Robert Altman: A fierce risk-taker

The masterpiece
But it was “Nashville,” his dark voyeuristic look at the world of country music in 1975, that will stand as the quintessential Altman film. With an impressive ensemble cast headed by Tomlin, Karen Black, Ned Beatty, Shelly Duvall, Henry Gibson and Keith Carradine, it featured interlocking storylines, snippets of dialogue layered upon one another, a heightened sense of realism and a subtle but insistent probing of its subject matter like something from a Maysles brothers documentary.

Actors had already been notified before “Nashville” that Altman was a director who not only valued their contributions but treated them as equals with the direction and writing. With “Nashville,” that message was underlined and bold-faced.

After “Nashville,” which snagged five Academy Award nominations including best picture and best director, Altman’s renegade cinematic onslaught hit a rough patch. Pictures like “3 Women” and “A Wedding” got mixed receptions from critics and little notice from audiences. And “Popeye” in 1980 was one of the earliest examples in the age of mass media when hype and speculation leading up to the release of the live-action film, starring Robin Williams in the title role and Duvall as Olive Oyl, killed its chances before it began to unspool in theaters. “Popeye” is regarded as Altman’s career nadir, even though now on a fresh viewing it isn’t nearly as bad as its reputation.

Altman worked fairly regularly through the ’80s but didn’t have another commercial and critical hit until “The Player” in 1992. It was fitting that a man who spent most of his career battling Hollywood suits would enjoy a career renaissance by skewering such men. The old Altman magic was spotted sporadically after that, especially on “Gosford Park” in 2001 and most recently “A Prairie Home Companion” earlier this year.

But what will be remembered most about Robert Altman is that he was a director who told unconventional stories in an unconventional manner and reveled in it. Hollywood will always be indebted to him for his warnings about the dangers of playing it safe and for his reminders about how rewarding it can be to take a risk.

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