Farewell to a film genius

Though director Robert Altman was a five-time Best Director nominee, his only Oscar was a Lifetime Acheivement award given to him in 2006.

By Austin Showen
Nitro High School

With his recent passing, it is only fitting to reflect upon the work and vision of Robert Altman, one of the great American film directors. Every film by Altman epitomizes the meaning of “film as art,” and each work is a beautifully-painted portrait of visual splendor and intense character study.

Altman’s flawless filmmaking and writing techniques made him a true genius of modern cinema. He captured the best performances from his actors by not setting any parameters on how far they could go.

To fully understand Altman’s genius, though, one must consider his methodology of film creation.

His best and most fascinating quality was his willingness to experiment and improvise. In many interviews and commentaries, Altman explained that the screenplay is a guide, not something to be followed exactly.

If something happened by mistake during shooting and Altman liked it, he would incorporate it into the film. For example, in “3 Women,” Shelley Duvall accidentally got her skirt caught in a car door on one take, and Altman liked it, so he had her do it every time after that.

Also, though he had definite ideas about how to portray his characters, Altman encouraged his actors to improvise, allowing them to perfect their characters and make them more realistic.

Another of Altman’s signatures was his unique camerawork. By using slow zooms and keeping the camera fluid, he created a unique sense of floating in most of his films. His mastery of the camera’s movements allowed him to capture the intimate emotions of his characters and the beauty of a film’s atmosphere.

Though all of his films are excellent, the two that truly show Altman’s genius are “Short Cuts” and “Gosford Park.”

“Short Cuts” is about a large group of people in Los Angeles who are plagued by intense emotional conflicts and family dysfunction. No matter how they try to escape their troubles, they cannot. Of course, in classic Altman style, all the characters end up connected to one another in some way.

In “Gosford Park,” an entirely different but still wonderful film, all of Altman’s talents are showcased: gorgeous cinematography, a great story and flawless acting. The incredible ensemble cast includes some of Britain’s best — Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Kristen Scott Thomas, Emily Watson and Michael Gambon as guests at a weekend shooting party on a British estate.

A murder occurs, but since this is an Altman film, “Gosford Park” is not a conventional murder mystery. The film also exposes the British class system and gives an uncensored glimpse into the world of the British aristocracy. Alfred Hitchcock, for whom Altman worked in his early years, would have been very proud of this film masterpiece.

With Altman’s death, the world has lost one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. His last work, this summer’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” was a fitting finale for such an accomplished director. It allowed him to finish his career as both a commercial and critical success.