1941 is perhaps one of those films that should be seen twice, so that disappointed expectations over the wayward behaviour of the slapstick no longer get in the way of pleasure over what goes on alongside it.

It may possibly be that Mr. Spielberg has chosen gigantic size and unlimited quantity as his comedy method in the awareness that he has no gift whatsoever for small-scale comic conceits.

Unworkable farce, it maybe, but it is also blessed with the buzz of brilliance.

This film erases both the worries and the activism of Asian Americans at an important time in Los Angeles history and totally ignores the existence of anti-Asian sentiments that was clearly reflected in legislation.