In Memoriam

Robert Altman 1925 - 2006

He was the acclaimed director of such movies as MASH, Nashville, The Player, Short Cuts, and Gosford Park.

He made experimental films with a signature style based on improvisation and preferred a more natural flow of the acting and reacting on the part of the actors. He felt like actors could and should speak when they felt like they should, even if it meant speaking over other actors' lines, making it impossible at times to understand everything that was being said.

He liked stories showing the interrelationships between several characters, hence his large (and often star studded) casts. He also tended to sketch out only a basic plot for the film, referring to the screenplay as a "blueprint" for action, and allowed his actors to improvise dialogue, earning him the nickname of the "actors' director." Furthermore, he would leave some things in the plot for the audience to infer, because he wanted the audience to pay attention.

This very prolific director didn't always make movies that the public at large would appreciate, but they all carried his unmistakable mark. He'll be remembered as one of the geniuses of American cinema.

Altman earned five nominations for best director throughout his career, but never won an Oscar. He was finally awarded an Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2006.