205 reviews
Does Christmas smell like oranges to you?
Better Than Expected!
Director Robert Altman impressed me with this two earlier directorial efforts M.A.S.H and McCabe and Mrs. Miller, but I believe he really comes into his own with 1975's Nashville. The way he directed his movie and the way he made it a very intelligent movie with many important themes but can be understood by the general public is just outstanding. However, if you don't keep up with the movie, you can be sure to get lost in the overload of information Altman throws at you. On paper, the film may seem like a mess but it's really not. The film really does not have an overall plot, but it has interwoven segments that are related with each other and I'll discuss a little bit later on. This film is full of unique performances from an unusually large cast. It's not unusual that there are many characters, but how many major characters there are. There are approximately 25 major speaking roles, and that has to be some sort of record. But all the performances are wonderful and unique and you feel for each character in the country music setting of Nashville.
So what exactly is this film about? Well, that's really hard to pinpoint as there is no one big linear plot line. It is essentially about a group of people living life in Nashville during a political-happy time (kind of reminds me of the current 2016 political race). But let's break down the plot into the little segments. We have Barbara Jean (Ronee Blackley) who is the current reigning country queen of Nashville, but health problems is causing her to fall apart and she also later becomes a symbol for political assassination. Then we have Delbert (Ned Beatty) and Linnea Reese (Lily Tomlin) who live a rather sad life because of a failing marriage and trying to take care of two deaf children. Delbert is involved in a politics as he is trying to bring politics and country music together. Then we have a British journalist named Opal (Geraldine Chaplin) who decides to get into the thick of events within the Nashville scene. As the famed movie critic Roger Ebert paraphrases what this movie is about, it's many things. A musical, a docudrama about life in Nashville, a political story that was influenced by events like the Watergate scandal, and it is also a satire about country music.
With such a large ensemble, I was surprised how much Altman was able to get from all of his characters. They were superbly written and the performances were genuine. Many of the characters do their own singing, and you can tell they are not professional singers. While the voices may not be the best ones ever, I loved the raw, edgy sound with added to the realism of the performances. The film is not composed of big stars (at the time or even by today's standards), but they often hit the spot. I loved Ronee Blackley's performance as the country queen, Barbara Jean. Her singing is decent, but she brings a sensitive side to her character and she is involved in a big political showdown at the end of the movie. She reminds me of a similar real-life country singer, Loretta Lynn. Lily Tomlin delivered one heck of a impressive performance as the mother of two deaf children. I relate to her character because I suffer from partial deafness myself and I understand her pains. She brings such vulnerability to her character. Ned Beatty does a good job in playing the asshole husband who doesn't care about his family but only about his job. We have very early performances from future stars from the likes of Jeff Goldblum, Scott Glenn, and Keith Carradine (who was impressive as a rock singer). Henry Gibson does a solid job as another famous country star named Haven Hamilton (and did have a good voice).
So there were many aspects to the plot I thoroughly enjoyed. I enjoyed the rather brutal satire on country music which gathered criticism from people within this industry. But my favorite was the political aspect of the movie. Maybe its because history and politics go hand in hand or maybe we are living in a political-happy environment at current time, but I feel like the politics aspect hold up strongly. I like the random scenes where we have this political party in support of a candidate named Hal Philip Walker whom we never meet, but his presence is always known. His politics and the country stars end up clashing in the end for a very powerful ending.
Overall, I really enjoyed Nashville. I don't think it's good of a masterpiece of Altman's earlier McCabe and Mrs. Miller but this is his more mainstream effort. But use that word "mainstream" lightly because Altman brings his complicated style of directing to this movie. His use of the actors and his political and social commentary is widely shown throughout the film. As I say for most of Altman's films, they are not for everyone. This film has excellent performances from everyone with my favorite performance coming from Lily Tomlin. There is an hour of music recorded for the film and despite the inexperience of the singers, the music mostly works with the film. Nominated for 5 Oscars and a 9 Golden Globes (a record that still holds today), Nashville is a solid work of filmmaking.
My Grade: A-
So what exactly is this film about? Well, that's really hard to pinpoint as there is no one big linear plot line. It is essentially about a group of people living life in Nashville during a political-happy time (kind of reminds me of the current 2016 political race). But let's break down the plot into the little segments. We have Barbara Jean (Ronee Blackley) who is the current reigning country queen of Nashville, but health problems is causing her to fall apart and she also later becomes a symbol for political assassination. Then we have Delbert (Ned Beatty) and Linnea Reese (Lily Tomlin) who live a rather sad life because of a failing marriage and trying to take care of two deaf children. Delbert is involved in a politics as he is trying to bring politics and country music together. Then we have a British journalist named Opal (Geraldine Chaplin) who decides to get into the thick of events within the Nashville scene. As the famed movie critic Roger Ebert paraphrases what this movie is about, it's many things. A musical, a docudrama about life in Nashville, a political story that was influenced by events like the Watergate scandal, and it is also a satire about country music.
With such a large ensemble, I was surprised how much Altman was able to get from all of his characters. They were superbly written and the performances were genuine. Many of the characters do their own singing, and you can tell they are not professional singers. While the voices may not be the best ones ever, I loved the raw, edgy sound with added to the realism of the performances. The film is not composed of big stars (at the time or even by today's standards), but they often hit the spot. I loved Ronee Blackley's performance as the country queen, Barbara Jean. Her singing is decent, but she brings a sensitive side to her character and she is involved in a big political showdown at the end of the movie. She reminds me of a similar real-life country singer, Loretta Lynn. Lily Tomlin delivered one heck of a impressive performance as the mother of two deaf children. I relate to her character because I suffer from partial deafness myself and I understand her pains. She brings such vulnerability to her character. Ned Beatty does a good job in playing the asshole husband who doesn't care about his family but only about his job. We have very early performances from future stars from the likes of Jeff Goldblum, Scott Glenn, and Keith Carradine (who was impressive as a rock singer). Henry Gibson does a solid job as another famous country star named Haven Hamilton (and did have a good voice).
