Breaking: Director Robert Altman Dead

Famed Film Director Robert Altman Dies at 81
Tuesday, November 21, 2006

LOS ANGELES — Robert Altman, the caustic and irreverent satirist behind "M-A-S-H," "Nashville" and "The Player" who made a career out of bucking Hollywood management and story conventions, died at a Los Angeles Hospital, his Sandcastle 5 Productions Company said Tuesday. He was 81.

The director died Monday night, Joshua Astrachan, a producer at Altman's Sandcastle 5 Productions in New York City, told The Associated Press.

rip, mr altman

and I love MASH.

Here's to you, Mr. Altman. Thank you for your wonderful work. :toast:

I hope you have seen the film and not just the TV show. Altman was responsible for the movie, one of the most funny and true antiwar films ever made. Another iconoclast gone from the scene.

And in the case of the MASH units, that just wasn't the case. The doctors knew they couldn't alienate the nurses. Remember, the nurses were volunteers, the doctors often draftees.

I hear Nashville's great.

Gosford Park desperately needed a better editor.

Richard Hooker, a former military surgeon, did. And Ring Lardner Jr. adapted the novel into the screenplay.

he had many years of expressing his unique talent and vision which is a lot to be grateful for

IMO.

were required to not only perform their own songs - but write them as well. Not a problem for Keith Carradine, who had a musical background. But a little more challenging for many of the other cast members. Karen Black was hilarious. But my favorite was the actor from "Laugh In" Henry Gibson, a self righteous Tom Delay type, who sings some very funny songs. "When the doctor says you're through, keep a goin'. He's human just like you. Keep a goin'.

HUNDRED . . . YEEEEEEEEEEEEARS . . . . ." How freakin' prescient.

Short Cuts, The Player and M*A*S*H are brilliant pieces of cinema that will be with us for decades. He was also a big advocate for marijuana legalization. :smoke:

R.I.P. Mr. Altman, you'll be sorely missed.




http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000265/


Director - filmography


1. A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
2. Tanner on Tanner (2004) (TV)
3. The Company (2003)
... aka The Company - Das Ensemble (Germany)
4. Gosford Park (2001)
... aka Gosford Park (Germany) (Italy)
5. Dr T and the Women (2000)
... aka Dr. T and the Women (Germany) (USA: alternative spelling)

6. Cookie's Fortune (1999)
7. The Gingerbread Man (1998)
8. "Gun" (1997) TV Series
... aka Robert Altman's Gun
9. Kansas City (1996)
10. Jazz '34 (1996)
11. Prêt-à-Porter (1994)
... aka Prêt-à-Porter: Ready to Wear (Canada: English title)
... aka Ready to Wear
12. Short Cuts (1993)
13. The Real McTeague (1993) (TV)
14. Black and Blue (1993) (TV)
15. The Player (1992)
16. McTeague (1992) (TV)
17. Vincent & Theo (1990)
... aka Vincent et Théo (France)

18. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1988) (TV)
19. "Tanner '88" (1988) (mini) TV Series
... aka Tanner: A Political Fable
20. Aria (1987) (segment "Les Boréades")
21. O.C. and Stiggs (1987)
22. Basements (1987) (TV)
23. Beyond Therapy (1987)
24. Fool for Love (1985)
25. The Laundromat (1985) (TV)
26. Secret Honor (1984)
... aka Lords of Treason
... aka Secret Honor: A Political Myth
... aka Secret Honor: The Last Testament of Richard M. Nixon
27. Streamers (1983)
28. Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
29. Rattlesnake in a Cooler (1982) (TV)
30. Precious Blood (1982) (TV)
31. Popeye (1980)
32. HealtH (1980)

33. A Perfect Couple (1979)
34. Quintet (1979)
35. A Wedding (1978)
36. 3 Women (1977)
... aka Robert Altman's 3 Women (USA: complete title)
... aka Three Women (USA)
37. "Saturday Night Live" (1 episode, 1977)
... aka SNL (USA: informal title)
... aka SNL 25 (USA)
- Episode #2.16 (1977) TV Episode (segment "Sissy's Roles")
38. Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976)
... aka Buffalo Bill and the Indians
39. Nashville (1975)
40. California Split (1974)
... aka Jackpot!
41. Thieves Like Us (1974)
42. The Long Goodbye (1973)
43. Images (1972)
44. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
45. Brewster McCloud (1970)
46. MASH (1970)

