HealtH
With Carol Burnett, Glenda Jackson, James Garner.
US, 1980, 35mm, color, 98 min.
Print source: 20th Century Fox
HealtH finds Altman, after Nashville, trying his hand once again at political satire. The film ostensibly concerns the rivalry between two women—one an uptight octogenarian, the other an earnest campaigner against materialism and commercialism—for control over a health-food empire. The battle between the supporters of each candidate spreads through the usual large Altman cast of characters. Having soured on American politics during the Nixon presidency, Altman here seems to be predicting—and spoofing—the then-upcoming presidential race between Reagan and Carter. (The film was shot in 1979, and the director himself said he had the 1950s contests between Eisenhower and Stevenson in mind.) HealtH marked the end of Altman’s five-film contract with Fox; after the failures of A Wedding, A Perfect Couple and Quintet, the studio lost faith in him and delayed the release of HealtH for two years. When he saw the film at the White House in 1982, Ronald Reagan described it in his diary as “the world’s worst movie.”
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
Vincent & Theo
Fool for Love
Prêt-à-porter
California Split
Thieves Like Us
A Perfect Couple
A Prairie Home Companion
O.C. and Stiggs
That Cold Day in the Park
Corn's-A-Poppin'
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
The Gingerbread Man
Dr. T and the Women
Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
