Robert Altman

Out of all of the directors we've watched this semester, I've been most impressed by Altman. I had never heard of him before this year and I was very pleasantly surprised when I first saw The Long Goodbye. It was my favorite out of the three we watched (The Long Goodbye, Nashville, The Player). I also enjoyed The Player a lot, but Nashville was one of my least favorite of the semester. I liked how Altman really made you feel like you were as much as a part of the movie as the characters were. The audience wasn't only watching the events unfold, but experiencing them. He wasn't afraid to let his audience be exposed to all things as if they were there themselves. With camera movement, script, and what seemed like actor-improvisation, I felt like I was along for the ride. I think the reason why I didn't like Nashville so much is probably because I wasn't allowed to do that as much. With so many characters and such a long plot, I became detached and even dosed off a time or two. Overall I think I would really enjoy seeing more of Altman's work, hoping for more jems like The Long Goodbye.