This film is one of the strangest comedy dramas that Blake Edwards was ever involved with. The story, based on William Goldman's novel is strangely uneven. There are wild moments and there are moments of intense drama. Overall, it is an experiment gone wrong but wrong in a wildly intense manner.
Steve McQueen is Sgt. Eustis Clay, a happy go lucky guy who wants to serve out his term and get out of the service and get rich in the private sector. For some reason he has formed a strange friendship with Master Sgt. Maxwell Slaughter(Gleason), a lifer in the service who is in his 40's. Together they share fun and dreams. Clay keeps prodding Slaughter about getting out of the service and getting rich with him in the private sector. (Boy have times changed since 1963)
Slaughter keeps telling Clay about his dream place on a paradise island of beauty stocked with beautiful naked women. Clay has some MP's who are angry with him and trying to destroy him. Slaughter comes to his rescue, more than once. All of them are in the Quartermaster corps trading each other for supplies.
Tuesday Weld plays the extremely strange role of a blonde bimbo who eventually becomes attached to Slaughter despite his appearance. She is playing an 18 year old when she is 20, so the age is okay. It is just her character that does not ring true. Tom Poston and Adam West have some minor roles.
This film is for fans of Gleason, and McQueen. There are a lot of moments in the first half of the film that make little sense. Later in the film, things kind of become clear. It is about the evolution of Clay into a more mature soldier thanks to the influence of Slaughter.
The ending is a bit of a shock, but the last scene with McQueen sitting in the shambles of Slaughter's office, saying "until that time, until that time" is sort of haunting and powerful considering how their relationship developed during the last half of the film. The biggest problem is during the first half, the viewer tends to get lost in all the pranks, and can not really get attached to the characters.
Steve McQueen is Sgt. Eustis Clay, a happy go lucky guy who wants to serve out his term and get out of the service and get rich in the private sector. For some reason he has formed a strange friendship with Master Sgt. Maxwell Slaughter(Gleason), a lifer in the service who is in his 40's. Together they share fun and dreams. Clay keeps prodding Slaughter about getting out of the service and getting rich with him in the private sector. (Boy have times changed since 1963)
Slaughter keeps telling Clay about his dream place on a paradise island of beauty stocked with beautiful naked women. Clay has some MP's who are angry with him and trying to destroy him. Slaughter comes to his rescue, more than once. All of them are in the Quartermaster corps trading each other for supplies.
Tuesday Weld plays the extremely strange role of a blonde bimbo who eventually becomes attached to Slaughter despite his appearance. She is playing an 18 year old when she is 20, so the age is okay. It is just her character that does not ring true. Tom Poston and Adam West have some minor roles.
This film is for fans of Gleason, and McQueen. There are a lot of moments in the first half of the film that make little sense. Later in the film, things kind of become clear. It is about the evolution of Clay into a more mature soldier thanks to the influence of Slaughter.
The ending is a bit of a shock, but the last scene with McQueen sitting in the shambles of Slaughter's office, saying "until that time, until that time" is sort of haunting and powerful considering how their relationship developed during the last half of the film. The biggest problem is during the first half, the viewer tends to get lost in all the pranks, and can not really get attached to the characters.