In memory of Robert Altman

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Robert Altman died on Monday at the age of 81, less than a year after receiving his Honorary Award at the 2006 Oscar ceremony. Altman is probably best known for three films from the early 1970s: "MASH" (1970), "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" (1971) and "Nashville" (1975). But Robert Altman was one of the most relentlessly prolific American directors of recent years, directing more than 40 films since 1970, shuttling back and forth effortlessly from the big screen to the small screen. His furious rate of production did not slow down as he raced through his 60s, 70s or even when he became an octogenarian. Not even a heart transplant in the mid-1990s could hold him back. His final film "A Prairie Home Companion" opened earlier this year to widespread critical acclaim.

Known for his ensemble casts, improvisation, and dense soundscapes, Altman was a tireless experimenter whose career cannot be easily pigeonholed. It is also a career that cannot be adequately summarized in a short article, nor would we attempt to take on such a foolish task. Instead, DVD Town reviewers Christopher Long, Jim Plath, and John Puccio simply offer a few reflections on the career of this unique American filmmaker.

CHRISTOPHER LONG:
When I think of my favorite Altman, I don't think of a film, but rather an actress: Shelley Duvall. As the story goes, Altman discovered her selling cosmetics at a mall in Houston, and immediately decided to cast her in a role in "Brewster McCloud" (1970). It was surely some spark of genius that enabled Altman to spy this skinny, awkward collection of long limbs and sharp angles and decide that she belonged in front of a camera. He was right. Shelley Duvall was only a supporting player in most of her Altman roles, but she got starring turns in "Thieves Like Us" (1974) and "3 Women" (1977), and excelled in both. She was even named Best Actress at Cannes for the latter film, and subsequently went on to a fine career, including the role she was genetically bred for: Olive Oyl in Altman's inspired adaptation of "Popeye." Shelley Duvall is one of the greatest and most underappreciated American actresses of the modern era, a true cinema singularity. Altman was the first to recognize her unique talent and her undeniable physical presence.

I took a long time to warm to Altman, largely because I started with his two most acclaimed films, "MASH" and "Nashville," and hated them both. I have not revised my opinion to this day both films are nearly unwatchable. Unfortunately, I didn't give Altman another chance until much later, but I am glad I eventually did.

I still wouldn't name Altman as one of my favorite directors, but I found quite a bit to like beyond his most-celebrated efforts. This shouldn't be a surprise considering there's so much to choose from. My favorite Altman films: "The Long Goodbye," "3 Women," "California Split," "Thieves Like Us," "McCabe and Mrs. Miller," and "Popeye." Listen to what John has to say about "Popeye" (and read his review too) - he is absolutely right.

JIM PLATH:
What always impressed me the most about Robert Altman was that he didn't mind swimming against the current and never seemed to care what people had to say about his films. He just went about his business, which was the pursuit of his own interests and visions.

Hollywood was into star power Altman liked ensemble films. Hollywood was into staying "on-story" Altman loved to meander and detour. Hollywood was all about
snappy pacing Altman was perfectly content to take the scenic route toward understanding. Altman's impulses tended toward the dark, the offbeat, and the revisionist. I won't say which films of his I think are the best. I'd prefer to do what I think Altman would have done were he in my shoes now, and just talk about the films that I enjoyed the most.

I saw "MASH" in the theater when it came out in 1970 and was blown away by it. One vignette after the other, it's a great example of Altman's approach to film, and it has that dark and revisionist element as well. Altman wanted to change the way people thought about a topic, and "MASH" was the first of his films to have that powerful effect on me. It combined humor and pathos in a way that I had never experienced before.

I also really liked "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" (1971), which deviated from the ensemble film but approached the Western in a starkly realistic way. You knew instantly that this was no typical Hollywood Western, or "Northwestern." And by letting Warren Beatty and Julie Christie improvise, as he often did with his actors, he helped them turn in some of the best performances of their respective careers.

As a fan of Raymond Carver's short stories, I looked forward to Altman's "Short Cuts" (1993) but feared that he'd somehow blow it, that he'd get the tone wrong, or make Carver's down-and-outs something less matter-of-fact. I didn't have to worry. With difficult material that was the equivalent of juggling knives and flaming torches, Altman managed to weave together a handful of Carver stories to make an impressive interconnected literary tapestry-on-film.

But I probably will most associate Robert Altman with his last film, "A Prairie Home Companion" (2006). It's fitting that it is his last, because all the familiar elements are there, plus it's heavily nostalgic and elegiac. He told an interviewer that the film was about death, the death of an American institution. Who knew then that the American institution it would ultimately elegize would be the director himself, a feisty individualist who loved film enough to follow his instincts and impulses, rather than a Hollywood script.

JOHN PUCCIO:
Among my favorite Altman films are "MASH," "The Long Goodbye," "Nashville," and "The Player."

But my absolute favorite is probably his most controversial film, "Popeye." I still think it's the best adaptation of comic-strip and animated-cartoon characters the screen has ever seen, and I may the only person on the planet who loves the music. It's a brilliant work from a brilliant iconoclast who made films his way and didn't seem to care who cared.

Well, I cared.

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