Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

George Roy Hill

Writers:

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (novel)
Stephen Geller (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 March 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | War

Tagline:

A Man Becomes Unstuck In Time In The Film That Became A Classic.

Plot:

A man tells his story of how he became unstuck in time and abducted by aliens.

Plot Keywords:

Pilgrim | Alien | Optometrist | Future | Planet

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Michael Sacks	...	Billy Pilgrim
Ron Leibman	...	Paul Lazzaro
Eugene Roche	...	Edgar Derby
Sharon Gans	...	Valencia Merble Pilgrim
Valerie Perrine	...	Montana Wildhack
Holly Near	...	Barbara Pilgrim
Perry King	...	Robert Pilgrim
Kevin Conway	...	Roland Weary
Friedrich von Ledebur	...	German Leader (as Friedrich Ledebur)
Ekkehardt Belle	...	Young German Guard (as Nick Belle)
Sorrell Booke	...	Lionel Merble
Roberts Blossom	...	Wild Bob Cody
John Dehner	...	Prof. Rumfoord
Gary Waynesmith	...	Stanley
Richard Schaal	...	Howard W. Campbell Jr.

Runtime:

104 min | Canada:93 min (Ontario - edited version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) | 4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:PA (Ontario - edited version) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Australia:M | UK:X (original rating) | UK:15 (re-rating) (1988)

Filming Locations:

Downtown Airport - 2700 Airport Road, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Sharon Gans was only six years older than Perry King, who played her son, and seven years older than Holly Near, who played her daughter.

Quotes:

Billy Pilgrim: [giving speech] You see in Tralfamador, where I presently dwell, life has no beginning, no middle, and no end. For example, many years ago a certain man promised to have me killed. He's an old man now, living not far from here. He's read all of the publicity associated with my appearance. He's insane. And tonight he'll keep his promise.
[murmurs throughout the crowd]
Billy Pilgrim: If you protest, if you think that death is a terrible thing, then you've not understood what I have said.
[Lazzaro appears in balcony]
Billy Pilgrim: You see it's time for you to go home - to your lives and your children. It's time for me to be dead for a little while. And then live again. I give you the Tralfamadorian greeting: Hello. Farewell. Hello. Farewell. Eternally connected, eternally embracing. Hello. Farewell.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Supernatural: The Monster at the End of This Book (#4.18)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Concerto No 3 for Harpsichord in D major, BWV 1054 - 3rd movement 'Allegro'

'Unstuck in Time' makes for interesting narrative

I give this film a 7 out of 10.

It makes an eloquent statement about how traumatic moments in our life stay with us as if it ‘just happened yesterday'. What makes this film so appealing is how it depicts what would happen if you could jump around your entire life. When the future influences the past, it takes on a great significance. Billy Pilgrim is a humdrum Optometrist who nevertheless has an exciting life, surviving the bombing of Dresden in WW2, living through a plane crash, and being transported to another planet. Yet he maintains to be humble. As we follow Billy's life, the portrait of mediocre America is a touching contrast to the other moments that are frightening. He knows how he will die, and in the process becomes unafraid to live life to it's fullest. The inhabitants of the planet Tralfamador (??) say it is best to concentrate on the good moments in your life, and not so much on the bad. But they are still there, and you cannot erase that moment of your life. In essence, the true moral of this film is to accept all that has happened in your life. For if you don't, you deny the validity of your existence. When Billy finally writes about his adventures, others have a chance to learn about the world and themselves that would've otherwise been denied.

Technically, the film uses the moments where Billy jumps in time as meaningful transitions. It interweaves lessons learned from one part of his life and applies it to the present moment (whenever that is). The film's real treasures are the supporting characters that surround Billy. It also vividly transports you to WW2, a semi-autobiographical account of Kurt Vonnegut's real life experiences in Dresden. The film is filled with anecdotes that present the film's other main theme, that life is indeed ironic.

I was deeply touched by this film, with it's ability to whisk you from scenes of horror to amusing ‘Kodak moments'. The music poignantly represents these transitions, and helps to carry the film. In the end, you can accept his death, by having lived his life.