1941 (film)

1941 (film)
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Steven Spielberg
Screenplay by	Robert Zemeckis Bob Gale
Story by	Robert Zemeckis Bob Gale John Milius
Produced by	Buzz Feitshans
Starring	Dan Aykroyd Ned Beatty John Belushi Lorraine Gary Murray Hamilton Christopher Lee Tim Matheson Toshirō Mifune Warren Oates Robert Stack Treat Williams Nancy Allen Eddie Deezen Bobby Di Cicco Dianne Kay Slim Pickens Wendie Jo Sperber Lionel Stander
Cinematography	William A. Fraker
Edited by	Michael Kahn
Music by	John Williams
Color process	Metrocolor
Production company	A-Team Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures (North America) Columbia Pictures (International)
Release dates	December 13, 1979 (1979-12-13) (Cinerama Dome) December 14, 1979 (1979-12-14) (United States)
Running time	118 minutes 146 minutes (director's cut)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$35 million[1]
Box office	$94.9 million[1]

1941 is a 1979 American war comedy film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. The film stars an ensemble cast including Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, John Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Lee, Tim Matheson, Toshiro Mifune, Robert Stack, Nancy Allen, and Mickey Rourke in his film debut. The story involves a panic in the Los Angeles area after the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Co-writer Gale stated the plot is loosely based on what has come to be known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid of 1942, as well as the bombardment of the Ellwood oil refinery, near Santa Barbara, by a Japanese submarine. Many other events in the film were based on real incidents, including the Zoot Suit Riots and an incident in which the U.S. Army placed an anti-aircraft gun in a homeowner's yard on the Maine coast.^[2]

The film received heavily mixed reviews from critics with criticism towards the script, pacing, and humor, but praise towards the visual effects, sound, production design, John Williams's score, and cinematography.

1941 was not as financially or critically successful as many of Spielberg's other films, but was still a moderate box office success. It received belated popularity after an expanded version aired on ABC in the 1980s, with subsequent television broadcasts and home video reissues, raising it to cult status.^[3]