My Introduction to Robert Altman

(Blog written Autumn, 2015)

(McCabe & Mrs Miller)

I have heard so much about Robert Altman in the cinephile universe. Directors like Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola heap monumental praise upon his work, and I have often heard and read that he is American cinema’s underrated genius. Naturally, I was expecting a lot before I watched McCabe & Mrs Miller, and now afterwards, I can concretely say all my expectations were satisfied. Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and perfectly timeless with its rich, brownish texture, aesthetically decided by Altman to give the film the look of old photographs of the West. Through this aesthetic choice, Altman is re-photographing the history of the West depicted in American Cinema. As much as I adore Westerns like The Searchers or Stagecoach, they ultimately do not speak the truth about this period in American history. Altman, however, subverts the classical Western and aims to speak truth. The all-powerful, all-American John Wayne is replaced by a selfish and insecure Warren Beatty, and Altman unflinchingly expresses the times brutality and immorality in its fullest.

A particular scene that stood out for me in this sense was when McCabe (Beatty) is having a quiet conversation and then spontaneously a girl’s ghostly scream bellows in the distance. The girl is one of McCabe’s prostitutes, uncontrollably lashing out at a customer with a knife, penetrating as much of his flesh as she can. In the documentary style camera movements, you feel as if this implosion against claustrophobic male control and desire was a natural common occurrence in the patriarchal West. It is probably also a social comment by Altman about the contemporary patriarchal society, and echoes the feminist counterculture views of the late 60’s and early 70’s.

(McCabe & Mrs Miller)

It isn’t just the subversion of the Western that intrigues me about the film, but it is also the complexity of its characters and the perfectly subtle performances by Warren Beatty and Julie Christie. The soundtrack composed of all Leonard Cohen songs add even more depth to the characters. The soft guitar and lyrics of insecurity and isolation creates a unique atmosphere, one that helps add to the exhilarating feeling of looking into the lives of ‘real’ people. Ultimately, being a privileged voyeur is one of many things to enjoy about this incredibly unique film.