[lbo-talk] Re: Altman is Dead

[Michael Hoover]

On 11/21/06, BklynMagus <magcomm at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> When the talent is as large as Robert Altman's, it is hard to
> ignore it without looking foolish.
> NASHVILLE
> CALIFORNIA SPLIT
> 3 WOMEN
> SHORT CUTS
> A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (which now stands as one of
> the great swansongs in movie history)
> THE PLAYER
> MCCABE AND MRS. MILLER
> THIEVES LIKE US
> M*A*S*H
> GOSFORD PARK
> TANNER '88
> THE LONG GOODBYE
> SECRET HONOR
> And I have listed just those works which are beyond dispute.
> There is then the rest of his film work which though not as
> consistenttly perfect as the above, contain moments of grace
> rare in cinema.
> Brian Dauth
> Queer Buddhist Resister
<<<<<>>>>>

my favorite altman moment is actually a personal one, i had gone to
see what many/most consider his worst film, _quintet_, about a future
ice age, quintet is a survival game that people play, paul newman
plays the principal character,,,

film ended, house lights came on, i looked around and there was one
other person in the theatre, we looked at each other and he said: 'no
more altman mon'...

fwiw: i rather liked _quintet_, calling it convoluted may be an
understatement, then again, it may be too generous...in any event, the
flip side of its persistently depressing message is that there is more
to life than *mere* survival (at least that's my take and i'm sticking
to it)...

and if i'm incorrect about the above, shot in snow and ice (including
icy interior shots in which you still see the actors' breath) the film
succeeds marvelously in making you feel physically cold (literally
so)... mh