Slaughterhouse Five-1972
Director George Roy Hill
Starring Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman
Scott’s Review #84
Reviewed July 1, 2014
Grade: A-
Slaughterhouse-Five, adapted from the novel of the same name and made in 1972, is a dream-like visual experience through cinematic time.
The main character (Billie Pilgrim) is a World War II soldier who survives a horrific explosion during the war, and he, along with the viewer, floats through time to relive, but not change, three other periods in his life.
It is a first-person narrative.
As a senior during the most engaging period, he is transported to a lavish planet in outer space where he falls in love with a Goddess.
There is a certain anti-war sentiment to the film, and it is certainly cerebral, unique, mesmerizing, and tough to explain, but it is dreamy and clever, and, after 30-plus years, is surprisingly fresh. It should be experienced.
It is a science fiction type of film.
My favorite scene is the humorous, yet tragic, runaway Cadillac scene.