47. That Cold Day in the Park (1969)
48. "Premiere" (1 episode, 1968)
- Walk in the Sky (1968) TV Episode
49. Countdown (1968)
50. The Katherine Reed Story (1965)
51. Pot au feu (1965)
52. "The Long, Hot Summer" (1 episode, 1965)
- The Long Hot Summer (1965) TV Episode
53. Nightmare in Chicago (1964) (TV)
... aka Once Upon a Savage Night
54. "Kraft Suspense Theatre" (3 episodes, 1963-1964)
- Once Upon a Savage Knight (1964) TV Episode
- The Hunt (1963) TV Episode
- The Long, Lost Life of Edward Smalley (1963) TV Episode
55. "Combat!" (10 episodes, 1962-1963)
- Survival (1963) TV Episode
- Off Limits (1963) TV Episode
- The Volunteer (1963) TV Episode
- The Prisoner (1962) TV Episode
- I Swear by Apollo (1962) TV Episode
(5 more)
56. "The Gallant Men" (1 episode, 1962)
- Pilot (1962) TV Episode
57. "Kraft Mystery Theater" (1 episode, 1962)
- In Close Pursuit (1962) TV Episode
58. "Bus Stop" (8 episodes, 1961-1962)
- County General (1962) TV Episode
- Door Without a Key (1962) TV Episode
- Summer Lightning (1962) TV Episode
- ...And the Pursuit of Evil (1961) TV Episode
- A Lion Walks Among Us (1961) TV Episode
(3 more)
59. "Route 66" (1 episode, 1961)
- Some of the People, Some of the Time (1961) TV Episode
60. "Bonanza" (8 episodes, 1960-1961)
... aka Ponderosa (USA: rerun title)
- The Many Faces of Gideon Flinch (1961) TV Episode
- Sam Hill (1961) TV Episode
- The Dream Riders (1961) TV Episode
- The Secret (1961) TV Episode
- The Rival (1961) TV Episode
(3 more)
61. "The Roaring 20's" (9 episodes, 1960-1961)
- Standing Room Only (1961) TV Episode
- Royal Tour (1961) TV Episode
- Right Off the Boat: Part 2 (1961) TV Episode
- Right Off the Boat: Part 1 (1961) TV Episode
- Two a Day (1961) TV Episode
(4 more)
62. "Surfside 6" (1 episode, 1961)
- Thieves Among Honor (1961) TV Episode
63. "Lawman" (1 episode, 1961)
... aka The Lawman (USA: alternative title)
- The Robbery (1961) TV Episode
64. "Maverick" (1 episode, 1960)
- Bolt from the Blue (1960) TV Episode
65. "The Gale Storm Show" (1 episode, 1960)
... aka Oh! Susanna
- It's Magic (1960) TV Episode
66. "Sugarfoot" (2 episodes, 1959-1960)
... aka Tenderfoot (UK)
- The Highbinder (1960) TV Episode
- Apollo with a Gun (1959) TV Episode
67. "U.S. Marshal" (2 episodes, 1959-1960)
- The Triple Cross (1960) TV Episode
- R.I.P. (1959) TV Episode
68. "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse" (1 episode, 1960)
... aka Desilu Playhouse
- The Sound of Murder (1960) TV Episode

69. "The Millionaire" (5 episodes, 1958-1959)
... aka If You Had a Million
- Millionaire Jackson Greene (1959) TV Episode
- Millionaire Lorraine Daggett (1959) TV Episode
- Millionaire Henry Banning (1959) TV Episode
- Millionaire Alicia Osante (1959) TV Episode
- The Pete Hopper Story (1958) TV Episode
70. "Hawaiian Eye" (1 episode, 1959)
- Three Tickets to Lani (1959) TV Episode
71. "Whirlybirds" (12 episodes, 1959)
... aka Copter Patrol (USA: syndication title)
- The Big Lie (1959) TV Episode
- The Challenge (1959) TV Episode
- Experiment X-74 (1959) TV Episode
- Guilty of Old Age (1959) TV Episode
- A Matter of Trust (1959) TV Episode
(7 more)
72. "Troubleshooters" (1959) TV Series
73. "Bronco" (1958) TV Series
74. "Peter Gunn" (1958) TV Series
75. "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (2 episodes, 1957-1958)
- Together (1958) TV Episode
- The Young One (1957) TV Episode
76. The James Dean Story (1957)
77. The Delinquents (1957)
78. The Magic Bond (1956)
79. The Perfect Crime (1955)
80. The Builders (1954)
81. Better Football (1954)
82. The Dirty Look (1954)
83. The Last Mile (1953)
84. How to Run a Filling Station (1953)
85. The Sound of Bells (1952)
86. King Basketball (1952)
87. Modern Football (1951)

i never knew! i remember watching taht in freshman year college dorms with others. it was easily the best storywriting on TV at the time. alas it was so shortlived! the writing was excellent; it wasn't preachy, in fact it barely seemed to take a side. all it did was treat a gun as more than expedience, but with real respect, as if it was its own character. whether it could be used for good or ill was dependent upon the circumstances and states of mind that flowed around this "secondary character." it was, from the few times i could catch it, and how briefly it was whisked away, some of the best television i've ever seen. i realized then the power of masterful storytelling and what a potential blessing the TV could be... it was such a loss to see it go. i sincerely hope they'll bring a DVD of this, somewhere, sometime.

god speed you good sir.

