Robert Altman is a director who went down in history as the most famous creator of American author's cinema. Throughout his life, this man in his films laughed at the "factory of dreams", its hackneyed cliches and plots. Drama, musical, western - it is difficult to name a genre, in the development of which the master did not have time to contribute. What is known about this talented man and his films?
Robert Altman: biography of a star
The future director was born in the city of Kansas City, located in the US state of Missouri, it happened in February 1925. Robert Altman is not a native of the cinematic dynasty; his parents were an insurance agent and a housewife. The boy was sent to a Catholic school, but he tried to spend as little time as possible on the lessons. As a teenager, one of his main hobbies was music; Robert was an expert in contemporary bands. However, a musician’s career was never his goal.
Having become a graduate of the school, Robert Altman did not know which profession to choose. He received a diploma from the Wentworth Military Academy, worked as an assistant pilot for some time, he even happened to take part in World War II. Then the guy entered the University of Missouri, choosing a faculty of engineering, but soon became disappointed in his studies.
From screenwriter to director
Rejecting the decision to become an engineer, Robert Altman moved to sunny California and began to write short stories. Of course, the fruits of his creative activity did not interest anyone for some time, but then luck nevertheless smiled at the young man. He acquired the story “The Bodyguard,” the plot of which in 1948 served as the basis for the picture of the same name.
Altman, inspired by his first major achievement, was determined to become part of the magical world of cinema. The guy spent some time as the director of the Calvin Company in Kansas, shooting industrial videos and in practice studying the secrets of the filming process. For the first time, they started talking about the young man even after the release of his documentary “Offenders”, dedicated to juvenile delinquents, but then fame turned out to be fleeting. Having finally believed in his talent, Robert returned to California.
Breakthrough movie
Alfred Hitchcock is the man Robert Altman collaborated with for some time. The films that he shot in those years were intended for the Alfred Hitchcock Presents series. However, the novice director wanted something more, he dreamed of working independently. The master’s wish came true in 1969, when he presented the MES drama to the public.
The central characters of the picture were doctors working in a mobile hospital. Doctors become participants in the Korean War, but the horrors experienced do not make them lose their humanity and stop helping people. The main role was brilliantly played by Donald Sutherland , who had already become a star at that time . The picture collected a huge amount at the box office, and its creator acquired stellar status.
The best film projects
Robert Altman is a director whose films are not intended for a wide range of viewers. Some fall in love with his paintings at first sight, while others refuse to see it in a few minutes. Western "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" - the first tape with which the maestro showed his unwillingness to "play by the rules." The main character of the picture is not at all a brave defender of the weak, as people are used to seeing cowboys in the movies. The central character is a scoundrel who creates a brothel in a village and then dies due to his own stupidity.
Robert Altman's comedy “The Wedding” is also considered a kind of challenge that the director threw to the Hollywood world. The main characters of the picture are representatives of two different families whom the wedding of the children forced to come together. The ceremony is in jeopardy due to the death of an elderly grandmother. However, relatives decide to continue the festivities without reporting the death of the old woman.
The film “Player” is Altman’s latest mockery of the Hollywood world. The central character of the tape is a Hollywood producer who receives threats from a screenwriter whose work he rejected. Fearing for his life, the producer takes the life of the enemy and then makes every effort to avoid criminal liability. The audience is most impressed with the “happy ending”.
Death
Altman is a person whom close people have always described as a workaholic who does not know how to relax. It is not surprising that the director literally died on the set. His last work is the tragicomical musical Companions, this work was completed by the maestro shortly before his death. Robert passed away in November 2006, having celebrated his 80th birthday. Doctors called leukemia as the cause of the death of this talented person.
Altman's son Michael claims that his father was happy throughout his life. After all, he allowed himself to shoot such pictures as he liked, not paying attention to the opinions of others.