R.I.P. Robert Altman
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anonymous1980
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True but we'll be reminded more of the contributions he had made to the medium because he worked until the end.paperboy wrote:anonymous wrote:A huge, huge loss. The fact that he worked right until the very end makes it even more painful.
Or to look at it another way, less painful - working until the very end doing something you love? May we all have such long full lives.
RIP.
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Sonic Youth
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They're now reporting that he died of cancer, which is as big a surprise to me as the heart transplant revelation was several months ago. Considering how healthy he looked at the Oscars, I'd have been less surprised if he were in a hand-gliding accident.
And as you can see in this obit, lots of actors are talkin'. Quotes from Tim Robbins, Tommy Lee Jones, Elliot Gould, Tom Skerritt, Bruce Davison, Sally Kirkland, as well as Julian Fellowes. Which leads me to ask, even though they just honored him at the previous Oscar's ceremony, might they devote another segment to him next year? Unlikely, but... maybe not?
And props to right-wing nutcase Drudge. He has this as the lead story on his site. And in the headline he wrote, he calls him a "film legend".
Director Robert Altman Dies at 81
Nov 21, 6:13 PM (ET)
By CHRISTY LEMIRE
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Robert Altman, a five-time Academy Award nominee for best director whose vast, eclectic filmography ranged from the dark war comedy "M-A-S-H" to the Hollywood farce "The Player" to the British murder mystery "Gosford Park," has died of complications from cancer. He was 81.
"He had lived and worked with the disease for the last 18 months, a period that included the making of his film 'A Prairie Home Companion,'" the director's Sandcastle 5 Productions in New York said in a statement Tuesday. "His death was, nevertheless, a surprise: Altman was in pre-production on a film he had planned to start shooting in February."
He died Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, surrounded by his wife and children.
When he received a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2006, Altman revealed he'd had a heart transplant a decade earlier. "I didn't make a big secret out of it, but I thought nobody would hire me again," he said after the ceremony. "You know, there's such a stigma about heart transplants, and there's a lot of us out there."
Altman was to begin work on "Hands on a Hardbody," a fictionalized version of the documentary about a Texas contest in which people stand around a pickup truck with one hand the vehicle, and whoever lasts the longest wins it. The film would have been vintage Altman.
While he was famous for his outspokenness, which caused him to fall in and out of favor in Hollywood over his nearly six decades in the industry, he was perhaps even better known for his influential method of assembling large casts and weaving in and out of their story lines, using long tracking shots and intentionally having dialogue overlap.
His most recent example of this technique, this year's "A Prairie Home Companion," starred such varied performers as Lily Tomlin, Meryl Streep, Woody Harrelson, Kevin Kline and Lindsay Lohan. It was based on the long-running radio show from Garrison Keillor, who said Altman's love of film clearly came through on the set.
"Mr. Altman loved making movies. He loved the chaos of shooting and the sociability of the crew and actors - he adored actors - and he loved the editing room and he especially loved sitting in a screening room and watching the thing over and over with other people," Keillor, who also wrote and co-starred in the film, told The Associated Press. "He didn't care for the money end of things, he didn't mind doing publicity, but when he was working he was in heaven."
"He was very good at letting actors think that they had more control than they actually did," said "Prairie Home Companion" co-star Tommy Lee Jones.
"From a filmmaker's point of view, he had a great many lessons to teach - presence of mind and relaxation around the camera and planning, preparedness," Jones added.
Tim Robbins, who starred in the "The Player" and also appeared in "Short Cuts" and the fashion-world comedy "Pret-a-Porter," described Altman as "a great friend and inspiration to me since I had the honor of meeting him in 1990. His unique vision and maverick sensibilities in filmmaking have inspired countless directors of my generation and will continue to inspire future filmmakers."
Altman received best-director Oscar nominations for "M-A-S-H,""Nashville,""The Player,""Short Cuts" and "Gosford Park." No director ever got more nominations without winning a competitive Oscar, though four other men - Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Clarence Brown and King Vidor - tied with Altman at five.
Despite his longevity and the many big-name stars who've appeared in his films, Altman famously bucked the studio system and was often critical of its executives. One of his best-received films, the insiderish "The Player," follows the travails of a studio executive being blackmailed by a writer.
