At the time, Trumbo was a Stalinist who opposed getting involved because Germany and Russia had signed a non-aggression pact. should get involved in another war in Europe was running high. The novel was first published in 1939, at a time when the debate over whether the the U.S. Johnny Got His Gun is based on a novel by Dalton Trumbo. When Joe finally realizes that a nurse has been checking on him, he tries to figure out a way to send a message to both her and the military that is keeping him alive in his captive state. Joe, meanwhile, wonders if he could be used as a traveling exhibit to portray the futility of war. Jesus suggest that Joe may just be naturally unlucky and he also suggests that Joe perhaps keep his distance from him because, sometimes, bad luck can rub off. Like Joe, the viewer initially assumes that Robards is correct about everything.) Joe also imagines several conversations with Jesus (a stoned-looking Donald Sutherland), who turns out to be surprisingly mellow and not always particularly helpful. (The film makes good use of Jason Robards’s natural gravitas. In his mind, Joe remembers his father, who encouraged him to go to war and perhaps was not the all-knowing figure that Joe originally assumed him to be. The film switches back and forth, from the black-and-white imagery of the hospital to the vivid color of Joe’s memories and fantasies. Even if he can’t see where he is now, he can still remember the life that he once had and the events that led him to the hospital. He’s left alone in a room and is occasionally checked on by a sympathetic nurse (Diane Varsi). He’s taken to a field hospital, where the doctors say that, though he’s alive, he’s incapable of feeling or thinking. Though he survives the explosion, he loses his arms and his legs. Instead, he’s hit by an artillery shell while huddled in a muddy trench. Joe expects war to be a glorious affair, one that will make a true man out of him. As he leaves, everyone tells him that he is doing the right thing to protect democracy. He leaves behind his patriotic father (Jason Robards) and his loving girlfriend (Kathy Fields). When America enters World War I, Joe enlists in the Army.

The 1971 anti-war film, Johnny Got His Gun, tells the story of Joe Bonham (played by Timothy Bottoms). This series of reviews takes a look at the films and performances that should have been nominated but were, for whatever reason, overlooked. Often, it’s just a case of a film’s quality not being fully recognized until years after its initial released. Sometimes, it’s because the film itself was too controversial. Sometimes, it’s because the competition too fierce. Though the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences claim that the Oscars honor the best of the year, we all know that there are always worthy films and performances that end up getting overlooked.

Johnny has a gun book