A Long Goodbye To One Of The 20 Most Important Directors Of All Time
37 films… 36 since 1968.
My Personal Top Ten, it seems to me, offers an idea of Altman as one of the rarest of things in Hollywood
April 24, 2024
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” ā some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it ā I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury ā he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” ā and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging ā I was with her at that moment ā she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy namedā” “Yeah, sure ā you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that Iām on the phone with you now, after all thatās been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didnāt seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. Thereās not a case of that. He wasnāt using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had ā if that were what the accusation involved ā the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. Iām not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, āYou know, itās not this, itās thatā? Because ā let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. TimesĀ piece, thatās what it lacked. Thatās what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
I don’t cry when celebrities die, usually, but I did today. Altman’s been a great part of my life. I’m happy that his film legacy will survive him, but very sad no more will be added to it.
When a great artist dies, i think back on how they contributed to my life. With Altman that’s easy. In high school i left my shift at a grocery store to see the opening of NASHVILLE. I was stunned. Amazed. I was so enthusiastic that i returned the next night with about 12 of my friends from school. It amazed them as well. It was an experience i’ll never forget. What recent movie has had a similar effect? Nothing i can think of. How sad.
He had a long, good run and should serve as an example of how to keep fighting the good fight.
One of Altman’s lesser known achievements: he founded Lions Gate Films.
No matter what you want to say about Oscar, thank God they gave that statue to him last year.
Rest in Peace.
I heart skipped a beat. I never believed that it could do that until now.
I already told this story elsewhere, but it bears repeating here: I went to an early screening of KANSAS CITY (still my personal fave of all his films) when they were shopping for a distributor, and he was there. I asked him afterwards if he’d deliberately arranged the musicians on the bandstand in the same placements as those in the classic short JAMMIN’ THE BLUES. He looked at me for a second or two, then said, “Wow. You’re the first person who picked up on that.” Needless to say, I was six inches off the ground for the rest of the week.
Wow. Inevitable, yet still so sad. I’m heading home to watch Nashville, still my favorite of his.
God bless.
Last week, I found a VHS cassette of “Streamers” for a dollar at a garage sale. I had seen it when it first came out, and I always wanted to see it again. I’m glad I did.
Altman was truly an artist who never made the same film twice. That’s why I eagerly awaited each new one, to see where he would go this time and how he would get us there. Even when he made failures (like “Quintet” and “Pret-a-Porter”), they are still worth talking about. I would rather watch an Altman failure than a lot of other people’s successes.
My favorites are “McCabe and Mrs Miller,” “Nashvile,” “The Player,” “Gosford Park,” “Thieves Like Us,” and “Come Back to the Five and Dime.”
I’m just sorry he didn’t live to complete what was to be his next project…the “holding the hands on the car” contest. What a great opportunity for him to display once again his ensemble-handling skills and the overlapping dialogue that would obtain at such a contest. Does anyone know who the projected cast was for that film?—and will they go on anyway and try to make it with another director?
I hope that Hollywood is so shocked that they nominate him for best director for “Prairie Home Companion” and that they nominate Meryl Streep for supporting actress in “Prairie.” That would be a great tribute to him.
I just saw PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION a few days ago and enjoyed it, checked out the DVD extra materials and enjoyed the Robert Altman interviews; he always comes across as a smart, sly, Southern gentleman.
Of course he will always be known as the director of the ‘overlapping dialogue’ movies, but he was a great director, adept at different genres (a la John Huston) and masterful with ensemble pieces.
NASHVILLE is a classic of course but I also loved THE LONG GOODBYE, one of the best, most cynical gumshoe movies ever made and a great look at the L.A. of the 70s.
His westerns were thought-provoking and gritty (MCCABE AND MRS MILLER, BUFFALO BILL,) his comedies were as cynical as those of Billy Wilder (A WEDDING, M.A.S.H. CALIFORNIA SPLIT) – I could go on and on, but another giant of the cinema passes away.
Look at directors nowadays…how many will end up doing as many genres as a Huston or Altman and still do it with their own little trademarks and imprints *and* keep working well into their 80s making great flicks (i.e.GOSFORD PARK)?
For every Marty Scorcese out there, you have a dozen McGs…
Even though Altman was in his 80s, his death does not negate his loss to the world of cinema.
