Robert Altman: Critical Response
Born on Feb. 20th 1925 Robert Altman has had a gigantic impact on film history and its evolution. I elected to watch three different films directed by Altman, hoping to capture all that such a genius could communicate. I watched Nashville, Shortcuts, and The Player.
Born on Feb. 20th 1925 Robert Altman has had a gigantic impact on film history and its evolution. I elected to watch three different films directed by Altman, hoping to capture all that such a genius could communicate. I watched Nashville, Shortcuts, and The Player.
The first thing that comes to mind after watching his films is dialogue. These films are chaotic if anything in their composition around dialogue. In The Player, Altman’s epic 8 minute long first scene, taken in a single shot is loaded with various moments that all required dialogue from almost every person in it. Furthermore, there is a crisscross of plots that arise from the many conversations that take place between these characters. In Shortcuts, the conversation that takes place between Matthew Modine and Julianne Moore is mind-blowing say the least, using nudity while the husband and wife talk about her cheating on him three years back to show how there is no sexual attraction at all between them. Nashville is ridiculous in its ongoing conversations about numerous topics mainly the government and national pride, but in truth the way Nashville is presented to us is in the form of satire. In all a hilarious black comedy purposely flaunting American society on an epic scale.
Altman is known for his drama, and his dialogue, but underlying it all there is a lot of symbolism to communicate to us how cynical, subliminal, and satirical his films are. We see the plots thicken up to be perverse and twisted. In The Player Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) gets away with murdering an aspiring screenwriter because he believed him to be sending him death threats. Then the actual writer of the cards reveals himself and pitches him an idea for a movie, called…guess what? The Player.
In Nashville we follow the multiple storylines of about 25 characters as they move around in the five days before the stage rally of a powerful presidential candidate, which we never see throughout the entire movie.
In Shortcuts, Altman shows us how married couples lose attraction for each other, argue, encounter cracks in the relationship, and face inevitable truths in the most dramatic way possible.
Overall, all of Altman’s films criticize American societies, corruption, and doubt., in a comical fashion. His multi-plot lines are chaotically capturing and his dialogues are dramatically impressive.
Altman is known for his drama, and his dialogue, but underlying it all there is a lot of symbolism to communicate to us how cynical, subliminal, and satirical his films are. We see the plots thicken up to be perverse and twisted. In The Player Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) gets away with murdering an aspiring screenwriter because he believed him to be sending him death threats. Then the actual writer of the cards reveals himself and pitches him an idea for a movie, called…guess what? The Player.
In Nashville we follow the multiple storylines of about 25 characters as they move around in the five days before the stage rally of a powerful presidential candidate, which we never see throughout the entire movie.
In Shortcuts, Altman shows us how married couples lose attraction for each other, argue, encounter cracks in the relationship, and face inevitable truths in the most dramatic way possible.
Overall, all of Altman’s films criticize American societies, corruption, and doubt., in a comical fashion. His multi-plot lines are chaotically capturing and his dialogues are dramatically impressive.
Not to mention his screenplay is phenomenal.
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