Honestly, I’m afraid to watch Popeye. It’s (bad) reputation precedes it.
Popeye is one of the few faithful adaptations
^ Not to the Fleischer cartoons. Do you mean the comic strips?
yeah to the comic strips
jules feiffer knew his shit
it is his flick as much as Altman’s
Yes, I’ve heard that, but have never seen the strips. I think mine and most kid’s exposure to Popeye came through the Fleischer cartoons, which I’m guessing is why it never took off as a kids movie.
you gotta love subversive material like that.
Altman almost always used a writer. He never let the film be completely the writer’s vision except maybe in Popeye and Prarie Home, two of his best films. Altman would let dreams inspire a few of his film choices but he fleshed everything out with a writer; much like Kubrick, tho Altman’s films are alive not cold museum pieces with little connection to human life. Altman deserved the kind of kudos and job security many of his contemporaries got and continue to get with inferior works.
I completely missed him, never seen any Altman film, i would like to know:
-Best film to start with him, knowing nothing about it.
-Best film according to popular opinion.
-Your favorite from him
Thanks.
Best to start with: Short Cuts
Best According to popular opinion: The Player or MASH
My favourite California Split
-Best film to start with him, knowing nothing about it. – Nashville
-Best film according to popular opinion. – The Player or MASH
-Your favorite from him – McCabe and Mrs. Miller and The Long Goodbye
@Alex
If you ask me,
Best to start with: The Player, MASH, or 3 Women. These are his easiest to enjoy that I’ve watched.
Best according to popular opinion: Nashville or McCabe & Mrs. Miller
My favorite: Nashville or The Long Goodbye
-Best film to start with him, knowing nothing about it. – The Player
-Best film according to popular opinion. – MASH
-Your favorite from him – Nashville
I wouldn’t start with Short Cuts only because it’s so long. lol
“Best film to start with him, knowing nothing about it.”
The Player. It was his comeback film and definitely one of his more easily digestible, mainstream films. And it’s also brilliant.
“Best film according to popular opinion.”
It depends on who you ask. MASH and The Player are probably his most mainstream, popular films that people who don’t even like movies can enjoy.
“Your favorite from him”
The Long Goodbye and 3 Women.
-Best film to start with him, knowing nothing about it. M*A*S*H
-Best film according to popular opinion. M*A*S*H or Nashville
-Your favorite from him —> The Player followed by an atom by The Long Goodbye
Alex, as I’d say to anyone who loves film, you really need to see Nashville. Not only is it by far my favorite Altman, it is as close as I have to a favorite film. You can find an in-depth (w.spoilers) and heated discussion at http://mubi.com/topics/dc-film-intro-nashville. Shockingly, there are folks here who disagree with me.
Robert Altman is a top ten director for me but I’ve never been too goo-goo for Nashville. It’s been several years since I’ve seen it but at the time, I was a bit underwhelmed.
Thanks a lot everyone.
I’m back to thinking The Long Goodbye is his best movie. But it’s so hard to choose between that and McCabe and 3 Women.
@Dennis Brian – evidently, Jules Feiffer and Altman fought quite a bit – he was mad at Altman and Robin Williams for hijacking the script and doing what Altman typically did – improvising.
Yeah, most writers who worked with Altman were very frustrated with him (even Ring Lardner Jr., who really owes that Oscar he won for M*A*S*H to Altman).
McCabe, Long Goodbye, Three Women, Secret Honor, and Images are also well worth a watch. Never liked Nashville much myself..
Nashville is a life-changing film.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller is fascinating from beginning to end, and very wonderful, too.
Why not begin where most everybody began with him 40 years ago, *M*A*S*H*?
Am i alone in thinking that Mash is dull as dishwater? it may have been funny 40 years ago but a movie like that would bore audiences to tears now surely
Yes, I would not start with Mash which I don’t think has aged very well.
The Player would be a good place to start. I don’t know if popular opinion really quite considers Nashville to be his best, but it is certainly one of his most significant films and critics will refer to it, so it is definitely one to see if you are going to watch Altman.
My favorite used to Nashville, but now it is McCabe & Mrs. Miller.
I’m definitely on the side of never been disappointed by Altman.
^^how much have you explored though Smokey? you seen films like Dr.T, O.C and Stiggs, Beyond Therapy, THe company etc?
Altman made plenty of average to bad films.
Always hard to not play favourites sure but most of them I’ve seen yeah and the point is there’s still something to be appreciated in them. don’t think I’ve seen The Company though.
Brad S.
Popeye’s a great deal of fun, so long as you look at it as an Altman film and not a Popeye film. I saw it in the theater when I was ten and with fresh memories of the cartoons. As it didn’t reflect those cartoons at all, I was dissappointed. Now I can appreciate the set design and the audiacity of having a musical where nobody can sing and the lead is always mumbling.