Everyone told me I'd love Nashville. It's a classic of the 1970s, Altman's "best film" and the prototype of the ensemble drama. So why was I so disappointed?
Though many of the performances are stellar, and the screenplay draws the characters all completely and Altman's direction manages to keep them all in focus with loosing any threads, it seems as it is all in service of nothing.
But it isn't really nothing, is it? Perhaps the converse is true, it is simply a film about too damn much to keep up with everything. The film very much feels like what I imagine living five days in Nashville in the mid 70s felt like, but if I want Frederick Wiseman I'll go watch High School.
Ebert says that the film truly let's you know what you were doing in the 70s, and perhaps that is my problem. Born in '84 I have no basis on 1975. But then again, I shouldn't have to.
Maybe I don't need a reason to dislike Nashville. Maybe it just doesn't speak to me the way it does to others. And maybe that's okay.
Though many of the performances are stellar, and the screenplay draws the characters all completely and Altman's direction manages to keep them all in focus with loosing any threads, it seems as it is all in service of nothing.
But it isn't really nothing, is it? Perhaps the converse is true, it is simply a film about too damn much to keep up with everything. The film very much feels like what I imagine living five days in Nashville in the mid 70s felt like, but if I want Frederick Wiseman I'll go watch High School.
Ebert says that the film truly let's you know what you were doing in the 70s, and perhaps that is my problem. Born in '84 I have no basis on 1975. But then again, I shouldn't have to.
Maybe I don't need a reason to dislike Nashville. Maybe it just doesn't speak to me the way it does to others. And maybe that's okay.
0 Responses to “70s Altman.”
Post a Comment