Sure, I cursed him for causing us to reshoot scenes 20+ times in the cold rain, but the final product came out great as it always did. He had a great eye for the business and new how to frame every shot. Irreverent and unorthodox, these adjectives masked his genius. As anyone who has seen his body of work can testify.

I've been writing a book for five years that I wanted to get to him, sort of a MASH in the Tundra of Alaska, with some Hunter Thompson/Bukowski thrown in, and I even had someone that could have gotten the work to him..

Instead, we've lost an ICONOCLAST, a visionary, an Honest to god HUMAN BEING ..

Breaks my heart.

Check out the REEL channel if you get it, they have a series called "Directors" and he was one of the series, very illuminating.

Thanks for the insight.

but his films were gold. I still find myself remembering scenes from them and it's been over 30 years since I have seen them.

McCABE AND MRS. MILLER, THE LONG GOODBYE, THIEVES LIKE US,..

What a distinguished filmography. They really don't make 'em like that anymore.

A really important man has passed...RIP Mr. Altman.

Thank you Mr. Altman. :)

My you ride peacefully on Georges Melies ship and dine with the goddess of the moon, Phoebe.

It's one of my favorite movies.

R.I.P.


My favorites were:

# Gosford Park (2001)

# Prêt-à-Porter (1994)
... aka Prêt-à-Porter: Ready to Wear

me, I HATED Prêt-à-Porter!!!

After the third (or was it the fourth?) time they had a full-screen close-up of a dog turd that
someone was about to step on, I promised myself to never see another of his movies.

And I had heard that the movie ended with a fashion show where all the models come out on
the runway naked. And as much time as I have spent watching fashion footage for the occasional
wardrobe malfunction, when all of the models show up naked, instead of being able to enjoy the
view, all I could think of was "Oh, thank God it's over!"

Not his best, but very good nonetheless.

This is sad news. RIP

from the heartbreaking "Goodbye to my Momma"

Thank you Robert
the Lord give you peace
bless your voice and the songs you sung


RIP Robert Altman

There was always something warm in the way actors really looked like an ensemble in all his movies.

And not for nothing, the men in M*A*S*H, in the context of the absurdity of the military (GODDAMNED ARMY!), come off as no less absurd than the women.

For M*A*S*H alone he will be considered one of the greatest directors ever. I love that movie...one of the best ever.

The haunting closing chorus of "Nashville"...

RIP, Mr. Altman.

Sad to see you go.

rest in peace.

What a great director Altman was. RIP Robert Altman.

my favorite is California Split. RIP, Mr. Altman

are two of my favourite films. Also Health is great. Posters hung up on one or other Altman movie should try a few more - he has a lot to offer. Not for everyone, it's true, but one of the great mavericks who refused to tow the Hollywood line. RIP.

When I went to see his 1996 release Kansas City I was so appalled by the stomach-turning violence that I almost walked out of the theater. I stayed because, as a jazz fan, the music in the film was tremendous. The soundtrack is one of my favorite recordings - the movie may have failed, but Altman's love of jazz and understanding of the genre made the soundtrack a classic and garnered critical acclaim. If you only own one jazz recording, this is the one to have.

A world-class iconoclast and one of the best directors ever.

One of Altman's lesser-known films, it's a lost masterpiece. And it has a happy ending.

He was my favorite director.

RIP, sir. :cry:

Goodbye Mr. Altman. I'll miss you.

"Prairie Home Companion" was a nice and in some ways fitting way to go out. "Cookie's Fortune" has a special place in my heart -- think I'll go rent it again this weekend.

pacing in movies sure have changed over the years. but once i got over that, and realized that the same pacing was present in Gosford Park, i found myself engrossed in the film. surprisingly great film hilghlighting the ludicruous nature of americana. from the traffic jam to the free concert you see how interwoven hopes and dreams and pathos and cynicism are, just like life.

and is there a more encapsulating ending song than "you may say that i ain't free. but it don't worry me." seeing that film this past october, with all that was going on about torture, habeas corpus, etc, that line was seemingly far too true for comfort. my dad got all misty-eyed about it, being a southerner himself, about how much we can care about the nation in one hand and do it wrong with the other. and to do such a wrong is like doing yourself a wrong. and it all was condensed into a happy, carefree refrain; a bittersweet better done i had not seen.

the man had a true gift for delicate brushwork in storytelling. all seemingly secondary characters end up necessary and captivating, little background touches end up crucial expose's on psyche. very impressive overall effect, which just needs a dollop of patience to pay off. a director good enough to let the soft voices of a story carry into a crescendo. he will be missed.

with Elliott Gould. If you haven't seen it, check it out over the holiday season.

Shortcuts is my favorite. He will be missed.