I was too young initially to appreciate his films in the 70’s, but I truly fell in love with his work in the 1-2-3 punch of Vincent & Theo, The Player and Short Cuts in the 90’s. He was versatile to say the least; able to have me laughing in stitches at a knowing satire of the idiocy of the blockbuster Hollywood mentality, and then break my heart at the randomness of life and how another person can enter it and change it forever. That was also the last time I felt truly excited about movies in general. It’s been a sad descent into dumb low-risk product put out by mega-corporations to the detriment of unique visions of art that move people emotionally and make them think. Altman was one of the ever-decreasing number of true original visionaries and even though he was 81, news of his death brought tears to my eyes because of his still vital work and how his movies have impacted me for the better. I will miss him. R.I.P.
Short Cuts is one of my all-time favorite films. Few movies cover such a wide range of emotions, utterly convincingly. It’s serious, and yet it has a wicked sense of humor. Above all, it is keenly observant about human behavior. Altman’s movies were all about behavior, so he said, and certainly Short Cuts observes humanity in a wide range of life situations, doing what humanity does. How many movies do this and are compelling viewing besides? I thought about Short Cuts for a long time after it was over. Initially I wasn’t even sure if I liked it — it was just so different, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But in thinking it through, I started to get what it was all about, and the depth and scope of it just amaze me to this day.
I love Gosford Park. Maybe I’ll use this as incentive to check out his other famous films.
I remember seeing “Popeye” in the theater when it came out. I was a wee lad at the time and had no idea who directed it; all I knew was that Mork was in it. Years later I found out it was Altman. You can imagine my surprise.
Drudge has had it as his lead headline all day. Kudos to him for recognizing the significance of this story.
The first Altman film I ever saw was Popeye. It was on TV. I didn’t even know it was one of his movies ’till a few years ago, when I started to look at directors that I didn’t know much of from my teenage years. I still have a lot of his films to see, but A Prairie Home Companion was a great, fun film. I also saw Nashville finally this year, and it was fantastic. I’m sorry that he’s gone. At least there will always be the movies.
I’m ashamed to say, but also a little excited that I haven’t seen some of the movies talked about here. My Netflix queue is about to be rearranged.
Blackcloud: I had the same reaction about “Popeye.” I was born in 1976, so “Popeye” was huge in my house growing up. My jaw dropped when I eventually found out who directed it (I had discovered Altman in high school with “The Player” and “Short Cuts”).
I will always be thankful to Robert Altman for giving the world Julianne Moore’s first truly great performance in Short Cuts, which is also my favourite film of his. I also thought A Prairie Home Companion was pretty good and I adored The Company (probably his most visually stunning film). Although I know of his earlier work, I’m ashamed to say I actually haven’t seen of them–Popeye was the first in his canon that I’d seen at the tender age of 9. I’m glad he finished off his career with a solid film and that he managed to get his Oscar (even if it was for Lifetime Achievement) before his passing.
Altman is always one of those directors I keep meaning to really delve into, but always put it off for some reason. I did DL the POPEYE soundtrack off mininova a few months back and it’s been a nice album to reflect to today.
No one’s taking DP up on his request for lists. Personally, I can’t believe he omitted California Split, an underrated masterpiece that, newly on DVD, should have a much bigger fanbase. The commentary from Altman, Gould, and Segal is not to be missed. Still the best film about gambling ever made.
1. California Split
2. McCabe and Mrs. Miller
3. Short Cuts
4. Nashville
5. M*A*S*H
6. The Long Goodbye
7. The Player
8. Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson
9. Kansas City
10. Gosford Park
“I’m glad he finished off his career with a solid film and that he managed to get his Oscar (even if it was for Lifetime Achievement) before his passing.” – wongjongat
It is tempting to think that anyone getting the “honorary Oscar” is settling for some sort of compensation prize doled out by the Academy.
I often would think that. During this past year’s Oscar ceremony, I expected Altman to deliver some kind of rant, even a mild one, during his acceptance speech. He was a renegade after all and rarely put up with much crap. But that didn’t happen. Altman went onstage, accepted the Oscar, and then, always true to his contrarian roots, he did the opposite. More important, he changed my mind about “lifetime” achievements:
“No other filmmaker has gotten a better shake than I have,” Altman said while accepting the award. “I’m very fortunate in my career. I’ve never had to direct a film I didn’t choose or develop. My love for filmmaking has given me an entree to the world and to the human condition.”