So there were many aspects to the plot I thoroughly enjoyed. I enjoyed the rather brutal satire on country music which gathered criticism from people within this industry. But my favorite was the political aspect of the movie. Maybe its because history and politics go hand in hand or maybe we are living in a political-happy environment at current time, but I feel like the politics aspect hold up strongly. I like the random scenes where we have this political party in support of a candidate named Hal Philip Walker whom we never meet, but his presence is always known. His politics and the country stars end up clashing in the end for a very powerful ending.
Overall, I really enjoyed Nashville. I don't think it's good of a masterpiece of Altman's earlier McCabe and Mrs. Miller but this is his more mainstream effort. But use that word "mainstream" lightly because Altman brings his complicated style of directing to this movie. His use of the actors and his political and social commentary is widely shown throughout the film. As I say for most of Altman's films, they are not for everyone. This film has excellent performances from everyone with my favorite performance coming from Lily Tomlin. There is an hour of music recorded for the film and despite the inexperience of the singers, the music mostly works with the film. Nominated for 5 Oscars and a 9 Golden Globes (a record that still holds today), Nashville is a solid work of filmmaking.
My Grade: A-
One of the great films of our time
I suppose the brilliance of "Nashville" is that almost 30 years after its initial release, Robert Altman's slice of Americana has lost none of its punch. Despite being made in the Watergate and Vietnam era, the film remains relevant as ever.
In fact, one could argue, the film's even more relevant today in this age of celebrity-worship and apathetic, gutless American media who believe missing suburban wives are more pertinent and crucial to this nation's well-being than questioning facts and our leaders' motives for waging a needless, costly war.
The film's about the politics of country music, families, stardom, search for stardom, political manipulation and populist political candidates. The unseen presidential candidate's spiel in "Nashville" could easily have been sound bites from contemporary populists; he could be seen as the cinematic trend-setter for the Ross Perots, Jesse Venturas, Howard Deans and Ralph Naders.
The film is at once a political drama, musical and documentary all effortless woven together by a master storyteller, who truly is an American treasure. In "Nashville," Altman's overlapping dialogue works to perfection as he captures this panoramic view of five days in Nashville through the eyes of two-dozen characters.
With so many characters, it's Altman's genius that he keeps this an engrossing character study. Although he tosses aside all conventions of narrative storytelling, we get to know characters better in "Nashville" than we do in many contemporary dramas with fewer characters. There's Ronee Blakley's country singer; Lily Tomlin's doting housewife and mother; Scott Glenn's caring soldier; Keith Carradine's lecherous pop star; Ned Beatty's disinterested father; Keenan Wynn's loving husband; Michael Murphy's sleazy campaigner; and Gwen Welles' sad wannabe country singer, whose scene at a political fund-raiser is heartbreaking. And Jeff Goldblum's motorcyclist and Geraldine Chaplin's Opal are the threads that weave through all the lives in this marvelous tapestry.
There are plenty of terrific songs in "Nashville" - some might complain too many - but the best are Carradine's Oscar-winning "I'm Easy" and "It Don't Bother Me." They add to the nice sense of cynicism that layers the movie.
Altman's one of the big reasons the 1970s is regarded as the greatest decade of American filmmaking. Look at just a few of his contributions in that decade - "Nashville," "MASH" (1970), "Brewster McCloud" (1970), "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" (1971), "Images" (1972) and "The Long Goodbye" (1973). His films also influence other talented filmmakers, including Alan Rudolph (who worked on Altman films) and Paul Thomas Anderson, whose storytelling style - "Boogie Nights" (1997) and "Magnolia" (1999) - clearly is Altman-inspired.
In fact, one could argue, the film's even more relevant today in this age of celebrity-worship and apathetic, gutless American media who believe missing suburban wives are more pertinent and crucial to this nation's well-being than questioning facts and our leaders' motives for waging a needless, costly war.
The film's about the politics of country music, families, stardom, search for stardom, political manipulation and populist political candidates. The unseen presidential candidate's spiel in "Nashville" could easily have been sound bites from contemporary populists; he could be seen as the cinematic trend-setter for the Ross Perots, Jesse Venturas, Howard Deans and Ralph Naders.
The film is at once a political drama, musical and documentary all effortless woven together by a master storyteller, who truly is an American treasure. In "Nashville," Altman's overlapping dialogue works to perfection as he captures this panoramic view of five days in Nashville through the eyes of two-dozen characters.
With so many characters, it's Altman's genius that he keeps this an engrossing character study. Although he tosses aside all conventions of narrative storytelling, we get to know characters better in "Nashville" than we do in many contemporary dramas with fewer characters. There's Ronee Blakley's country singer; Lily Tomlin's doting housewife and mother; Scott Glenn's caring soldier; Keith Carradine's lecherous pop star; Ned Beatty's disinterested father; Keenan Wynn's loving husband; Michael Murphy's sleazy campaigner; and Gwen Welles' sad wannabe country singer, whose scene at a political fund-raiser is heartbreaking. And Jeff Goldblum's motorcyclist and Geraldine Chaplin's Opal are the threads that weave through all the lives in this marvelous tapestry.
There are plenty of terrific songs in "Nashville" - some might complain too many - but the best are Carradine's Oscar-winning "I'm Easy" and "It Don't Bother Me." They add to the nice sense of cynicism that layers the movie.
Altman's one of the big reasons the 1970s is regarded as the greatest decade of American filmmaking. Look at just a few of his contributions in that decade - "Nashville," "MASH" (1970), "Brewster McCloud" (1970), "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" (1971), "Images" (1972) and "The Long Goodbye" (1973). His films also influence other talented filmmakers, including Alan Rudolph (who worked on Altman films) and Paul Thomas Anderson, whose storytelling style - "Boogie Nights" (1997) and "Magnolia" (1999) - clearly is Altman-inspired.
Altman's Masterpiece: "The Damnedest Thing You Ever Saw"
Robert Altman is an extremely divisive director in the sense that you either "get it" or you don't--and those who don't despise his work and take considerable pleasure in sneering at NASHVILLE in particular. But there is no way around the fact that it is an important film, a highly influential film, to most Altman fans his finest films, and to most series critics quite possibly the single finest film made during the whole of the 1970s.
