Tim Robbins in The PlayerImage via Fine Line Features
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Liam Gaughan
Published 20 minutes ago
Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows.
In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA.
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Robert Altman is one of the most singular filmmakers of all-time, as he emerged during a period of change in the American film industry. Although Altman began making films during the 1960s, in which “Old Hollywood” was still in effect, he developed nicely during the shift towards more auteur-driven projects in the following decade. Altman developed a unique style of storytelling that emphasized realism, interiority, and strong characterization; his influence can be felt upon a number of today’s most prominent directors, including Noah Baumbach, Richard Linklater, Paul Thomas Anderson, and the Safdie brothers.
Altman was a prolific filmmaker who made many films worthy of consideration, but a few of his standout projects have stood the test of time as classics. While some of his strongest work is very well known, he’s made other projects that are more obscure, and deserve to be rediscovered by a new generation of cinephiles. Shockingly, Altman was never awarded with a Best Director prize at the Academy Awards, and joins the ranks of other unacknowledged masters who were snubbed by the Oscars, including Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Sergio Leone, Akira Kurosawa, and George Lucas. Here are seven Robert Altman movies that are complete and utter masterpieces.
7 ‘M*A*S*H*’ (1970)
Hawkeye and Trapper John in a golf course looking to the distance in M*A*S*HImage via 20th Century Studios
M*A*S*H* is one of the most influential war films ever made, as it predated the groundbreaking television show that changed the medium forever. Although the show broke records with its viewership, the film was also a tremendous hit, and proved that comedies could say something valuable about global politics. Altman has always had an eye for casting great actors, and M*A*S*H* features one of the best performances by the late great Donald Sutherland, who offered a rare showcase of his comedic abilities.
M*A*S*H stood out for its commentary on the senselessness of war, a message that proved to be incredibly resonant. While it was technically set in the Korean War, the film could be seen as a commentary on America’s involvement in Vietnam, which grew to be even more controversial in the years following its release. Impressively, M*A*S*H holds up very well when compared to other dark comedies of the era; even though it condemns the infrastructure and culture that resulted in a global conflict, it's very sympathetic to the men who valiantly laid down their lives in service.
6 ‘McCabe & Mrs. Miller’ (1971)
Warren Beatty as McCabe, holding a gun and bleeding in McCabe & Mrs. Miller Image Via Warner Bros.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller is one of the greatest westerns ever made, and that’s because it seems to defy all the supposed hallmarks of the genre. While most westerns tended to be action-packed works of spectacle that emphasized their heroic characters, McCabe & Mrs. Miller was a far more intimate story about an impoverished town and a twisted love story. Warren Beatty might have been one of the most popular movie stars in the world at the time of the film’s release, but McCabe & Mrs. Miller forced him to play a cowardly, vulnerable character.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller is the ultimate example of the efforts Altman would take in order to ensure his work was as authentic as possible, as an entire town was constructed to serve as the set; it also housed the cast as they adapted to their roles. The result is one of the more accurate westerns that stands out amidst the revisionist movement of the ‘70s. Julie Christie is certainly one of the best actresses to emerge from this exciting new wave of American cinema, but McCabe & Mrs. Miller may be the single best performance that she ever gave.
5 ‘The Long Goodbye’ (1973)
Elliott Gould smoking a cigarette walking in front of the ocean in The Long GoodbyeImage via United Artists
The Long Goodbye is the ultimate work of meta-commentary on the noir genre, as it cast Elliot Gould as a comical version of the classic private eye Phillip Marlowe. Marlowe was a character who had been portrayed by other great actors, most notably by Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep, but Gould presented a shaggy, hapless version of the detective who finds himself in the midst of a wacky mystery. It’s one of the most quotable films ever made, and became a primary influence on subsequent comedy noir mysteries, such as The Big Lebowski and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Gould’s sense-of-humor was refreshing when compared to the grim, brooding nature of many detective thrillers, but The Long Goodbye still functions as a successful mystery in its own right. Although the film’s clever satire made it a perfect viewing experience for those who were already well-versed in the cliches of the genre, Altman’s clever writing and ability to keep the momentum of the story going also made it a great introductory experience for those unfamiliar with Marlowe. Among its many other qualities, The Long Goodbye is worth revisiting for a short, “blick-and-you’ll-miss-it” appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger before he became one of the most prominent action stars of all-time.
