Robert Altman
All recent films about the absurdities of war owe a debt to MASH; all recent films about the quilt of identities that make up America owe a debt to Nashville; and, all recent satires about the workings of the film industry owe a debt to The Player. All three of these films sprung from the mind of the same man: Robert Altman. Born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1925, Altman joined the USAF and served as a bombing run co-pilot during World War II. After the war, Altman tried to break into the Hollywood scene, first as an actor and then as a writer, without much success. Returning to Kansas City in 1950, Altman found employment at the Calvin Company, where he directed industrial films. In 1955, he directed his first feature film, The Delinquents, made on a shoestring budget of $63,000. This film provided Altman with his ticket back to Hollywood, where Alfred Hitchcock took him under his wing, asking him to direct several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. After working on several TV shows and minor feature films, Altman had a breakthrough hit with MASH (1970). The film was revolutionary at its time, both in its satirical take on the Korean War, as well as in its narrative style, partially based on semi-improvised dialogue and overlapping conversations. Success followed, allowing Altman to further develop his style in films such as McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Images (1972), and Nashville (1975). His style became increasingly experimental over time, and less attuned to the Hollywood mainstream, as demonstrated by more abstract films, such as 3 Women (1977) and Quintet (1979). 1980's musical Popeye marked a turning point for Altman: while the movie saw initial success with audiences, critics widely panned it, causing the movie to quickly vanish from screens, and overshadowing Altman's career for the next decade. After a series of small, yet powerful films (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, 1982; Streamers, 1983; Fool for Love, 1985), Altman returned to wide critical and popular appeal with 1992's The Player. His reputation reestablished, he remained as productive as ever, with late masterpieces such as Ready to Wear (1994), Gosford Park (2001), and his last film, A Prairie Home Companion (2006). A few months after receiving a well-deserved Academy Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2006, Robert Altman died of leukemia at the age of 81.
