Review of Nashville (1975) by Maria Z — 04 Mar 2011

Robert Altman's sprawling ensemble (or "mosaic") drama is, to my knowledge, one of the first of its kind, and also one of the best. Directors like P.T. Anderson owe an enormous debt to this Nashville.

The story revolves around a (very) large cast over 2 or 3 days in Nashville, TN culminating in a political rally. The cast is uniformly terrific - Karen Black, Barbara Harris, Keith Carradine, Keenan Wynn, Henry Gibson - all deliver memorable performances, but it is Lily Tomlin who simply steals every single scene she's in.

Though she's best known for her comedic abilities, Tomlin is also a marvelous dramatic actress, giving a beautiful, subtle, and nuanced performance. Like much of American cinema is the early half of the 1970s, Nashville is an often bleak look at American culture, though Altman is keen enough to make it all entertaining and thought-provoking.

Yet, I feel this is all for naught, as I simply cannot express how good every aspect of this film is; the writing, cinematography, editing, and music. Taken into consideration with McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Long Goodbye, this is the point in Altman's career when he was unstoppable.

Also, Altman owns (owns!) the slow zoom.