on Hulu? (Read 745 times)