According to the movie trailer available on the DVD release, NASHVILLE is "the damnedest thing you ever saw"--and a truer thing was never said, for it is one of those rare film that completely defies description. On one level, the film follows the lives of some twenty characters over the course of several days leading up to a political rally, lives that collide or don't collide, that have moments of success and failure, and which in the process explore the hypocrisy that we try to sweep away under the rug of American culture. If it were merely that, the film would be so much soap-opera, but it goes quite a bit further: it juxtaposes its observations with images of American patriotism and politics at their most vulgar, and in the process it makes an incredibly funny, incredibly sad, and remarkably savage statement on the superficial values that plague our society.
What most viewers find difficult about NASHVILLE--and about many Altman films--is his refusal to direct our attention within any single scene. Conversations and plot directions overlap with each other, and so much goes on in every scene that you are constantly forced to decide what you will pay attention to and what you will ignore. The result is a film that goes in a hundred different directions with a thousand different meanings, and it would be safe to say that every person who sees it will see a different film.
In the end, however, all these roads lead to Rome, or in this case to the Roman coliseum of American politics, where fame is gained or lost in the wake of violence, where the strong consume the weak without any real personal malice, and where the current political star is only as good as press agent's presentation. For those willing and able to dive into the complex web of life it presents, Altman's masterpiece will be an endlessly fascinating mirror in which we see the energy of life itself scattered, gathered, and reflected back to us. A masterpiece that bears repeated viewings much in the same way that a great novel bears repeated readings. A personal favorite and highly, highly recommended.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
According to the movie trailer available on the DVD release, NASHVILLE is "the damnedest thing you ever saw"--and a truer thing was never said, for it is one of those rare film that completely defies description. On one level, the film follows the lives of some twenty characters over the course of several days leading up to a political rally, lives that collide or don't collide, that have moments of success and failure, and which in the process explore the hypocrisy that we try to sweep away under the rug of American culture. If it were merely that, the film would be so much soap-opera, but it goes quite a bit further: it juxtaposes its observations with images of American patriotism and politics at their most vulgar, and in the process it makes an incredibly funny, incredibly sad, and remarkably savage statement on the superficial values that plague our society.
What most viewers find difficult about NASHVILLE--and about many Altman films--is his refusal to direct our attention within any single scene. Conversations and plot directions overlap with each other, and so much goes on in every scene that you are constantly forced to decide what you will pay attention to and what you will ignore. The result is a film that goes in a hundred different directions with a thousand different meanings, and it would be safe to say that every person who sees it will see a different film.
In the end, however, all these roads lead to Rome, or in this case to the Roman coliseum of American politics, where fame is gained or lost in the wake of violence, where the strong consume the weak without any real personal malice, and where the current political star is only as good as press agent's presentation. For those willing and able to dive into the complex web of life it presents, Altman's masterpiece will be an endlessly fascinating mirror in which we see the energy of life itself scattered, gathered, and reflected back to us. A masterpiece that bears repeated viewings much in the same way that a great novel bears repeated readings. A personal favorite and highly, highly recommended.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
One of the best and most insightful portraits of America ever filmed
- Woodyanders
- Sep 12, 2017
- Permalink
Robert Altman's masterpiece
Robert Altman's sprawling masterpiece is a brilliant look at not just America in the mid-70s, but a reflection of the nation we were to become. Set during a Presidential campaign it weaves themes both large and small. The U. S. was about to celebrate its Bicentennial. Watergate had forced Nixon to resign. The revolutionary 60s had become the Me decade.
Altman and writer Joan Tewkesbury created a mosaic to explore and provoke. NASHVILLE may be set against the worlds of politics and country music, but, it really isn't about either. It's about a nation that is divided along many lines right down to the individual.
The massive cast (24 'main' characters) includes supreme turns by Lily Tomlin, Ronee Blakely, Ned Beatty, Henry Gibson, Karen Black, Keith Carradine, Gwen Welles and more.
In a decade where Altman also made MASH, MCCABE AND MRS. MILLER and THE LONG GOODBYE he stood as tall as anyone of that era.
Altman and writer Joan Tewkesbury created a mosaic to explore and provoke. NASHVILLE may be set against the worlds of politics and country music, but, it really isn't about either. It's about a nation that is divided along many lines right down to the individual.
The massive cast (24 'main' characters) includes supreme turns by Lily Tomlin, Ronee Blakely, Ned Beatty, Henry Gibson, Karen Black, Keith Carradine, Gwen Welles and more.
In a decade where Altman also made MASH, MCCABE AND MRS. MILLER and THE LONG GOODBYE he stood as tall as anyone of that era.
a milestone in my filmgoing experience
I saw Nashville when it was first shown, billed as Altman's "birthday card" to America on the occasion of the bicentennial. The greatest tribute I can pay is that, despite its frequent shifts of location, many individual scenes and characterizations, as well as the overarching story line, remained vivid in my mind over the years before I was able to purchase the film on video. When I taught Film History at my college I used Nashville as the final examination for the course. After having viewed the film, students were instructed to identify the elements of film technique previously studied(such as overlapping dialogue, jump shots, widescreen, etc) in order to forward the narrative, as they were employed by Altman. In general, they did very well; even those who disliked the film. There are too many admirable performances for me to mention; however, those that remained most vivid in my mind over the years were those of Gwen Welles, Ronee Blakley, Henry Gibson, and Lily Tomlin. One last note of appreciation regards the fact that all the characters were introduced within the first twenty minutes at the airport; their personalities brought out in the highway scene;and their being brought together again, cyclically, during the last twenty minutes at the "Parthenon". It has been several years since I used Nashville for pedagogical purposes. When I purchased the DVD recently I found that, despite my numerous viewings and classroom analysis, the impact was virtually the same as when I first saw it in 1976. For me, it did not "murder to dissect" this personal milestone.
- sryder@judson-il.edu
- Aug 20, 2004
- Permalink
Refreshing and Brilliant
After having seen this film for the third time - the first was in film school many years ago - I'm struck by the amount of action going on within many of the shots. Mention is frequently made of Altman's use of overlapping dialogue in the sound but what struck me this time around is how often two or more characters, acting out different lines of the story are captured within the same shot - giving this film much of its sense of verisimilitude, a fantastic control of pace while feeling natural. Unarguably, much of its naturalism comes from the lens and cinematographic choices but part of it also stems from the choices made available in the cutting room, which give it an excellent pace and rhythm.