That was the most heartfelt, gracious speech of the night. Then again, Altman was always full of surprises.
For most filmmakers, actors, et al, a “lifetime” in the movie industry is five years, maybe ten, if they’re lucky. Most won’t do anything half as interesting, inventive, or as daring.
That Altman lasted so long and did it his way (which was certainly harder) says a lot about his dedication to an industry that does not welcome the renegade. Today’s mavericks owe him a lot, and you can see Altman’s influence right now at your local cineplex in Linklater’s Fast Food Nation or even Estevez’s Bobby.
I understand Altman was prepping his next film when he passed away. I wonder what will happen to the project.
BTW – The Player was my favorite Altman film.
I can’t resist a listmaking opportunity:
1. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
2. Nashville
3. Gosford Park
4. The Long Goodbye
5. Short Cuts
6. California Split
7. Popeye
8. The Player
9. A Prairie Home Companion
10. MASH
I haven’t seen that many Altman movies (a lot that I wanna see, like Nashville, 3 Women and Come Back to the Five and Dime… are criminally not even released on DVD in Australia), but I could tell how important he was. And it was good that I was able to see his last films in cinemas, starting with Gosford Park then The Company and lastly A Prairie Home Companion.
It is eerily similar how Altman’s death mirrored A Prairie Home Companion. Much loved program ends without much fanfare, but instead getting together old friends for a good time.
The first movie I ever saw of his was Pret-a-Porter and I didn’t like it! I remember my mum was shocked that I made her hire a movie that had that catwalk scene at the end (I was a 12-year-old obsessed with Julia Roberts in 1997 (for some reason) so that’s why I wanted to see it). But luckily I then saw stuff like Short Cuts and started to like him. And yes, I even like Cookie’s Fortune! Trust Altman to get a good comedy performance out of Julianne Moore.
It’s sad that he’s gone because like Woody Allen he had become a part of the furniture (in the good way). You just knew that every couple of years he’d come out with a new movie. I really wanna see some of his ’70s stuff now. I have McCabe and Mrs Miller on my computer right now so I might watch it later tonight.
One of my favorite movies is A Wedding and until today, I had no idea that is was directed by Robert Altman. I love M*A*S*H and The Player too. I still want to see A prairie Home Companion which I just bought on DVD and I would like to see Nashville.
What a loss to the film world and those that appreciate a good movie.
Just so you know, I didn’t mean to sound like I was denigrating his lifetime achievement Oscar–I just know that others would see it as a lesser award because it wasn’t won in competition. So I apologize if it sounded like I was toeing that line. I actually think a lifetime achievement Oscar is probably more competitive in many ways, since it does recognize a body of work; so if you’re selected to get an Oscar for that, it means you’ve had a pretty storied career, which says more about your talent than winning and being nominated for just one film in your lifetime.
I’m a bit ashamed to admit I haven’t seen enough of his films to make a top ten list… š To be corrected!
But Gosford Park was one of my favourite movies of 2001, thought it was a real gem!!!
How ironic is it that today of all days the radio (here in Belgium) started announcing the “new Altman movie: A Prairie Home Companion”? I’ve been wanting to see it for months, and it finally hits our screens in 2 weeks. I definitely won’t miss it!
I love lists, so I’d thought I’d contribute mine.
1. Short Cuts
2. Nashville
3. McCabe and Mrs. Miller
4. The Player
5. 3 Women
6. California Split
7. Secret Honor
8. MASH
9. Gosford Park
10. Images
To me it’s all about MASH. That’s all I wanna say. What a great piece of cinema that is, and it never gets old to me.
To me, a filmlover since I was a wee lad and saw NASHVILLE on TV and had no idea what I was watching but knew it was genius, Robert Altman’s passing is a profound loss to the film world and to all cinema lovers. I am proud of blogs like this one for celebrating his life and his film.
For the record my top 10 Altman films:
1. NASHVILLE
2. SHORT CUTS
3. GOSFORD PARK
4. THE PLAYER
5. A WEDDING
6. M*A*S*H
7. 3 WOMEN
8. MCCABE & MRS. MILLER
9. STREAMERS
10. PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION
Hey wongjongat, no need to apologize. I didn’t intended to slam you by quoting your post and I’m sorry if you took it as that. I figured you were pointing out a general concensus about the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in Film. It’s stuck with this rep of “Oh, you couldn’t win it, so we’ll just give it to you.”
