5/5 a geat film
  by Manuel Lopez Monroy (Mexico D. F. Mexico)
its a very great film, I wonder why this marvelous piece of cinema isnt famous

4/5 Watch it for the music
  by R. Mumma (nj)
I took this DVD out of the library yesterday on a whim. I had seen it once, in 1972, when I was in high school and in the midst (mist) of reading K.V. Jr.'s full oeuvre in their brightly-colored Dell paperback incarnations. I remembered being pleasantly surprised at the time that the movie didn't totally butcher the story; I remembered Valerie Perrine's body and Billy Pilgrim's vacant stare; but I had not known Glenn Gould at the time. Last night I watched this and was overwhelmed by the perfect musical choices of Gould (he is given a simple "Music - Glenn Gould" credit at the beginning of the film) and, of course, by his playing, which is unmistakable from the first notes of J.S. Bach from his piano. I would love to know how closely he worked with George Roy Hill on the choices for this soundtrack, how much was newly-recorded especially for the film, and how much was from previously-recorded material (though those questions don't really matter as much as the perfect matching of images and sounds).

Watch this movie for the music; there's not a false note.


5/5 So it goes
  by ExE122 (Baltimore, MD)
Making a visual representaion of a novel is always a challenge. Make it a Kurt Vonnegut novel and it only gets 10 times harder. Therefore I didn't get my expectations up when I decided to watch the film version of Slaughterhouse Five.

However, I was surprised at how well this film did covering such an in depth novel. I found this to be a wonderful portrayal of Pilgrim's extraordinary experiences along with the emotions and the confusion associated with it.

I still do recommend reading the book first since the film does skip a lot of the best phrases, verses, and concepts that make the story so great. Yet the film is a real tribute to a wonderful story.

5/5 Space / Time Drifter...
  by Bindy Sue Frønkünschtein (under the rubble)
First off, I've never read the book. That said, I must say that what I find most intriguing about the Billy Pilgrim character (Michael Sacks) in SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE is how much of a true pilgrim he is. He is unhitched from time, while simultaneously, due to his own pleasant personality and ever-calm demeanor, Billy is also a traveler through space. He drifts through life as a disengaged observer, like a cork floating down a stream. Billy is a warm, innocent human being who is utterly removed from his own existence! He watches / feels things unfold like a character in a play. He reminds me of Peter Sellars' Chauncy Gardener in BEING THERE. Adrift in a universe that simply takes him wherever it will. The main segments of Billy's life are presented from his own disengaged viewpoint. We get to go along with him on his bizarre journey. It's like following a leaf blowing in a hurricane! The very fabric of time / space / existence is unravelled, and tied into a knot of events all happening in no particular order. Billy is happy throughout! He has the perfect temperament to deal w/ the chaos of such shifting events. Personally, I'd go nuts! For Billy there is peace within the non-sensical trip to nowhere. He simply enjoys the ride. Even tragic events can't flatten him. Billy's nature is that of an ancient bhuddist monk, even when in a youthful body (during WWII). His attitude is infectious! The story is as mind-boggling as it is hysterically funny. The life of Billy Pilgrim is quite a trip! Special mention must be made of Ron Liebman's Lazzaro character, as well as Valerie Perrine's Montana Wildhack! The fact that Ms. Perrine spends much of her screen-time naked doesn't hurt! Highest recommendation...

4/5 Life in the Slaughterhouse
  by William P. Masters (san francisco, ca. United States)
Film adaptions of novels (from Madame Bovary to Catch 22) have proved how easy failure transcends effort. However, The film version of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five proves the exception: graceful, smartly directed and beautifully acted. Rediscover a real treasure and see this film.