But amid all those critical hits were several commercial duds including "The Gingerbread Man" in 1998, "Cookie's Fortune" in 1999 and "Dr. T & the Women" in 2000. His reputation for arrogance and hard drinking - a habit he eventually gave up - hindered his efforts to raise money for his idiosyncratic films.
Julian Fellowes, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of 2001's "Gosford Park," called the director "a force of nature."
"A lifelong rebel, he managed to make the movie industry do his bidding, and there are very, very few people who can claim that. He altered both my career and my perceptions, vastly for the better, and no matter how long I live, I will die grateful to him."
"M-A-S-H" star Elliot Gould said Altman's legacy would "nurture and inspire filmmakers and artists for generations to come."
"He was the last great American director in the tradition of John Ford," Gould said. "He was my friend and I'll always be grateful to him for the experience and opportunities he gave me."
But it was Altman's love of actors that came through over and over as Hollywood reacted to his death.
Tom Skerritt, who got his break from Altman on the 1960s TV series "Combat!" which led to his role in "M-A-S-H," said the director's death left him with "a big void I'm feeling this morning."
"I was just trying to write down briefly what it was," Skerritt said by phone from Seattle, describing Altman as a mentor. "'No one can match the sense of joy in filmmaking he gave. I'm sure others who've shared the Altman experience have longed for an experience the equal of what Bob gave us, that only Bob could give us.'"
"M-A-S-H" mattered, Skerritt said, because of "the timing, the anti-war sentiment," when it came out in 1970. It took place during the Korean War, but clearly was an attack on U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
"He said to me, 'This is a two-ticket film.' I asked what he meant by that, I'd never heard that before. He said, 'Well, make it really interesting the first time, give 'em a little humor, a little of the opposite and just blast through it and make it interesting enough for them to want to come back and buy a second ticket to pick up on what they missed the first time.' He knew that about it and he was right. It was a second-, third-, fourth-ticket film."
Born Feb. 20, 1925, Altman hung out in his teen years at the jazz clubs of Kansas City, Mo., where his father was an insurance salesman.
Altman was a bomber pilot in World War II and studied engineering at the University of Missouri in Columbia before taking a job making industrial films in Kansas City. He moved into features with "The Delinquents" in 1957, then worked largely in television through the mid-1960s, directing episodes of such series as "Bonanza" and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."
Married three times, Altman is survived by his wife, Kathryn Reed Altman, and six children. He also had 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Although Altman was known for his independent streak, he was also a generous-spirited man, said Sally Kirkland, who appeared as herself in "The Player."
"He was somebody who embraced people," she said, "very warm, very approachable, so down-to-earth."
"Short Cuts" co-star Bruce Davison recalls Altman's insistence that the cast members join him in watching the rushes every day, and that he'd have wine and cheese waiting for them.
"The best directors I've found are those who are ensemble players, not those guys who have great vision and make everyone hammer into that mold. ... He wanted you to participate - we came up with a lot of dialogue on our own, it was that kind of collaboration.
"He was Buffalo Bill," Davison added. "That's who he was."
And as you can see in this obit, lots of actors are talkin'. Quotes from Tim Robbins, Tommy Lee Jones, Elliot Gould, Tom Skerritt, Bruce Davison, Sally Kirkland, as well as Julian Fellowes. Which leads me to ask, even though they just honored him at the previous Oscar's ceremony, might they devote another segment to him next year? Unlikely, but... maybe not?
And props to right-wing nutcase Drudge. He has this as the lead story on his site. And in the headline he wrote, he calls him a "film legend".
Director Robert Altman Dies at 81
Nov 21, 6:13 PM (ET)
By CHRISTY LEMIRE
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Robert Altman, a five-time Academy Award nominee for best director whose vast, eclectic filmography ranged from the dark war comedy "M-A-S-H" to the Hollywood farce "The Player" to the British murder mystery "Gosford Park," has died of complications from cancer. He was 81.
"He had lived and worked with the disease for the last 18 months, a period that included the making of his film 'A Prairie Home Companion,'" the director's Sandcastle 5 Productions in New York said in a statement Tuesday. "His death was, nevertheless, a surprise: Altman was in pre-production on a film he had planned to start shooting in February."
