PPT Slide

Robert Altman (b. 1925)

• directed television in 1960s. He was 45 when he had the chance to direct M.A.S.H. (1970):

[1] emphasis on chance structures

[2] concentration on characterization

[3] subversion of genre expectations

[4] improvisational style of acting

[5] documentary visual style

[6] overlapping dialogue

[7] pessimistic view of human condition

Classification of Altman’s Films

• Small studies of odd obsessed people: Brewster McCloud (1970)

• Broad studies of an institution constructed from a number of interwoven characters: M.A.S.H. (1970), Nashville (1975), The Player (1992)

• Revisionist genres: The Long Goodbye (1973), McCabe and Mrs Miller (1970)

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