DrRoebuck
01-12-2008, 10:25 PM
It seems like when they talk about the great American directors they never mention Robert Altman. I'm not saying he's the greatest ever, but he deserves to be in the conversation.
Alas, he rarely is. Maybe it's because he was pretty much MIA during the '80s, unless you count Popeye. :rolleyes: Or maybe it's because he was always considered a maverick. Whatever the reason, he never had a good relationship with Hollywood. And the Hollywood establishment, for all its self-righteousness and self-importance, is also vain and petty.
If I could think of one word to describe his directing style, it's voyeurism. In a lot of his scenes the primaries are often in the background, seen behind a window or in another room or behind other actors with overlapping dialog. As the audience, we get the feeling that we're looking in on the lives of real people in real situations. Movies are voyeuristic by nature and no one achieves that better than Altman.
Not to mention he pretty much started the multiple-storyline genre. As much as I like Magnolia, Short Cuts is everything Magnolia wishes it could be, only without the bombast.
Off the top of my head:
Short Cuts
3 Women
Nashville
The Player
Mash
Kansas City
Gosford Park
Even ones like The Long Goodbye and Cookie's Fortune and A Prairie Home Companion are great in their own way.
And, of course, the picture that brought all this to my mind and the one I just watched: McCabe and Mrs. Miller. What a beautiful picture. Stunning cinematography. Leonard Cohen soundtrack. Such a unique and haunting portrait of the frontier. Richer in mood and detail than maybe any other movie I've seen. Altman said that he liked the story for its simplicity. He didn't have to worry about developing it or bringing it out, so he could focus on the details and the characters.
Undoubtedly one of the great movies of all time.
Here's the Japanese rolled poster (only $600):
http://www.posteritati.com/jpg/M4/MCCABE%20AND%20MRS%20MILLER%20JP.JPG
http://connect.afi.com/images/content/photos/large_12631.jpg
http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/mccabe1.jpg
"I fiddle in the corner where they throw the coins. Where I can get my work done."
Alas, he rarely is. Maybe it's because he was pretty much MIA during the '80s, unless you count Popeye. :rolleyes: Or maybe it's because he was always considered a maverick. Whatever the reason, he never had a good relationship with Hollywood. And the Hollywood establishment, for all its self-righteousness and self-importance, is also vain and petty.
If I could think of one word to describe his directing style, it's voyeurism. In a lot of his scenes the primaries are often in the background, seen behind a window or in another room or behind other actors with overlapping dialog. As the audience, we get the feeling that we're looking in on the lives of real people in real situations. Movies are voyeuristic by nature and no one achieves that better than Altman.
Not to mention he pretty much started the multiple-storyline genre. As much as I like Magnolia, Short Cuts is everything Magnolia wishes it could be, only without the bombast.
Off the top of my head:
Short Cuts
3 Women
Nashville
The Player
Mash
Kansas City
Gosford Park
Even ones like The Long Goodbye and Cookie's Fortune and A Prairie Home Companion are great in their own way.
And, of course, the picture that brought all this to my mind and the one I just watched: McCabe and Mrs. Miller. What a beautiful picture. Stunning cinematography. Leonard Cohen soundtrack. Such a unique and haunting portrait of the frontier. Richer in mood and detail than maybe any other movie I've seen. Altman said that he liked the story for its simplicity. He didn't have to worry about developing it or bringing it out, so he could focus on the details and the characters.
Undoubtedly one of the great movies of all time.
Here's the Japanese rolled poster (only $600):
http://www.posteritati.com/jpg/M4/MCCABE%20AND%20MRS%20MILLER%20JP.JPG
http://connect.afi.com/images/content/photos/large_12631.jpg
http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/mccabe1.jpg
"I fiddle in the corner where they throw the coins. Where I can get my work done."