Review of McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) by Steve J — 14 Aug 2014

Fantastic stuff. Warren Beatty and Julie Christie play the titular roles to perfection, and they fit beautifully into Altman's unique universe. A 'western' that is really more of a satire of the proverbial American Dream, it tells the story of a wandering gambler and raconteur (and purported gunslinger) called John McCabe and a Cockney whore called Constance Miller who team up in Washington state at the turn of the twentieth century to open a deluxe brothel/bathhouse.

Their efforts bring in quite a lot of money from the local horny miners, and pretty soon the tiny settlement of Presbyterian Church is flourishing. Trouble brews when a mining company moves in and tries to relieve McCabe of his holdings to the tune of $5,000.

On principle, McCabe refuses their offer and decides to take on the company. But is he really the great gunslinger of legend, or will the team of bounty hunters hired by the mining company take him down with a bullet? And will Mrs Miller be able to admit her love for this man and stand at his side? And will the town of Presbyterian Church rush to the aide of the man who put them on the map? Well.

..it's an Altman film, folks, and therefore all about what happens when real people wake up from the American Dream. This is one of the saddest, most beautiful films not only of Altman's career, but of the entire 1970s.

From the colorful cast to the perfectly-selected locations, Altman and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond construct a world that is somehow both familiar and alien, bathed in lush, romantic gold tones but caked with dirt, blood, and grime.

Few films so beautifully capture squalor. One of the greatest deconstructions of the myths of the American West, McCabe and Mrs Miller stands as a fascinating work of cinematic art. It's also a damn funny film, in spite of the bleak tone and unsympathetic characters.

See it!