1941 (film)

From Freepedia

1941
Image:1941 movie.jpg
Directed by	Steven Spielberg
Written by	Robert Zemeckis Bob Gale
Starring	John Belushi Ned Beatty Dan Aykroyd Lorraine Gary Murray Hamilton
Produced by	Buzz Feitshans
Distributed by	Universal Studios
Release date	December 14, 1979
Runtime	118 min. (theatrical version); 146 min. (dir. cut)
Language	Engllish
Budget	$35,000,000
IMDb page

1941, considered Steven Spielberg's first major flop, starred John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in their first of three movies together. Released in 1979, it hurt Belushi's rise to stardom after National Lampoon's Animal House.

The story takes place days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, with panic and chaos among the citizens of Los Angeles. The story is told through connecting vignettes. At the center of the story is a crusty general (Robert Stack) who tries to bring order among the people whose lives are intertwined with others. It is notable as one of the few American films featuring Toshiro Mifune.

The film, mainly a production of Columbia Pictures (but with some help from Universal Studios), was a moderate box office success, but not the blockbuster film Spielberg was hoping for. It later found cult success on network television in an expanded version that is closer to Spielberg's original rough cut (that version has now been released on video).