Robert Altman has died

[Tom in North Carolina]

I just got a call from a friend in LA who says that famed director Robert Altman has died at age 81. Probably best know for such classics as M*A*S*H, and Nashville, he also directed hundreds of television shows and this years A Prairie Home Companion. Bob was a kind and gentle man who gave so much back to the industry. I sat in on a couple of his seminars for film students and he literally sat there until every single question was answered and every autograph request fulfilled. This news will defintiely cloud the Holiday for a lot of folks who were fortunate to just be in the same room with this man. My sincere condolences go out to Kathryn and his entire family. We've lost a great one today.

Tom

[Dottie]

Oh, that's sad!! M*A*S*H is a great movie!!

[Caballero Girl]

How sad.

The only films of his that I've seen are Shortcuts and the Player, but they were both great.

[DisneyDVDFAN]

Robert Altman, 1925-2006
Robert Altman, winner of the 2006 Honorary Oscar, died Tuesday at age 81. He was 45 when he made his first masterpiece, M*A*S*H, and made his last, A Prairie Home Companion, just this year. He was one of those rare artists whose name is turned into an adjective. "Altmanesque" came to describe any film with a large ensemble cast, start-and-stop dialogue, long takes, and a wry world view that explored the surprising ways lives intersect. Among his timeless contributions to the movies are Nashville, Short Cuts, and The Player. See his essential movies and his complete body of work. He will be missed.

Sad ;(

[The Little Merman]

Good Lord.

RIP Mr Altman, one of my favorite film-makers ever.



*tlm

[PixarFan2006]

Aw, that's sad! So far, about 5 celebrities have died this month. R.I.P. Robert Altman.

[Lazario]

I haven't seen any of his films. I've heard of some of them. And I do believe that he was a Criterion Collection favorite.

[lord-of-sith]

RIP Mr. Altman

Has the plague infested Hollywood?

[Jasmine1022]

RIP Robert Altman. Although I never knew him or saw any of his movies I'm sure he was a great, sweet man and a good director.

If the celebrities keep dropping like flies we are going to have a serious problem.

[slave2moonlight]

Sorry to hear this. Not too familiar with which films were his. Someone should post a list of works in threads about people passing on.

Though I was never a MASH fan, I still need to give the movie a decent chance. I haven't seen Prairie Home Companion yet, though I've been wanting to. I think it should be worthy of a blind buy, so I will probably eventually see it that way. I remember when they used to show performances of the program on the very old-school Disney Channel, and I remember finding it interesting even as a kid. I guess I've always been different from the other kids that way, ha.

[castleinthesky]

RIP Robert Altman

He was such a great director. This was such a shock. My favorite film of his was Gosford Park.

[James]

Wow, I was actually thinking that he would die soon, which is really morbid of me. His latest film, A Prarie Home Companion, is a slow old-time film, I've heard, and it's kind of a really appropriate way to end his career. He loved Meryl Streep on it so much that she was apparently in talks to feature in another of his films. Sadly that won't get made now. I remember earlier this year, at the Oscars, he got the Honourary Oscar and I was thinking, who the hell is this guy? Well, now I know, and I've actually seen and heard of more of his work this year, than any other year. I saw Gosford Park this year, which I hated (sorry castleinthesky!), and read tons of info about APHC, not to mention that Oscar win.
RIP Robert Altman
-James