M*A*S*H
The staff of a Korean War field hospital use humor and hijinks to keep their sanity in the face of the horror of war.
Despite its limited budget of $3.5M, M*A*S*H became a commercial juggernaut, earning $81.6M worldwide—a remarkable 2231% return. The film's fresh perspective connected with viewers, illustrating how strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
M*A*S*H (1970) reveals deliberately positioned story structure, characteristic of Robert Altman's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 56 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Helicopter lands at the 4077th MASH unit, establishing the chaotic war zone where doctors drink, joke, and operate in a perpetual state of absurdist survival.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Hawkeye and Duke discover they must share quarters with the sanctimonious, by-the-book Major Frank Burns, whose rigid moralizing clashes violently with their irreverent worldview.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The Collapse moment at 86 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Painless the dentist wants to commit suicide, believing himself impotent and worthless. The symbolic death of hope - even the most confident are broken. Their humor and irreverence cannot shield everyone from despair., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 90 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 78% of the runtime. The football game finale where they apply all their skills - cheating, teamwork, medical expertise, and irreverence - to defeat the establishment team. Their philosophy proven as a complete system for survival., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
M*A*S*H's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping M*A*S*H against these established plot points, we can identify how Robert Altman utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish M*A*S*H within the comedy genre.
Robert Altman's Structural Approach
Among the 10 Robert Altman films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.9, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. M*A*S*H represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Robert Altman filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Robert Altman analyses, see Dr. T & the Women, Popeye and Gosford Park.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Helicopter lands at the 4077th MASH unit, establishing the chaotic war zone where doctors drink, joke, and operate in a perpetual state of absurdist survival.
Theme
Duke tells Hawkeye that the only way to stay sane in this place is to be insane - establishing the theme of using irreverence and humor as psychological armor against the horror of war.
Worldbuilding
Introduction of Hawkeye and Duke arriving at camp, meeting the hypocritical Frank Burns, establishing the MASH unit as a place where skilled surgeons cope with carnage through pranks, drinking, and defying military authority.
Disruption
Hawkeye and Duke discover they must share quarters with the sanctimonious, by-the-book Major Frank Burns, whose rigid moralizing clashes violently with their irreverent worldview.
Resistance
Hawkeye and Duke test boundaries with pranks and schemes while proving their surgical excellence. They blackmail Henry Blake for their own tent and begin their campaign against Burns and Hot Lips Houlihan.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
The fun and games - series of escalating pranks including the exposure of Hot Lips and Frank's affair via PA system, golf games, practical jokes, and the crew living out the promise of irreverent doctors thumbing their noses at authority.
Opposition
Despite their victories, the absurdity intensifies: the football game sequence shows them still playing games while soldiers die. Hot Lips begins to crack. Painless the dentist becomes suicidal. The coping mechanisms show strain.
Collapse
Painless the dentist wants to commit suicide, believing himself impotent and worthless. The symbolic death of hope - even the most confident are broken. Their humor and irreverence cannot shield everyone from despair.
Crisis
The crew stages an elaborate Last Supper parody to "honor" Painless before his suicide, revealing the darkness beneath their antics. They must confront that their philosophy has limits.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
The football game finale where they apply all their skills - cheating, teamwork, medical expertise, and irreverence - to defeat the establishment team. Their philosophy proven as a complete system for survival.
Transformation
Hawkeye, Duke, and others drive away from camp casually, as if leaving a job. No fanfare, no victory, just departure. The war continues, but they survived with their sanity and humanity intact through irreverence.