Add to that some wonderful performances, especially by Henry Gibson and Ronee Blakely, and you have a quintessential American Independent film that speaks about America in terms that no marketing agency of the current generation would ever tolerate.
Add to that some wonderful performances, especially by Henry Gibson and Ronee Blakely, and you have a quintessential American Independent film that speaks about America in terms that no marketing agency of the current generation would ever tolerate.
Scattershot satire does unveil one terrific new talent...
Director Robert Altman's sprawling put-down of the Capitol of Country Music features a headache-inducing amount of overlapping dialogue recorded in a fuzzy, pseudo-documentary manner; add to that an over-abundance of 'colorful' characters and muddy cinematography, and "Nashville" nearly self-destructs before its second-half. Saved in the end by terrific performances, Altman gets superlative acting turns from Shelley Duvall and Keenan Wynn (in the film's most moving side-plot), Henry Gibson (perhaps doing a Conway Twitty), Lily Tomlin (excellent), Gwen Welles as a would-be singer who ends up stripping, and of course Ronee Blakley (whose Barbara Jean might be modeled after Loretta Lynn). Blakley's breakdown in front of an outdoor audience is unforgettable, her sanity slipping away as she babbles along happily. Otherwise, the film has a dated, drab look, talky passages that stall the momentum, and not enough sly humor (the picture leaves a sour aftertaste). Professional critics were split when the film was released in 1975; it certainly isn't easy faulting a film that begins with a plug for its own soundtrack (clever...almost too clever), and as a vehicle for the talents of Ronee Blakley, who never got a chance like this again. **1/2 from ****
- moonspinner55
- Feb 22, 2001
- Permalink
Best Movie
Nashville is a great movie. It is so multilayered, you'll be able to watch it again and again and slowly peel back each layer to see more and more. Amazing all around--amazing ability to hand you dozens of different characters and make you feel like you know each and every one very well. Most movies today can't even make you like even one character, much less 20.
Songs are memorable, some are hilariously bad, others are quite good. Hilariously funny at times, poignant and thought-provoking and heartbreaking. Amazing film.
Songs are memorable, some are hilariously bad, others are quite good. Hilariously funny at times, poignant and thought-provoking and heartbreaking. Amazing film.
- tragiclaura5
- Apr 4, 2002
- Permalink
Not my thing
Nashville has 24 "main" characters and I didn't care about a single one! The movie is overstuffed and mostly boring, the characters aren't that interesting (except maybe 1 or 2 of them) and it's really hard to keep up what's going on. Most of the time I was like wait who are you again? The second part of the movie was much better and some character development was happening, I also loved the ending! This is my first Altman but I'm excited to watch more of his movies.
- alansabljakovic-39044
- May 2, 2020
- Permalink
who said it's not a comedy ?
I grew up in Nashville. I laughed myself sick when I first saw this film. It is funny start to finish. Sometimes, the humor's cruel, sometimes it falls flat, sometimes it is tongue-in- cheek, sometimes it is outright hilarious.
There is a scene where there is a multiple car pile up on the interstate. People get out of their cars and start selling things and fighting and going on with life with an utter unselfconsciousness about themselves - like they have no memory about the situation - it's like watching a dog lick its own ass ! They don't think, they just exist in the moment. That scene is at the beginning of the movie and the movie just gets better.
I was twelve when "Nashville" premiered in Nashville. It was a BIG DEAL of course. And it was a huge scandal afterwords because Nashville had put out the red carpet for Altman to make the film. . . and then to see it - it was scathing! It makes fun of bumpkins and the superficiality of country music and the pettiness of people and their sad delusions of fame and talent and the exploitive nature of the music industry (and politics). It skewers Nashville. Thing is - many Nashvillians came out of the theater not quite getting it.
It's like the joke was over their head. THAT'S HIS POINT - RUBES !!
To be fair, this is a movie which could have been made any number of places. A number of times Altman tried to do just that. After all, how many communities center around self- important people who believe they are more righteous and more important and live better than anyone else or at any other time ? Plenty, that's how many.
It's just that In "Nashville", everything came together. The country music industry was at a nadir; its product was falsely folksy lyrics set to over-produced sound. All (but one) of the actors in this film wrote their own songs so convincingly that the parody is not obvious. For example, Henry Gibson's "For the Sake of the Children" relates directly to Lorretta Lynn's "One's on the Way, which was a #1 hit in 1971. How do you parody something which already seems a parody of itself (or at least those who listen to it)?
Country music seems to glorify being uneducated and poor, just like mid-1970's fashion produces the ugliest and most awkward clothes imaginable. (We knew that at the time, right?) To top it off, the hoopla of the upcoming 1976 Bicentennial broadened the scope of the message to apply to America as a whole. The movie anthem "We must be doing something right to last two hundred years," resonates today as we exclaim "We're #1" as if we are playing (and winning) some big football game with the world. We make our deals and exclude outsiders and live in the ignorant belief no one else could be so wonderful.
Robert Altman's "Nashville" is if nothing else a comedy. It tells us this - from the scope of our national psyche to the most personal aspects of our own egos - when we take ourselves too seriously and can not laugh at ourselves, then we are just sad.
There is a scene where there is a multiple car pile up on the interstate. People get out of their cars and start selling things and fighting and going on with life with an utter unselfconsciousness about themselves - like they have no memory about the situation - it's like watching a dog lick its own ass ! They don't think, they just exist in the moment. That scene is at the beginning of the movie and the movie just gets better.
I was twelve when "Nashville" premiered in Nashville. It was a BIG DEAL of course. And it was a huge scandal afterwords because Nashville had put out the red carpet for Altman to make the film. . . and then to see it - it was scathing! It makes fun of bumpkins and the superficiality of country music and the pettiness of people and their sad delusions of fame and talent and the exploitive nature of the music industry (and politics). It skewers Nashville. Thing is - many Nashvillians came out of the theater not quite getting it.
It's like the joke was over their head. THAT'S HIS POINT - RUBES !!