In the past, I was inclined to agree with the common perception attached to this honor – “Give it to the old guy . . .” – and I often wondered if anyone really wanted the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. Paul Newman, who hadn’t won an Oscar yet, joked that he wasn’t ready for Forest Lawn when the Academy awarded it to him some 20+ years ago; Peter O’Toole first said he wouldn’t attend the ceremony when it was announced he would receive it in 2004, but there was a little arm-twisting and he showed up.
You’re right, it’s much harder to offer a range of work that shows not only your talent, but determination and sensibility in the face of constant meddling from the suits. That in of itself is worth some honor.
There are Robert Altman films I have not seen for years — decades, really — that I would love to see again right now, just to see if my original opinions (favorable or otherwise) hold up. I remember being intrigued by “That Cold Day in the Park” long before anyone (including me) knew who Robert Altman was. And I recall “A Perfect Couple” being quite charming in a low-key way. “Streamers” is definitely worth a revival — frightfully claustrophobic, one of the overlooked and under-rated Vietnam War dramas — and “The Gingerbread Man” is much better than many critics admitted at the time of its release. I was especially impressed by the latter because it demonstarted that Robert Altman really could work within (and at the same time transcend) genre conventions. That is, it’s not that he couldn’t work within the system — he simply chose not to. For similar reasons, I’ve always felt “The Rainmaker” (which, perhaps not coincidentally, also is based on a John Grisham work) is one of Francis Coppola’s more under-rated films.
I would propose that one definition of a truly great director is his (or her) ability to make a film that becomes the gold standard for all subsequent films of its type. That is, it becomes the movie by which all later movies of its type is measured. IMHO, Altman made at least three: MASH, Nashville and The Player. Not shabby.
Props to all those who cite California Split as being a lost classic. I remember finding it on VHS years ago somewhere in North Hollywood and just loving it. It’s great to hear it’s out on DVD. It’s brilliant stuff, raw and tough, and worthy of checking out for any Altman fans who missed it because it wasn’t available…
There’s not much more to add about Altman that hasn’t already been said, except to say that I’ll miss his new films a ton…he was a true original, and it’s sad to say but there probably won’t be many more like him…
For me, I treasure most the Altman/Eliot Gould trilogy from the 70’s – MASH, The Long Goodbye, and California Split, with Nashville thrown in for good measure. The young Gould was the perfect player for Altman’s films – I’m not sure it’s fair to Gould to say that Altman was the jazzman, and Gould was the horn, but that’s always the way it seemed to me.
And while Nashville might be Altman’s “greatest” film, I’ll take The Long Goodbye over it personally, because that’s where the Altman/Gould duo was at it’s best…in the same way the score kept riffing on the theme song, Gould just kept riffing on…well, Gould…throughout the film. Just perfect…
It’s a sad, sad day…RIP…but thank God we still have the films…
Also, I’m not sure if Altman’s Lions Gate is the same at the one making money off of films I’m sure the man despises…I think Altman’s company folded long ago…anyone know for sure?
^^^He sold it off in the 80s I believe. Yes, the same company.
THE LONG GOODBYE is genius.
Elliot Gould effectively playing a downbeat, cynical Philip Marlowe (a far cry from James Garner or Robert Mitchum’s take on the character).
Sterling Hayden was unbelieavably brilliant in that and Director Mark Rydell played a nasty piece of work, brutal to the ladies…
I too love the Elliot Gould/Altman stuff. I still remember that final, shocking scenes in GOODBYE, with echoes of both THE THIRD MAN’s ending *and* DIRTY HARRY’s climax – if you haven’t seen this film you are in for a real treat.
Does anyone remember TANNER ’88? Before LARRY SANDERS (I think), it was when HBO first started to flirt with brilliance. Altman and Garry Trudeau created a first rate cast of fictional politicos mixing it up with the real life presidential candidates of the day culiminating with a Democratic National Convention that left me breathless and hungry for more. The follow-up a couple of years ago was a nice epilogue. All the Altman trademarks were there plus the immediacy of reacting to real life news developments (I believe new episodes were taped just days before they aired). It MAY seem quaint in today’s political arenas, but it was groundbreaking in the spring and summer of 1988.
Tanner ’88 – which I should have mentioned – is one of the best TV series in the history of the medium.