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.