To be fair, this is a movie which could have been made any number of places. A number of times Altman tried to do just that. After all, how many communities center around self- important people who believe they are more righteous and more important and live better than anyone else or at any other time ? Plenty, that's how many.
It's just that In "Nashville", everything came together. The country music industry was at a nadir; its product was falsely folksy lyrics set to over-produced sound. All (but one) of the actors in this film wrote their own songs so convincingly that the parody is not obvious. For example, Henry Gibson's "For the Sake of the Children" relates directly to Lorretta Lynn's "One's on the Way, which was a #1 hit in 1971. How do you parody something which already seems a parody of itself (or at least those who listen to it)?
Country music seems to glorify being uneducated and poor, just like mid-1970's fashion produces the ugliest and most awkward clothes imaginable. (We knew that at the time, right?) To top it off, the hoopla of the upcoming 1976 Bicentennial broadened the scope of the message to apply to America as a whole. The movie anthem "We must be doing something right to last two hundred years," resonates today as we exclaim "We're #1" as if we are playing (and winning) some big football game with the world. We make our deals and exclude outsiders and live in the ignorant belief no one else could be so wonderful.
Robert Altman's "Nashville" is if nothing else a comedy. It tells us this - from the scope of our national psyche to the most personal aspects of our own egos - when we take ourselves too seriously and can not laugh at ourselves, then we are just sad.
- hawaiitude
- Jan 9, 2007
- Permalink
The movie don't worry me much, but it's still out there bothering other people.
- ironhorse_iv
- Dec 25, 2012
- Permalink
This isn't Nashville...it's an insane asylum!
"Nashville" is supposed to be Robert Altman's best movie. But I have to say, I just didn't get it! The movie is like some kind of surreal satire on the city of Nashville, and the state of America in the 1970's. It's Nashville...but it's like an alternate universe Nashville where the people talk endlessly, on and on, about nothing! It's like "Seinfeld" without the jokes or character development.
This Nashville is filled with people who are completely clueless about how superficial their lives are, who seem to have no idea how stupid they are. A key scene early on involves a multi-car pile-up on the interstate. But instead of running around from car to car asking "Is everyone all right? Is anyone hurt?", the people in the pile-up (who are all, by strange coincidence, characters in the movie) seem more annoyed that this accident will make them late for dinner, or to whatever they have to go to. They talk with each other, exchange phone numbers, buy and sell goods, eat popsicles bought from an ice cream. Nobody seems phased that they've just been through a massive near-death experience. These are not "people," they are "characters in a social commentary."
Altman's take on the country music industry is very strange. In this version of Nashville, there are a lot of country music singers who can't sing! I don't just mean the "wannabe singers" like Suleen Gay (Gwen Welles) who is too stupid to realize she doesn't have any talent. I mean established country stars like Tommy Brown (Timmy Brown), Haven Hamilton (Henry Gibson), and Connie White (Karen Black), who are singing onstage at the Grand Ole Opry, but who have limited pitch ranges, and slide their notes up and down the scale as they sing. These "country stars" wouldn't last 30 seconds at an "American Idol" audition. Simon Cowell would eat them alive and spit them out!
Most of the songs in the movie seem to be country song pastiches. (One song includes the lyrics, "The pilot light of our love has gone out" and "If makin' love is margarine, then you're a slippery spread.") Only occasionally do we get a sincere, well-sung country song, like Keith Carradine's "I'm Easy." Ronnie Blakely has a good role as a Loretta Lynn-style country singer who has an onstage meltdown at Opryland. But even her onstage meltdown seems phony -- it is a caricature of an onstage meltdown written by a Hollywood screenwriter. (Did she really need to make chicken sounds onstage to make the point that she was cracking up?)
The city of Nashville seems to have gone insane, but nobody seems to notice. A sound truck drives around, blaring political arguments for a populist presidential candidate. A man (Jeff Goldblum) rides around on a three-wheel motorcycle, stopping occasionally to do magic tricks. An annoying British journalist (Geraldine Chapman) keeps showing up at parties and bars and sticking her microphone in people's faces, asking them questions and ignoring their answers.
And of course, people talk, non-stop, about nothing in particular, in Altman's trademark overlapping dialogue, for two hours and forty minutes. This form of movie dialogue may be considered realistic, but in this case, I found it very boring.
Yes, I know, Altman was making a comment on the times, and the 1970's were a very surreal and superficial time. But the fact that Altman captured the surreal, superficial qualities of the 70's doesn't necessarily mean it's an interesting movie. I found the characters dull, the dialogue boring, and the plot fairly nonsensical. If I ever pass through this Nashville, remind me to stay on the bus to Memphis.
This Nashville is filled with people who are completely clueless about how superficial their lives are, who seem to have no idea how stupid they are. A key scene early on involves a multi-car pile-up on the interstate. But instead of running around from car to car asking "Is everyone all right? Is anyone hurt?", the people in the pile-up (who are all, by strange coincidence, characters in the movie) seem more annoyed that this accident will make them late for dinner, or to whatever they have to go to. They talk with each other, exchange phone numbers, buy and sell goods, eat popsicles bought from an ice cream. Nobody seems phased that they've just been through a massive near-death experience. These are not "people," they are "characters in a social commentary."
Altman's take on the country music industry is very strange. In this version of Nashville, there are a lot of country music singers who can't sing! I don't just mean the "wannabe singers" like Suleen Gay (Gwen Welles) who is too stupid to realize she doesn't have any talent. I mean established country stars like Tommy Brown (Timmy Brown), Haven Hamilton (Henry Gibson), and Connie White (Karen Black), who are singing onstage at the Grand Ole Opry, but who have limited pitch ranges, and slide their notes up and down the scale as they sing. These "country stars" wouldn't last 30 seconds at an "American Idol" audition. Simon Cowell would eat them alive and spit them out!
Most of the songs in the movie seem to be country song pastiches. (One song includes the lyrics, "The pilot light of our love has gone out" and "If makin' love is margarine, then you're a slippery spread.") Only occasionally do we get a sincere, well-sung country song, like Keith Carradine's "I'm Easy." Ronnie Blakely has a good role as a Loretta Lynn-style country singer who has an onstage meltdown at Opryland. But even her onstage meltdown seems phony -- it is a caricature of an onstage meltdown written by a Hollywood screenwriter. (Did she really need to make chicken sounds onstage to make the point that she was cracking up?)
