‘Masterpiece’ directed by Steven Spielberg you’ve maybe not heard of | Films | Entertainment

A Steven Spielberg film you’ve probably never heard of that one fan hailed as a “misunderstood masterpiece” is streaming now in the UK. The teaser intro for 1941 (released in 1979), reads: “In the days after the Pearl Harbor attack, panic spreads across a California city when an enemy submarine surfaces off the coast.”

The film pastiches the real-life fear and paranoia surrounding the potential for an invasion by Imperial Japan, and follows a ragtag bunch of soldiers preparing to defend their homeland. The lesser-known film features an array of stars, including Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, John Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Lee, Tim Matheson, Toshiro Mifune, Robert Stack and Nancy Allen. It also marked Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke’s film debut. It was written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, from a story by Zemeckis, Bob Gale, and John Milius.

Spielberg made the 1941 in between the releases of two the most iconic works in his back catalogue, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and it’s by far one of his least-known pictures.

Though it didn’t flop in theatres, it was widely regarded as a commercial disappointment given the immense success of his breakout projects, and it’s fair to say the critical reception was – and continues to be – pretty mixed.

One person commenting on IMDb offered a scathing assessment, saying: “The film is so bad that it is memorable.

“If you are the kind of person who has had a tooth pulled and then can’t resist continually poking the hole with your tongue then this may be the film for you.”

Another said: “I grew up on Spielberg flicks, love his style ET, Jaws, Close Encounters, Jurassic Park, etc. Just saw this movie for the first time. I was completely shocked at how bad it was.”

And though it has its fair share of detractors, some insist it’s worth looking past the negativity.

One acknowledged it’s definitely not for everyone, saying: “This film was made for 1% of the population. Happily, I’m in that 1%.”

Another said: “Throw anything you think know about Spielberg today over board. He wouldn’t make anything even vaguely approaching this today. He just doesn’t dare to make hilarious comedies like he did here. Too sad.”

A third, who gave the film a 9/10 score said: “The actors are great, and where else are you going to see a film with this cast?

“If you don’t like it or don’t get it that is just fine, but for those who have not seen based on the poor reviews, give it a chance. You might just be surprised.”

A fourth said have “always considered ‘1941’ to be a misunderstood masterpiece”. “Stevie tapped into the madcap comedies of the 1930’s and captured that amazing frenetic energy wonderfully,” they added.

“The inter-cut, naturally delivered but wholly contrived dialog is pure Howard Hawks while the sight gags, non requiters, and puns seem like the Marx Brothers.”

The film has a 12 cerificate, and was added to Netflix in the UK on Friday, July 24.