Robert Altman: The long goodbye to Hollywood

What is the course about?

Robert Altman began directing in television (Alfred Hitchcock Presents) until M*A*S*H (1970) established him as artist, social critic, and a peer to the ‘film school brats’ such as Scorsese and Spielberg. What the audience saw in the 1970s was something they hadn’t seen before. It was exciting and they were ready for it. The undeniable brilliance of Altman’s cinema is the tapestry of overlapping lives in The Player (1992) or Gosford Park (2001)—richer than overproduced spectacles and appealing to a sophisticated audience. Nashville (1976) was a way of looking at American society such as no Hollywood film had tried before, with the best ensemble cast in American film until Short Cuts (1993) or even Magnolia (1999)—Paul Thomas Anderson’s homage to his hero Altman.

What will we cover?

Altman’s characters help write the story and complicate events by their personality traits.
Altman describes his films as murals with the actors as pigment. “I begin to follow them, spy on them, that’s how I direct. I follow what they are doing rather than have them do what I want them to do”. TV gave him the quick reflexes to create the spontaneity that allows actors to react as well as perform. Overlapping dialogue is what we hear in real life. “I don’t trust documentary films very much but you can use that technique to make a fictional drama that reflects an attitude of truth”. Altman was attitude.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• Describe in detail Robert Altman’s technique
• Distinguish Altman’s key periods and cycles from the 1970s to the early 2000s.
• Critically analyse Altman’s key films.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This is a course for those interested in cinema. No previous experience or film study is necessary but those who have done previous study will find it well-informed and genuinely educational.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

Opening lecture illustrated by film clips followed by group discussions and screenings. No outside work necessary (although going out to the cinema would benefit you, the class and the film industry).

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

No other costs. Please bring pad or device for note taking.
Suggested reading: Altman on Altman edited by David Thompson, Faber & Faber, London. American cinema's most incorrigible maverick reflects on a brilliant career’s highs & lows in this definitive interview book, part of Faber's widely acclaimed Directors on Directors series. 'Hearing in his own words just how much of his films occur spontaneously, as a result of last-minute decisions on set, is fascinating . . . For film lovers, this is just about indispensable.' Ben Sloan, Metro London.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Look for other film courses at www.citylit.ac.uk/culture, history & writing/Film Studies.