The city of Nashville seems to have gone insane, but nobody seems to notice. A sound truck drives around, blaring political arguments for a populist presidential candidate. A man (Jeff Goldblum) rides around on a three-wheel motorcycle, stopping occasionally to do magic tricks. An annoying British journalist (Geraldine Chapman) keeps showing up at parties and bars and sticking her microphone in people's faces, asking them questions and ignoring their answers.
And of course, people talk, non-stop, about nothing in particular, in Altman's trademark overlapping dialogue, for two hours and forty minutes. This form of movie dialogue may be considered realistic, but in this case, I found it very boring.
Yes, I know, Altman was making a comment on the times, and the 1970's were a very surreal and superficial time. But the fact that Altman captured the surreal, superficial qualities of the 70's doesn't necessarily mean it's an interesting movie. I found the characters dull, the dialogue boring, and the plot fairly nonsensical. If I ever pass through this Nashville, remind me to stay on the bus to Memphis.
Powerful commentary on 70's America
One of the greatest films of its era.
Can't believe I've taken this long to reply re: Nashville. It is simply the movie that has had the biggest influence on my life since I first had the honor of viewing it one hot August day in Seattle in 1975. Leaving the theatre dazed, numbed and shattered, in a way only a truly great work of art is able to accomplish, at having seen something so unique and so powerful it helped this then 21 year old Canadian see life and the possibility of film in an entirely different light. That's a pretty lofty thing for a movie to do, but Nashville is the most defining movie of my lifetime, the one that all others were judged by or compared to. Over the years I have viewed this movie countless times in second-run, revival houses, and even on television where it's impact is of course diluted by commercials and indifferent presentations It was the first movie I bought on DVD, even before I owned a player and have scoured newspapers, books and magazines long before the access of the internet to read everything available on this film. Unfortunately, Nashville's reputation suffered during the dark years of the 1980-90s (the complete exclusion from the AFI's list of 100 greatest films of all time was especially vexing but rallied a bit with its availability on DVD. True, it is a love it or hate it movie, most great works of art do bring out these strong emotions and I have experienced both during the close to 30 years since the movie's release, but for those of us who love it, there are very few others that compare.
The Most Human Film of All Time
I first saw Robert Altman's Nashville when I was 19-20 years old, during it's rounds in the cheap theaters. I remember it impacting me but then promptly forgetting the details, but never forgetting the impact. I saw it again when I was perhaps 30, and my wife at the time fell asleep halfway through it. But again remembering the impact if not the details. A few weeks ago I purchased the new DVD release, and I've watched it three times and all I can think about is watching it again. At the age of 43, I am even more in awe of this film than ever. The other commentary here is full of superlatives, all of which I concur with - so I will have to say something about it's special impact on me. You see, I find myself growing to love all these characters in the film, for their imperfections and their human-ness. It is said truth is stranger than fiction, but the truth of the entirely fictitious Nashville is remarkably close to the real thing. How can anyone forget scenes like Keith Carradine listening to his own songs while making love to a different woman in each scene... and on the phone to the next before she is even dressed and out the door? How can anyone forget the frail Ronnie Blakley singing "In The Garden" from her wheelchair in the hospital chapel? Or Keenan Wynn's silent reaction to news of his wife's death? I am still amazed at how much can be told about the soul of a character in just a few minutes of screen time. Like Kenny, the angry young drifter who seems aimless yet befriends the lonely Keenan Wynn character. Barbara Jean telling her life's story in just a few precious minutes while her frustrated band aborts for the third time, before being hustled offstage by her type-A husband. I am even starting to love the songs, many of which were written by the performers themselves - one stroke of genius of many by Robert Altman to induce each actor to perform from the heart. I truly feel sorry for the reviewer who walked out halfway through this movie. If you watch for the first time, pay attention... and look for the first mention of the word "Parthenon"! Then you will want to go back and watch the first half again, when it's over. I recommend watching it alone, with no distractions. There is no movie like Nashville -- it could be a little bit of American Graffiti, a little bit of Forest Gump, and even a little bit of Mad Mad Mad Mad World. But mostly it's like nothing else. Robert Altman was recently quoted as saying this movie "just happened". Thank you Mr. Altman, for letting it happen.
- movies-109
- Dec 26, 2000
- Permalink
Unique Masterpiece!
I loved this movie. Loved it! I just saw this on widescreen DVD and had never seen it before. It's the first movie I have seen in a few years that had me smiling from ear to ear as it ended, not because it was a feel-good movie but because it was so exhilarating to see a work so flawlessly assembled, so marvellously written and acted, and finally one so overflowing with the collective creative energy of the cast and crew. There are more memorable characters and vignettes in this one two hour and 40 minute movie than in all the movies from the movies I have seen from the year 2000. M*A*S*H and The Player are the only other two Altman films I have ever seen, and I hesitate to see anymore as how can any of them be as good as NASHVILLE?
When Baby-Boomers were Millennials...
My rendezvous with "Nashville" goes back to seven years ago, I could get any movie I wanted but "Nashville" resisted. I needed to see the fifth Best Picture nominee of 1975, this very movie Roger Ebert and Pauline Kael raved about, that topped both Ebert and Siskel's annual top ten, this American Film Institute's Top 100 entry that was a total mystery to me.
It took seven years but better late than never... At first, I didn't get what was so brilliant about it but so many story lines and only one viewing? I saw it again. And then, I went like "oh, what the heck", a third time won't hurt. Three times in less than four days, could have been four or five times, as many as the stars in the American flag, that's how good it is. This is one flew over a cuckoo's nest you don't recover from, and the more ordinary people and situations are, the more extraordinary the journey is. Altman should be damned... if he wasn't such a genius.
The film spans a period of five days during a country-music festival, coinciding with some populist politician's party rally, this is enough to have a panoramic view across the lives of dozens of characters who, through their considerable... differences, reach ever possible dimension of the American spirit of 1975, and in such a way that I guess even a non-American can enjoy it. Well, there's me at least.
