The Top 10 Robert Altman Films of All-Time
Posted On: Sunday, October 4th, 2009 | Posted By: Alex Carlson
After this month’s career appreciation, I have forced myself to realize that if I am going to attempt to pay tribute to the career of someone as legendary as Robert Altman, I am inevitably going to come up short. The man directed films for over 5 decades, churning out more releases than a single month can contain. In September I saw more of his films than I had before, but I just barely dipped my toe into the sea that is Altman.
However, despite my inability to see all of his films I am still going to an attempt a summarizing top 10 list. Here are my 10 favorite Robert Altman films of all-time:
10) California Split (1974)
Frequent Altman collaborator Elliott Gould and George Segal make an excellent team in this buddy comedy that displays the best of Altman’s unique style. The dialogue overlaps, the actors playfully improvise, and the narrative loosely comes together as the two central characters navigate through the underground gambling world. Altman gets into the mind of a gambling addict and creates a world that is not particularly welcoming, but enjoyable to watch nonetheless.
9) Images (1972)
Arguably Altman’s most abstract film, it is so full of symbolism that at times it echoes the work of Kubrick and Bergman. For a filmmaker whose works characteristically have big ensembles, layered dialogue, and a lot going on in each scene, Images feels stark and almost claustrophobic. The film features some of Altman’s best camera work that weaves in and around the rooms of the house as Catherine, the writer, slowly begins to lose her mind. Their is also a fantastic use of color that separates the protagonist from her surroundings in a particularly unique way.
8) The Player (1992)
Every director needs the opportunity to use their art to pick apart the studios which pay them. Altman’s noir-style pseudo-thriller about the Hollywood studio system is one of the best movies about movies ever. With an all-star cast of players Altman uses satire to dissect, analyze, and reveal the darkness and vapidity of the film industry. It’s full of moments that makes you laugh out loud and gasp in disbelief almost simultaneously. Now that’s tricky to pull off.
7) Gosford Park (2001)
After a few missteps in the late 90s it was refreshing to see Altman get his groove back with this ensemble film about a murder mystery at a wealthy English house party in the early 20th Century. Altman once again assembles a spectacular cast of British and American actors to create a world where no one is really what they seem. The dichotomy between the world of the servants and the world of their masters is brilliantly filmed as the servants literally seep through the woodwork while the English upper class go about their trivial pursuits unknowing. (Read Brandon Cooley’s Review)
6) M*A*S*H (1970)
Without a doubt one of Altman’s funniest films and probably one of the funniest war films ever made. However, M*A*S*H is not without a dark side. The bloody operating rooms where much of the film takes place make for startling reminders of the realities of war for both the characters of the film and the audience. Nonetheless the film is chock full of memorable moments including the Last Supper re-enactment, the wonderful golf outfits, and the fantastic theme song that says a lot about the sarcastic attitudes of the enlisted surgeons – “Suicide is Painless.” (Read My Review)
5) 3 Women (1977)
Altman was enjoying a hugely successful run in the early seventies which allowed him to make this intensely personal film, which was actually based on some of his dreams. Despite how non-commercial the film was meant to be it is actually very notable for its excellent performances from Shelly Duvall (who won the acting award at the Cannes Film Festival) and Sissy Spacek. Altman’s departs from his usual style of a lot going on at once and instead uses a desert setting to emphasize the isolation of the film’s characters.
4) McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
Sometimes characterized as the anti-western, this film about a bordello in a small western town is a great addition to the Altman canon. When shooting the camera used a sepia-colored filter and the film was overexposed in order to create the look of an old photograph. Technical aspects of the film aside, it has a great story that features an outsider who comes to town and instead of being the savior is shown to be in need of saving. Julie Christie delivers one of the great Western performances as the assertive, cockney Mrs. Miller.
3) Nashville (1975)
This is one of the greatest films ever made that is literally about nothing. Sure, the ensemble film is set against the background of the Nashville country music scene, but other than that there is little plot to be found. However, what is to be found is great character drama from one of the finest ensemble casts ever assembled. The actors wrote and performed most of their own songs and the dialogue was largely improvised, in tune with Altman’s belief that actors can come up with better stuff than script writers a lot of the time (which is why writers weren’t too fond of him, but actors loved him).
2) The Long Goodbye (1973)
Altman and star Elliott Gould take the private eye character Phillip Marlowe in a whole new direction in this fantastic addition to the film noir genre. Altman fills every frame with absurdity to where it almost becomes hard to follow. However, the genre elements and the character arcs that exist are so strong that this film is a thrill to watch. The Long Goodbye is to film noir what McCabe & Mrs. Miller was to westerns – a subversion of the formula that works so well it makes you wish there was never a formula in the first place. (Also, try to spot the Arnold Schwarzenegger and David Carradine cameos.)
1) Short Cuts (1993)
Raymond Carver’s short stories made for the perfect exhibition of Robert Altman’s unique style. Short Cuts clocks in at just about three hours, but there is never a dull moment. The film is multiple character studies all rolled up into one and shoved into a hot Los Angeles day where tensions are high and everyone will end the day a changed person. Film students should study Altman’s style in this movie because he is able to put so much story into each individual shot that it is just mind-blowing. The film delicately balances humor and pathos and the film’s actors masterfully come together to deliver a phenomenal motion picture that is characteristically and definitively Altman. (Read My Review)