He died Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, surrounded by his wife and children.
When he received a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2006, Altman revealed he'd had a heart transplant a decade earlier. "I didn't make a big secret out of it, but I thought nobody would hire me again," he said after the ceremony. "You know, there's such a stigma about heart transplants, and there's a lot of us out there."
Altman was to begin work on "Hands on a Hardbody," a fictionalized version of the documentary about a Texas contest in which people stand around a pickup truck with one hand the vehicle, and whoever lasts the longest wins it. The film would have been vintage Altman.
While he was famous for his outspokenness, which caused him to fall in and out of favor in Hollywood over his nearly six decades in the industry, he was perhaps even better known for his influential method of assembling large casts and weaving in and out of their story lines, using long tracking shots and intentionally having dialogue overlap.
His most recent example of this technique, this year's "A Prairie Home Companion," starred such varied performers as Lily Tomlin, Meryl Streep, Woody Harrelson, Kevin Kline and Lindsay Lohan. It was based on the long-running radio show from Garrison Keillor, who said Altman's love of film clearly came through on the set.
"Mr. Altman loved making movies. He loved the chaos of shooting and the sociability of the crew and actors - he adored actors - and he loved the editing room and he especially loved sitting in a screening room and watching the thing over and over with other people," Keillor, who also wrote and co-starred in the film, told The Associated Press. "He didn't care for the money end of things, he didn't mind doing publicity, but when he was working he was in heaven."
"He was very good at letting actors think that they had more control than they actually did," said "Prairie Home Companion" co-star Tommy Lee Jones.
"From a filmmaker's point of view, he had a great many lessons to teach - presence of mind and relaxation around the camera and planning, preparedness," Jones added.
Tim Robbins, who starred in the "The Player" and also appeared in "Short Cuts" and the fashion-world comedy "Pret-a-Porter," described Altman as "a great friend and inspiration to me since I had the honor of meeting him in 1990. His unique vision and maverick sensibilities in filmmaking have inspired countless directors of my generation and will continue to inspire future filmmakers."
Altman received best-director Oscar nominations for "M-A-S-H,""Nashville,""The Player,""Short Cuts" and "Gosford Park." No director ever got more nominations without winning a competitive Oscar, though four other men - Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Clarence Brown and King Vidor - tied with Altman at five.
Despite his longevity and the many big-name stars who've appeared in his films, Altman famously bucked the studio system and was often critical of its executives. One of his best-received films, the insiderish "The Player," follows the travails of a studio executive being blackmailed by a writer.
But amid all those critical hits were several commercial duds including "The Gingerbread Man" in 1998, "Cookie's Fortune" in 1999 and "Dr. T & the Women" in 2000. His reputation for arrogance and hard drinking - a habit he eventually gave up - hindered his efforts to raise money for his idiosyncratic films.
Julian Fellowes, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of 2001's "Gosford Park," called the director "a force of nature."
"A lifelong rebel, he managed to make the movie industry do his bidding, and there are very, very few people who can claim that. He altered both my career and my perceptions, vastly for the better, and no matter how long I live, I will die grateful to him."
"M-A-S-H" star Elliot Gould said Altman's legacy would "nurture and inspire filmmakers and artists for generations to come."
"He was the last great American director in the tradition of John Ford," Gould said. "He was my friend and I'll always be grateful to him for the experience and opportunities he gave me."
But it was Altman's love of actors that came through over and over as Hollywood reacted to his death.
Tom Skerritt, who got his break from Altman on the 1960s TV series "Combat!" which led to his role in "M-A-S-H," said the director's death left him with "a big void I'm feeling this morning."
"I was just trying to write down briefly what it was," Skerritt said by phone from Seattle, describing Altman as a mentor. "'No one can match the sense of joy in filmmaking he gave. I'm sure others who've shared the Altman experience have longed for an experience the equal of what Bob gave us, that only Bob could give us.'"