So, what is "Nashville"? Simply, the Mecca of country music, the reason why everybody came in the first place and were reunited by the end.There are dozens of them but there's no small part in the sense that they're all equally small in the scale of the significance of music, the common thread, the real star. Some sing, some wish they could, some manage or look for singers, some screw or get screwed by them... or just pop up and aimlessly wander, like in real life, no one crosses your path who should necessarily has a significance.
I wonder to which extent these fascinating hazards were part of Joan Tewkesbury's script or improvised by the actors the same way they wrote their own songs.
And not any songs, country songs... this is crucial because country music isn't just deeply rooted in American tradition, it is also the most cinematic of all forms of music: it tells stories.
I can perhaps tell you the name of four or five country singers but I know a great deal about the way country music affects me, because any song I hear finds a powerful echo in my own memories. It is like this scene from "The Simpsons" where Homer leaves the house after an argument and hears Lurleen Lumpkin singing "Your wife doesn't understand you but I do". You listen to country music because you feel like 'it' has listened to you in the first place.
Just compare the upbeat patriotic starting song from Haven Hamilton (Henry Gibson) "we must have done something right to last 200 years" with the neutral political slogans the loudspeaker keep on hammering all day, which one will reach the hearts first? Compare the obnoxiousness of the character played by Keith Carradine who seemed to have gotten half the female cast on his bed with the melancholic tune of his "I'm Easy" you can't even tell whether he has pride or contempt toward himself, but the gaze of Lilly Tomlin while listening to him says everything.
Music is like the only way to arouse genuine emotions, in another powerful scene, a wannabe singer (Glew Welels) of mediocre talent gets booed, she can only indulge to a striptease to provoke the cheers. In another scene, a father doesn't even have the patience to listen to his deaf son's story as if silence was the antithesis of communication, and music its apotheosis.
Many people communicate, others don't... some meet, others don't... I remember a girl in high school, we never talked together, never went in the same class, but for some reason, we always met in some place or another. When it became obviously repetitive, we smiled at each other; like a private joke. Just like in "Nashville", the more we meet these people, the more we care for them, as we care for ourselves.
Only the New Hollywood period could have made this gem possible, a time where America was still mourning an innocence and where the baby-boomers like today's millennials (count me among them) were cherishing their childhood, a time without the Vietnam War, incarnated by a Wizard-of-Oz-like childhood, Kennedy's dashing smile, the very American Pie Don McLean said bye-bye to.
And this end-of-an-era is magnificently captured by the performance of Roney Blakely (Oscar-nominated along with Tolmin) as a fragile and emotionally vulnerable country singer named Barbara Jean. She's a sweet and delicate flower with a ticking bomb of a heart, she faints at her arrival, in her first representation, she interrupts her songs to mumble about her childhood until her husband (Allen Garfield) takes her away, simply overwhelmed, and easily upset like a part of America is.
But there's room for every possible identification: capitalists, disillusioned soldiers, drifters, lunatic, has-beens, romantics and losers, this is a microcosm of America, all in characters and emotions, for the sake of laughs, anger, tears, frustration, the spirit of a country in a nutshell and its heart is Barbara Jean, whose "Idaho Home" song awakened again that symptomatic feeling of millennials: being nostalgic over eras we didn't live.
And if I could keep one image from these 240 minutes, I'd keep the sight of the American flag gently rippling under the wind while Barbara Jean sings "we were young then, we were together. We could bear floods and fire and bad weather", hell, how can I seriously write a thousand-word review when this image alone speaks for a thousand words.
It took seven years but better late than never... At first, I didn't get what was so brilliant about it but so many story lines and only one viewing? I saw it again. And then, I went like "oh, what the heck", a third time won't hurt. Three times in less than four days, could have been four or five times, as many as the stars in the American flag, that's how good it is. This is one flew over a cuckoo's nest you don't recover from, and the more ordinary people and situations are, the more extraordinary the journey is. Altman should be damned... if he wasn't such a genius.
The film spans a period of five days during a country-music festival, coinciding with some populist politician's party rally, this is enough to have a panoramic view across the lives of dozens of characters who, through their considerable... differences, reach ever possible dimension of the American spirit of 1975, and in such a way that I guess even a non-American can enjoy it. Well, there's me at least.
So, what is "Nashville"? Simply, the Mecca of country music, the reason why everybody came in the first place and were reunited by the end.There are dozens of them but there's no small part in the sense that they're all equally small in the scale of the significance of music, the common thread, the real star. Some sing, some wish they could, some manage or look for singers, some screw or get screwed by them... or just pop up and aimlessly wander, like in real life, no one crosses your path who should necessarily has a significance.
I wonder to which extent these fascinating hazards were part of Joan Tewkesbury's script or improvised by the actors the same way they wrote their own songs.
And not any songs, country songs... this is crucial because country music isn't just deeply rooted in American tradition, it is also the most cinematic of all forms of music: it tells stories.
I can perhaps tell you the name of four or five country singers but I know a great deal about the way country music affects me, because any song I hear finds a powerful echo in my own memories. It is like this scene from "The Simpsons" where Homer leaves the house after an argument and hears Lurleen Lumpkin singing "Your wife doesn't understand you but I do". You listen to country music because you feel like 'it' has listened to you in the first place.
Just compare the upbeat patriotic starting song from Haven Hamilton (Henry Gibson) "we must have done something right to last 200 years" with the neutral political slogans the loudspeaker keep on hammering all day, which one will reach the hearts first? Compare the obnoxiousness of the character played by Keith Carradine who seemed to have gotten half the female cast on his bed with the melancholic tune of his "I'm Easy" you can't even tell whether he has pride or contempt toward himself, but the gaze of Lilly Tomlin while listening to him says everything.
Music is like the only way to arouse genuine emotions, in another powerful scene, a wannabe singer (Glew Welels) of mediocre talent gets booed, she can only indulge to a striptease to provoke the cheers. In another scene, a father doesn't even have the patience to listen to his deaf son's story as if silence was the antithesis of communication, and music its apotheosis.
