Altman on Altman

by Thompson, David; Anderson, Paul Thomas

• ISBN13: 9780571220892
• ISBN10: 0571220894
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-04-04
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Summary

In his own words, one of American cinema's most incorrigible mavericks reflects on a brilliant career. Robert Altman served a long apprenticeship in movie-making before his great breakthrough, the Korean War comedy M*A*S*H* (1969). It became a huge hit and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, but also established Altman's inimitable use of sound and image, and his gift for handling a repertory company of actors. The 1970s then became Altman's decade, with a string of masterpieces: McCabe and Mrs Miller, The Long Goodbye, Thieves Like Us, Nashville . . . In the 1980s Altman struggled to fund his work, but he was restored to prominence in 1992 with The Player, an acerbic take on Hollywood. Short Cuts, an inspired adaptation of Raymond Carver, and the Oscar-winning Gosford Park, underscored his comeback. Now he recalls the highs and lows of his career trajectory to David Thompson, in this definitive interview book.

Author Biography

David Thompson, a film scholar, has edited or co-edited several titles in the Directors on Directors series, including Scorsese on Scorsese and Levinson on Levinson.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	vii
Acknowledgements	xi
Foreword	xv
Introduction	xvii
1	1	(20)
Early Years
The Calvin Company
First Features
Television
2	21	(23)
More Television
Countdown
That Cold Day in the Park
3	44	(26)
M*A *S*H
Brewster McCloud
McCabe & Mrs Miller
4	70	(29)
Images
The Long Goodbye
Thieves Like Us
California Split
Nashville
5	99	(29)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians
3 Women
A Wedding
Quintet
A Perfect Couple
Health
Popeye
6	128	(35)
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
Streamers
O.C. and Stiggs
Secret Honor
Fool for Love
The Dumb
Waiter/The Room
Beyond Therapy
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Tanner '88
Vincent & Theo
The Player
7	163	(32)
Short Cuts
Prêt-à-Porter
Kansas City
The Gingerbread Man
Cookie's Fortune
Dr T and the Women
8	195	(24)
Gosford Park
The Company
Tanner on Tanner
Filmography	219	(57)
Awards	276	(3)
Appendix	279
Quintet
The Game
Bibliography	184	(106)
Note on the Editor	290	(1)
Index	291