Altman

This movie gets a 10 from me because it accomplished what it set out to do: be a career retrospective of Robert Altman, including lots of relevant voices, film clips, home movie footage and words of wisdom from the subject himself. It was heart-felt, and made me tear up a couple times.

I didn't realize I had seen so many of this man's films: The Player (back when the '90's were so fresh and slick), MASH, Popeye. Each one I've seen, I've liked. Now, to check out Gosford Park and McCabe.

The biggest value of Ron Mann's documentary "Altman" is the compilation of Robert Altman's interviews, home movies, unreleased shorts and testimonies by family members and colleagues. All that material was unified by close-ups of several actors who define what the adjective "Altmanesque" means, but a few important ones were left out, people as Altmanesque as can be, as Shelley Duvall, Paul Dooley, Carol Burnett or René Auberjonois. In general, Altman's film work was somehow standardized in this documentary, as if all had the same significance and weight. As an effect of leveling the value and quality of his movies, what we have is a promenade through a life and peculiar oeuvre, that did find obstacles, as it is stated, but with little curiosity for the reasons and motives, and the conceptual and ideological genesis behind Altman and his cinema. When Mann covers Altman's years at Fox, he only gives «3 Women», the peak of that period, a few reflections about acting illustrated by photographs of the shooting and Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Janice Rule (the tree women of the title). Any unsuspecting fellow will never know that this is one of Altman's masterpieces, as such recognized by anyone who knows a little about films. And let's not mention the approach to «Nashville», which is almost reduced to a corollary of a testimony by Richard Nixon about folk music. From the vantage point given by the time that has passed since the releases of «HealtH» (which didn't even have a proper release), «Quintet» and «Popeye», neither does Mann question or evaluate what was written and said about them. He does quote Altman telling a story about «Quintet»: in a meeting at Fox Grace of Monaco questioned Alan Ladd Jr. for letting "that Altman person" put her friend Paul Newman in that "dreadful film". Ladd told her to shut up and quit Fox. Today «Quintet» is seen as an apocalyptic science- fiction dreamscape that completes Altman's surrealist trilogy, after «Images» and «3 Women». Robin Williams died without understanding that in «Popeye» he had given one of his best film performances. Neither Mann seems to understand the film and, in return, concedes valuable time of the documentary to a clip of an unmentionable television film critic who could only mutter nonsense about Altman's vision of E.C. Segar's universe the morning after the film premiere. It must be added too that the appreciation of «Popeye» has improved with the years. As Mann lightly approaches other interesting works, as Altman's theater adaptations («Fool for Love», «Streamers», «Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean», «Beyond Therapy», all underrated), the biopic «Vincent & Théo», the drama «Kansas City» that follows the structure (if any) of a jazz session, or the comedies he made after his heart transplant (the delirious «Dr. T and the Women» and the moving «Cookie's Fortune», for example), Mann spends more than enough time in «Secret Honor», the television series «Tanner» or »Brewster McCloud» which Altman called his favorite film in an interview in "Film Comment" when he was about to make «Short Cuts». And so goes this work, in which, yes, we can perceive the admiration for the filmmaker, but that in general, as we have stated, misses in its reflection and analysis of the work of one of the greatest American filmmakers of the twentieth century and part of this one (above a few overrated defenders of the status quo), who talked about and filmed his fellow people, his country, its history, its cities, towns, politics, cultures, vices and virtues. And there lies his greatness.

A look at the life and work of American filmmaker Robert Altman.

For anyone who loves film and its history, this is a must-see documentary. The career of Robert Altman spanned many decades and he worked with just about anyone who was anyone, making some of the greatest films of all time. Some duds, too, but that will happen.

Rather than just talking to a handful of people about their memories, this mixes in plenty of home footage, Altman's own memories, and those of his wife. While his career could fit into a much longer film, for the time frame allotted they did a great job covering his whole life and leaving us wanting more rather than opening up the possibility we could get bored.

Robert Altman is admired amongst directors and actors, but despised amongst the producers of Hollywood. Isnt it ironic that some of his best work (The Player) is a terrific parody of all the pittfalls Hollywood digs for those trying to make a movie.

I have always wondered why there is such an admiration for him as a director, but the admiration grew out of his love for movie making and his love for the actors. And that love is being returned now. He treated his actors and his movie crew in a way few other Hollywood directors did. Robert Altman's movies seemed to be sort of a family/friends gathering of like minded spirits, who supported each other.

This guy made some terrific movies and he also made quite a few stinkers, movies that really were below par. But Robert Altman's talents never faded, his passion never faded, it was the Hollywood industry that did or did not give him the chance to film the way he wanted to, resulting in periods of success and periods of drought and failures.

I'll always remember Altman for his classic movies. And after seeing this movie I'll also will dearly remember him as a sort of a father of the actor's community. Too bad he got an early stroke, after which he finally had to give up drinking. But up untill then he lived his live to the fullest, giving us audiences worldwide several beautiful movie classics!

BRAVO !!!

Altman's life merits a 10-hour documentary. This is only 1½ hours, but we are treated to a decent selection of Altman trivia.

Gosford Park, M.A.S.H., Nashville, Short Cuts, The Player. Just wow.

The downside of cutting it down to a feature length documentary is that you are forced to skim through many great films. First of all, he made so many movies it's hard to keep track of them. Second of all, his movies are so dense that they require multiple viewings, and more than two minutes of exposition, to fully appreciate.

Nonetheless, I think the film is well-made and never boring.

Family videos and photos, and on-location footage, provide access to a rarely-seen Altman, such as Altman-the-father.

But don't expect great revelations. There is nothing truly shocking here, no skeletons in the closet. Altman is painted as a suspiciously lovable, but subversive, Santa Claus figure. Perhaps that's just the way he was.

But one would have liked a few rough edges to be explored a bit more - like his family troubles, financial worries and personal addictions to gambling and booze. The movies gets too close to hagiography at times. But if one is to pick Saints for canonization, you could do much worse than go with Robert Altman!