"M-A-S-H" mattered, Skerritt said, because of "the timing, the anti-war sentiment," when it came out in 1970. It took place during the Korean War, but clearly was an attack on U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
"He said to me, 'This is a two-ticket film.' I asked what he meant by that, I'd never heard that before. He said, 'Well, make it really interesting the first time, give 'em a little humor, a little of the opposite and just blast through it and make it interesting enough for them to want to come back and buy a second ticket to pick up on what they missed the first time.' He knew that about it and he was right. It was a second-, third-, fourth-ticket film."
Born Feb. 20, 1925, Altman hung out in his teen years at the jazz clubs of Kansas City, Mo., where his father was an insurance salesman.
Altman was a bomber pilot in World War II and studied engineering at the University of Missouri in Columbia before taking a job making industrial films in Kansas City. He moved into features with "The Delinquents" in 1957, then worked largely in television through the mid-1960s, directing episodes of such series as "Bonanza" and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."
Married three times, Altman is survived by his wife, Kathryn Reed Altman, and six children. He also had 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Although Altman was known for his independent streak, he was also a generous-spirited man, said Sally Kirkland, who appeared as herself in "The Player."
"He was somebody who embraced people," she said, "very warm, very approachable, so down-to-earth."
"Short Cuts" co-star Bruce Davison recalls Altman's insistence that the cast members join him in watching the rushes every day, and that he'd have wine and cheese waiting for them.
"The best directors I've found are those who are ensemble players, not those guys who have great vision and make everyone hammer into that mold. ... He wanted you to participate - we came up with a lot of dialogue on our own, it was that kind of collaboration.
"He was Buffalo Bill," Davison added. "That's who he was."
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
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Big Magilla
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I had the same thoughts - albeit my serious interest in film began in 1957 when he made his documentary on James Dean.Mister Tee wrote:For almost the entire time I've been seriously interested in film, Altman has been on the scene...I was 18 for MASH, 23 for Nashville. Obviously I've watched his career wax and wane over that time -- by the early 80s, it was easy to believe he'd never have a success again. But not only did he return, he did so with reinvigorated style -- The Player and Short Cuts and Gosford Park were as alive as anything he'd ever done. We should all be so productive up to our 80s.
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FilmFan720
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Sonic, thanks for posting that comment from Garrison Keillor. I think it is the best tribute to the master that I have read yet. In fact, I forwarded it to a couple of friends who have e-mailed me about the news so far today.
Tripp
Tripp
"Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good."
- Minor Myers, Jr.
- Minor Myers, Jr.
I heard this on the radio in my truck and was absolutely stunned--he seemed so full of life at the Oscars, and like so many others here, I assumed I had years of more cinema pleasure from Altman.
It was a weird day--we got lost several times, and I had a volatile confrontation with another driver--and I thought, how totally Altmanesque!
Rest in peace, sir.
It was a weird day--we got lost several times, and I had a volatile confrontation with another driver--and I thought, how totally Altmanesque!
Rest in peace, sir.
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
When I read the news this morning I felt a little hollowed out inside. I must admit I'm rarely truly saddened by the death of someone I've never met before, at least not if they've led a long and productive life. This is an exception.
I love so many of his films, and feel grateful to have been in the man's presence once. The coolest job I ever had while volunteering for the San Francisco International Film Festival was running microphones to audience members during a question-and-answer session with Altman as he recieved a sort-of lifetime achievement award before a screening of Nashville. The q-and-a was later written about here by an attendee. He told some great stories!
Right now I just want to curl up with a double-feature of McCabe and Mrs. Miller and the Company.
I love so many of his films, and feel grateful to have been in the man's presence once. The coolest job I ever had while volunteering for the San Francisco International Film Festival was running microphones to audience members during a question-and-answer session with Altman as he recieved a sort-of lifetime achievement award before a screening of Nashville. The q-and-a was later written about here by an attendee. He told some great stories!
Right now I just want to curl up with a double-feature of McCabe and Mrs. Miller and the Company.
Like most other people, for me the feeling is one of shock. EVen though he was in his 80s, he seemed so youthful and full of life. While it is true that there was little that was as bad as an Altman movie when he was off his game (Quartet comes to mind), with films such as The Player, Gosford Park, The Long Goodbye, etc, there was palpable joy on the screen. A truly legendary filmmaker. And every new film from him -- however it might turned out to be -- felt like an Event. (And he had great politics, too.)