4 ‘California Split’ (1974)
Elliott Gould as Charlie and George Segal as Bill playing blackjack in California Split (1974).Image Via Columbia Pictures
California Split is an incredible examination of gambling that was ahead of its time in exploring the addictive side of the activity. Gould worked with Altman once more to star alongside George Segal as a pair of degenerate cardsharks who can’t help but bet everything they have, even if it means risking their livelihoods. Altman does not shy away from the destructive and impulsive behavior that makes these characters so challenging, but it’s also a rather tender portrayal of male friendship.
California Split epitomizes Altman’s eye for casting; although Segal and Gould wouldn’t have seemed like natural screen partners, they ended up having amazing chemistry. Virtually every great gambling film going forward owes at least a small debt of inspiration to California Split, as Altman was able to show the tricks of the trade in an engaging way that didn’t necessitate any background knowledge. Although it follows a tried-and-true arc about the rise and fall of ambitious young players, California Split is also a dialogue-heavy film that serves as a great “hangout” experience.
3 ‘Popeye’ (1980)
Popeye (Robin Williams) arrives in Sweethaven in 1980's 'Popeye'Image via Paramount Pictures
Popeye was a giant financial disaster that ended up becoming a cult classic, as it's simply one of the most unusual films ever made by a major studio. Although it has now become more common for there to be live-action adaptations of classic cartoons, the idea of taking the Popeye characters and bringing them into a tactile world was unprecedented back in 1980. There aren’t many box office disasters that were as influential and as frequently revisited as Popeye.
Popeye is immaculately designed in order to feel as expressive and irreverent as the original source material, proving that Altman could use his skills to examine something from an entirely different reality. Even though it was considered to be an embarrassment when it first debuted, Popeye did serve as proof that Robin Williams was a movie star, as he had previously been best known for his work as a standup comedian and cast member on several hit television shows.
2 ‘The Player’ (1992)
Tim Robbins as Griffin Mill, sitting with his arms spread out on a couch in The PlayerImage via Fine Line Features
The Player is a deeply cynical, incredibly relevant film about the greed of the Hollywood studio system that has held up very well as an indictment of the way that the film industry sucks up and spits out promising creatives. Altman unleashed his fury at all the issues he’d had throughout his career by casting Tim Robbins as the vindictive studio executive Griffin Mill, who takes a dark path after killing a writer who had been harassing him.
The Player has one of the greatest anti-heroes in cinematic history because Mill becomes so delusional about his ability to navigate the industry that he begins to see himself as a hero, even though he is responsible for silencing the dreams of so many prospective writers and directors. Altman brought in many A-listers to make cameo appearances as themselves, which only further blurred the line between fiction and reality. The influence of The Player is still felt today, most notably in the Apple TV series The Studio, in which Bryan Cranston plays a different studio executive who also happens to be named “Griffin Mill.”
1 ‘Gosford Park’ (2001)
Kelly Macdonald and Clive Owen stand by a door in Gosford Park.Image via USA Films
Gosford Park saw the union of Altman and screenwriter Julian Fellowes, who would go on to find great success as the creator of Downton Abbey. Although Downton Abbey has been accused of being a bit too laudatory in its depiction of the upper class, Gosford Park is a scathing indictment of the haves and have nots told through a twisty mystery story. It may have been released towards the end of Altman’s career, but it proved that he had not lost any of the insight or energy that had made him such a genius in the first place.
Gosford Park managed to incorporate a massive ensemble of memorable characters without being confusing, and pulled off some surprising reveals that were difficult to anticipate. Despite being one of the quintessential “American” filmmakers, Altman proved to be the perfect critic of English society. Altman’s final film, A Prairie Home Companion, was an underrated gem that was released a half-decade later, but Gosford Park is certainly the final “masterpiece” that he ever directed.
The Making of 'Gosford Park'
Documentary
Release Date
June 18, 2002
Runtime
20 minutes
Director
Danny Miller
Producers
Kevin Gill
Cast
-
Julian Fellowes
Self
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Robert Altman
Self (uncredited)
-
Emily Watson
-
Alan Bates
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