Images
With Susannah York, René Auberjonois, Marcel Bozzuffi.
US, 1972, 35mm, color, 101 min.
Made for a small budget after the success of M*A*S*H, Images was a personal project for Altman, one of his only films for which he is the sole credited screenwriter. Alternately dreamy and nightmarish, this psychological thriller, about a woman convinced that those around her are not who they say they are, is a relative of Polanski’s Repulsion, except that here the protagonist’s possible instability is related not solely to her sexuality but also to her creativity. Describing Altman’s fascination with female characters who are “difficult, suffering, searching women,” lead actor Susannah York wrote, “his experience of women is that they are more complex, more emotional, more demanding, and at the same time more understanding creatures, in general, than men.”
PRECEDED BY
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Pot au feu
Directed by Robert Altman.
With B.C. Altman, Helen Matthews Altman.
US, 1965, digital video, color, 11 min.
Copy source: UCLA
In this comedy short, shot as a lark with friends, Altman presents a cooking show devoted to teaching the finer points of pot smoking, which was one of the bon vivant’s favorite pastimes when not on set. The film became part of Altman’s portfolio and is said to have helped get him the job directing M*A*S*H.
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