Many people communicate, others don't... some meet, others don't... I remember a girl in high school, we never talked together, never went in the same class, but for some reason, we always met in some place or another. When it became obviously repetitive, we smiled at each other; like a private joke. Just like in "Nashville", the more we meet these people, the more we care for them, as we care for ourselves.
Only the New Hollywood period could have made this gem possible, a time where America was still mourning an innocence and where the baby-boomers like today's millennials (count me among them) were cherishing their childhood, a time without the Vietnam War, incarnated by a Wizard-of-Oz-like childhood, Kennedy's dashing smile, the very American Pie Don McLean said bye-bye to.
And this end-of-an-era is magnificently captured by the performance of Roney Blakely (Oscar-nominated along with Tolmin) as a fragile and emotionally vulnerable country singer named Barbara Jean. She's a sweet and delicate flower with a ticking bomb of a heart, she faints at her arrival, in her first representation, she interrupts her songs to mumble about her childhood until her husband (Allen Garfield) takes her away, simply overwhelmed, and easily upset like a part of America is.
But there's room for every possible identification: capitalists, disillusioned soldiers, drifters, lunatic, has-beens, romantics and losers, this is a microcosm of America, all in characters and emotions, for the sake of laughs, anger, tears, frustration, the spirit of a country in a nutshell and its heart is Barbara Jean, whose "Idaho Home" song awakened again that symptomatic feeling of millennials: being nostalgic over eras we didn't live.
And if I could keep one image from these 240 minutes, I'd keep the sight of the American flag gently rippling under the wind while Barbara Jean sings "we were young then, we were together. We could bear floods and fire and bad weather", hell, how can I seriously write a thousand-word review when this image alone speaks for a thousand words.
- ElMaruecan82
- Mar 20, 2017
- Permalink
Significant or Operation Boredom?
- dallasryan
- Feb 4, 2012
- Permalink
Outstanding, one of the best films of the 70's
What a great film this was, with a huge cast and director like that you just cant miss. I was very surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did, knowing that I usually dont enjoy musicals or country music, but somehow this film was excellent!! Maybe it was the way we got to know all of those characters, especially Tomlin, who was phonomonal, and her relationship with that singer. So many familiar faces in this film also made it extremely exciting, Jeff Goldblum on that tricycle was hilarious. To sum it up, this film is a must see. 9 1/2 out of 10.
- Idocamstuf
- Apr 24, 2003
- Permalink
Entertaining but Somewhat Overrated
This is one of those films which viewers will probably either love or hate due in large part to the rather haphazard assortment of scenes which seem quite dull and tend to go nowhere. The trick to understanding this film, however, is to realize that all of these scenes either directly or indirectly lead to a climatic finale which is both dramatic and yet puzzling as the same time. At least, that is how it seemed to me. That being said, this movie chronicles several different characters whose lives intertwine in such a manner that some of them don't even realize how their behavior influences others around them--or the future course of events which subsequently play out right before their eyes. It's all rather remarkable in that respect with the scene involving the pop singer named "Tom Frank" (Keith Carradine) serenading "Linnea Reese" (Lily Tomlin) being one of the best. Conversely, there are several others which are downright unremarkable as well with the scene featuring the BBC newscaster "Opal" (Geraldine Chaplin) giving a monologue in the junkyard as possibly the most boring and inane. Likewise, I thought the special guest appearances of both Elliott Gould and Julie Christie (as themselves) were rather awkward as well. In any case, this film was definitely a unique product of its time and all things considered I rate it as slightly above average.
Where to begin?....
Where do you start with a movie you love so much? I don't think I'm even going to try. Suffice it to say that "Nashville" captivates from beginning to end. It exposes everything I love and hate about America, wrapping it all into one big complicated deliriously funny firework of a movie.
Give it a chance--if you're unfamiliar with Altman's work, just know that he doesn't develop a movie in the traditional ways, and it can be frustrating at first. But try to watch this film not with the expectation of seeing a plot unfold from point A to point B, but rather with an eye for associations, similar themes, irony, and juxtapositions. And don't be afraid to laugh. This film is a hilarious human comedy, and we're meant to laugh at it, even if we're uncomfortable for doing so.
People will argue with me of course, but I think "Nashville" is perhaps the best movie of the last 25 years, and one of the best movies in the history of film making.
Give it a chance--if you're unfamiliar with Altman's work, just know that he doesn't develop a movie in the traditional ways, and it can be frustrating at first. But try to watch this film not with the expectation of seeing a plot unfold from point A to point B, but rather with an eye for associations, similar themes, irony, and juxtapositions. And don't be afraid to laugh. This film is a hilarious human comedy, and we're meant to laugh at it, even if we're uncomfortable for doing so.
People will argue with me of course, but I think "Nashville" is perhaps the best movie of the last 25 years, and one of the best movies in the history of film making.
A Whole Nother Nashville.................with politics............
This is definitely not the Nashville I know. This film may have a deep message at the end, but after a hundred and fifty-nine minutes of almost continuous singing, I think I could live without it. I agree this film has some underlying and at times dark messages about government and the straining process of politics. Not exactly my cup of tea, but this film does present a rather interesting political landscape. However, it is hard to see past the music, I almost felt like I should have been singing as well, like a sort of sing along picture. Now, the performances here are all well rounded, and I will give the actors credit for their singing talents. As well some of the actors wrote their own songs, which is also not any less impressive. The ending I suppose was meant to be a take it or leave it, throw it at the audiences face, scenario. I personally am not impressed by this move possibly seen as creativity. I felt no sense of shock or awe from the conclusion. The film does shine in its ability to create an entire other world without filming in odd locations or sets. It creates a politically harsh world full of those corrupting and those being corrupted. The style in which the film was shot was rather unique. The camera angles provided this raw sense of reality once again adding to this surreal vibe. This film definitely suffers from being to long as well in the long run somewhat repetitive in its musical displays and its ever recurring theme. Overall this film is bold in its attempt to create not just a political message but a whole new political world. However it seems to me to drag out this message way too long and use its creativeness against itself.
- zach-735-707860
- May 10, 2010
- Permalink
The vaunted status of this movie as director Robert Altman's finest achievement escapes me.