tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10759084.post116413112899374981..comments2023-11-05T06:55:38.728-05:00Comments on As Little as Possible: Robert Altman 1925-2006J.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07815005929352267468noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10759084.post-1164305622986681382006-11-23T13:13:00.000-05:002006-11-23T13:13:00.000-05:00Thanks, TK. Great thoughts.Thanks, TK. Great thoughts.J.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07815005929352267468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10759084.post-1164249815168401562006-11-22T21:43:00.000-05:002006-11-22T21:43:00.000-05:00I think I'm a Robert Altman fan more intellectuall...I think I'm a Robert Altman fan more intellectually than emotionally.<BR/>I like the improv and ensemble aspects of his films. He seems to be attracted to ideas and concepts. I think it's cool that he used Leonard Cohen songs for the soundtrack of McCABE & MRS. MILLER. The overlapping dialogue thing he did is also cool.<BR/>But I don't usually think of him when I think of favorite dirctors.<BR/>But there are two quotes from him that seem to come up with some regularity, either in thought or in conversation.<BR/>One is from the documentary series A DECADE UNDER THE INFLUENCE, and it seems like the perfect companion piece to the book and ITS companion documentary RAGING BULLS, EASY RIDERS. The decade, of course, is the 70s.<BR/>In one of the episodes they ask a number of the directors they've been interviewing to name those directors/filmmakers that influenced/inspired them. And a number of names come up and are repeated amongst Lumet, Scorsese, DePalma, Schrader, etc., like: John Ford, Kurosawa, Godard, etc., etc.<BR/>And then Robert Altman's face appears and he says how bad movies inspire him, like he can do better than that. And I thought, YES! I understand THAT inspiration as well.<BR/>The other quote is from the RAGING BULLS, etc. book. And I forget what the question was, but his answer was basically, I find it upsetting that people will watch my movies only once.<BR/>And that really struck me, that assumption is true. And for a filmmaker, particularly a so-called maverick filmmaker, working in a culture where even movies designed to be audience pleasing are probably a bitch to make, to struggle to get something made and then send it out to such a fate WOULD be depressing. That seemed like a real filmmaker's sort of perspective.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com