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
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Sonic Youth
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http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/
TO GO IN FULL-FLIGHT DOING WHAT YOU LOVE
It is with great sadness that we learned of our dear friend Robert Altman's passing. Here, then, is a note from Garrison.
Mr. Altman loved making movies. He loved the chaos of shooting and the sociability of the crew and actors — he adored actors — and he loved the editing room and he especially loved sitting in a screening room and watching the thing over and over with other people. He didn't care for the money end of things, he didn't mind doing publicity, but when he was working he was in heaven.
He and I once talked about making a movie about a man coming back to Lake Wobegon to bury his father, and Mr. Altman said, "The death of an old man is not a tragedy." I used that line in the movie we wound up making — the Angel of Death says it to the Lunch Lady, comforting her on the death of her lover Chuck Akers in his dressing room, "The death of an old man is not a tragedy." Mr. Altman's death seems so honorable and righteous — to go in full-flight, doing what you love — like his comrades in the Army Air Force in WWII who got shot out of the sky and simply vanished into blue air — and all of us who worked with him had the great privilege of seeing an 81-year-old guy doing what he loved to do. I'm sorry that our movie turned out to be his last, but I do know that he loved making it. It's a great thing to be 81 and in love.
-Garrison Keillor
TO GO IN FULL-FLIGHT DOING WHAT YOU LOVE
It is with great sadness that we learned of our dear friend Robert Altman's passing. Here, then, is a note from Garrison.
Mr. Altman loved making movies. He loved the chaos of shooting and the sociability of the crew and actors — he adored actors — and he loved the editing room and he especially loved sitting in a screening room and watching the thing over and over with other people. He didn't care for the money end of things, he didn't mind doing publicity, but when he was working he was in heaven.
He and I once talked about making a movie about a man coming back to Lake Wobegon to bury his father, and Mr. Altman said, "The death of an old man is not a tragedy." I used that line in the movie we wound up making — the Angel of Death says it to the Lunch Lady, comforting her on the death of her lover Chuck Akers in his dressing room, "The death of an old man is not a tragedy." Mr. Altman's death seems so honorable and righteous — to go in full-flight, doing what you love — like his comrades in the Army Air Force in WWII who got shot out of the sky and simply vanished into blue air — and all of us who worked with him had the great privilege of seeing an 81-year-old guy doing what he loved to do. I'm sorry that our movie turned out to be his last, but I do know that he loved making it. It's a great thing to be 81 and in love.
-Garrison Keillor
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
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OscarGuy
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I had no idea. I was working on my website this morning and I'd been on IMDB multiple times but hadn't seen it until just now.
It's very sad and quite shocking.
It's very sad and quite shocking.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
'PHC' isn't a great film but it's a sweet coda that I enjoy in spite of its flaws. It's an unexpectedly graceful way to cap his career, and considering the many ups and downs in Altman's life, it's all the more surprising and welcome. I will be interested to see 'A Prairie Home Companion''s reevaluation from now to the end of the year.
Rest in peace, sir. You are a lion whom the pride shan't forget.
Rest in peace, sir. You are a lion whom the pride shan't forget.
"How's the despair?"
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FilmFan720
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I just turned on the computer to find this devistating news. Truly a hard death to come to terms with...a master in every sense of the word.
I had very brief contact with him a few years ago when he was in Chicago directing the opera of his film "The Wedding." We went to see it (it was masterful, as to be expected), and saw him in the lobby during intermission. He was talking with what seemed to be family friends, so I didn't go over to interrupt them, but I did acknowledge him on my way in with a head nod, and he nodded back. Seemed like a true gentleman.
I may now pop in MASH or Nashville or something to remember how great a filmmaker we have lost today.
Tripp
I had very brief contact with him a few years ago when he was in Chicago directing the opera of his film "The Wedding." We went to see it (it was masterful, as to be expected), and saw him in the lobby during intermission. He was talking with what seemed to be family friends, so I didn't go over to interrupt them, but I did acknowledge him on my way in with a head nod, and he nodded back. Seemed like a true gentleman.
I may now pop in MASH or Nashville or something to remember how great a filmmaker we have lost today.
Tripp
"Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good."
- Minor Myers, Jr.
- Minor Myers, Jr.
