M*A*S*H won the Palme d'Or at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival, although the prize was called the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film at the time.
Robert Altman’s film competed at Cannes after its 1970 release and won the festival’s top honor. The film’s satirical treatment of military medicine and authority helped distinguish it from conventional war dramas, while its Korean War setting carried an obvious contemporary resonance during the Vietnam War era.
The terminology can cause confusion because Cannes later renamed and standardized its top prize as the Palme d'Or. Quiz references and modern Cannes records therefore commonly list M*A*S*H as a Palme d'Or winner, even though the 1970 award was formally the Grand Prix. It should not be confused with the Grand Prix, which is now a separate Cannes award.
M*A*S*H also received five Academy Award nominations and won for Ring Lardner Jr.’s adapted screenplay. Its success helped lead to the long-running television series that premiered in 1972.