Altman on Altman

Robert Altman served a long apprenticeship in movie-making before his great breakthrough, the Korean War comedy M*A*S*H* (1969). It became a huge hit and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, but also established Altman's inimitable use of sound and image, and his gift for handling a repertory company of actors. The 1970s then became Altman's decade, with a string of masterpieces: McCabe and Mrs Miller, The Long Goodbye, Thieves Like Us, and Nashville. In the 1980s Altman specialised in adaptations of remarkable stage plays, but he was restored to international prominence in 1992 with The Player, an acerbic take on Hollywood. Short Cuts, an inspired filming of Raymond Carver, and the Oscar-winning Gosford Park, have underscored his pre-eminence among contemporary filmmakers.
In conversation with David Thompson, Altman is frank, funny, and endlessly fascinating as he recalls his many bold experiments, adventures and mishaps, spanning six decades behind the camera. This is the definitive study of one of America's greatest filmmakers.