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Robert Altman: You've just been nominated for an Oscar (for M*A*S*H) and given the keys to Hollywood--what are you going to do next? Leave it to eternal maverick Altman to turn around and make this wickedly loony, esoteric (and little-seen) comedy, about an odd loner (Bud Cort as the title character) whose dream is to build a pair of wings in his aerie in the Houston Astrodome that can really fly. Altman spoofs both The Wizard of Oz (look for Margaret Hamilton in a cameo) and Bullitt as he fuses a strange serial murder plot to his story of young Brewster and his strange adventures. His cast includes such Altman regulars as John Schuck, Michael Murphy, and Rene Auberjonois, as well as a wild cameo by Stacy Keach. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (16)

bizarre movie, but not depressing at all.
BREWSTER MCCLOUD concerns a young man (Bud Cort; he was Harold, in HAROLD AND MAUDE) who lives in a room inside the Houston Astrodome, and dreams of flight. He spends his time photographing birds and designing wings, in the hopes that he can take to the air as a bird does.

A second plotline involves a serial killer, a performer of strangulation murders, loose in Houston. The HPD have called in Shaft, a hotshot San Francisco detective, to help solve the case. Each of the victims is found with bird excrement on his face.

Of course, our naive and physically slight Brewster is the killer.

A film of bizarre plot and presumptively a satire, BREWSTER MCCLOUD does not approach the mastery of Robert Altman's other films of the period, particularly MASH and MCCABE AND MRS. MILLER. Occasionally the dialogue is very funny, but too often the director chose to impress the viewer with a skewed sensibility which leaves much to be desired. Inconsistent shots and the lack of a consistent structure probably leaves many viewers reeling.

Similarities to other Altman films abound, but most easily spotted are the terrific ensemble cast, the familiar players from other Altman films, such as Rene Auberjonois, G. Wood, Kellerman, and Duvall, and the use of voice-over throughout the movie. The police radio, in this case, takes the job of the intercom announcer in MASH, and provides a useful way of moving the plot along.

Not quite for Altman completists only, I'd recommend this to all Robert Altman fans, fans of Harold and Maude, and fans of bizarre movies. In a sense this is a black comedy. Not depressing in the least, it represents a rare, brave attempt to make a unique motion picture. While it doesn't work on a number of levels, various strange elements stand out to make BREWSTER MCCLOUD a movie worth seeing.

ken32

Both disturbing and comforting
The first time I saw this movie I walked away thinking "i never want to see that again..." The reason why was that this film leaves the viewer feeling depressed for days. Although the plot has it's holes, it is ultimately unimportant. It's the characters themselves that make this film. Both Duvall and Kellerman are captivating while the protagonist embodies that little part of us all that wants to just disappear from time to time. It's not a great film...it's good though and it will stick with you long after the credits roll.

Full Of Yearning Myself...
This is an oddly touching film despite its ostensibly disjointed plot, which is replete with a send-up of the coldest of the "cool" Steve McQueen personas (in "Bullett"), plus a teasing parody of Altman's own "M*A*S*H" sequence in which Sally Kellerman is humiliated in the shower. (This time she is revealed bathing in a public fountain!) The film posits a definite yearning for innocence and escape from the gross cruelties and disappointments of the Vietnam War era through the young Brewster McCloud's attempt to fly as a bird -- of sorts. However, he can only do this if he maintains his own sexual innocence (a very traditional religious concept, by the way), and he doesn't, of course, and so is betrayed by a callow (and callous) "Eve" -- portrayed by one of Altman's favorite performers, Shelley Duvall, in her debut.

Sally Kellerman, by the way, is a really beautiful, touching "bird-woman," who is Brewster's personal "angel"; Bud Cort is a gentle but naive hero (despite being a mass murderer!), and the film only seems to run along without care for the plot, for it is actually a well-crafted story of a futile attempt to "regain Paradise" by "flying away" from our cruelly competitive and facile culture. It finishes very enigmatically, yet tragically, for it is also a symbolic account of the failure of the 1960s "youth rebellion." Not among the "best" of Altman -- "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" is the better depiction of American decay, and "Nashville" is Altman's quirky yet perceptive study of U. S. politics -- but I can't get it out of my head: it makes me sad and full of yearning myself....

VERY STRANGE!!!
God, what a weird movie. Very funny though. I was laughing the whole time. This movie is not for everyone however, but for those who like the offbeat, strange, funny ones, this one is for you. It's a little hard to follow, but it does have a cute story to it. It is put together well and has a great cast. I loved the ending!!!

harold squared
The insatiable Bud Cort steals the show, but is only rivaled by the complex and theoretical plot. One can spend a few hours contemplating the exact allegorical comparisons between birds and humans, and still feel perplexed, yet satisfied. Do watch the film, which forces the audience to "...think outside the box" ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

It's set during the Korean War, in a mobile army surgical hospital. But no one seeing M*A*S*H in 1970 confused the film for anything but a caustic comment on the Vietnam War; this is one of the counterculture movies that exploded into the mainstream at the end of the '60s. Director Robert Altman had labored for years in television and sporadic feature work when this smash-hit comedy made his name (and allowed him to create an astonishing string of offbeat pictures, culminating in the masterpiece Nashville). Altman's style of cruel humor, overlapping dialogue, and densely textured visuals brought the material to life in an all-new kind of war movie (or, more precisely, antiwar movie). Audiences had never seen anything like it: vaudeville routines played against spurting blood, fueled with open ridicule of authority. The cast is led by Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland, as the outrageous surgeons Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre, with Robert Duvall as the uptight Major Burns and Sally Kellerman in an Oscar-nominated role as nurse "Hot Lips" Houlihan. The film's huge success spawned the long-running TV series, a considerably softer take on the material; of the film's cast, only Gary Burghoff repeated his role on the small screen, as the slightly clairvoyant Radar O'Reilly. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (88)

"The game of life is hard to play, I'm gonna lose it anyway"
Probably no cinematic comedy produced by Hollywood in the last half of the twentieth century is as irreverent, disdainful of authority, critical of war and its effects, and, incidentally, as funny as "M*A*S*H", that 1970 comedic masterpiece starring Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Tom Skerritt, Gary Burghoff, and Sally Kellerman; written by Ring Lardner, Jr.; and directed by Robert Altman, in his directorial debut.

"M*A*S*H" is actually a very difficult film to review for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it's darned near impossible to provide an adequate synopsis for readers who've never seen the movie. Because, unlike most modern films that contain a linear story line, an easy-to-follow plot, and well developed characters that one can either root for or vilify with ease, "M*A*S*H" is a film that can only be described as a series of loosely joined comic vignettes, featuring a set of very true-to-life characters that are all BOTH very likeable and flawed.

"M*A*S*H" is one of the best comedies ever made, and for good reason. It is genuinely funny. It is artistically produced; it contains great writing and acting; and it proclaims an important social message to viewers.

Having said all that, "M*A*S*H" is very likely NOT a movie that will appeal to everyone's tastes - even now, 32 years after it was first released. How the movie was written and produced has a lot to do with that fact.

As the story goes, the idea for producing a movie version "M*A*S*H" got its start when literary agent Ingo Preminger referred Dr. Richard Hooker's famous novel of the same name to 20th Century Fox executive Richard Zanuck. Zanuck enthusiastically supported the idea, hired Preminger as the movie's producer, and set out to find a screen writer and director. Ring Lardner Jr. (son of the famous 1930s sports writer) was brought in to write the script. Robert Altman was hired to direct. (As Altman tells it, he was about the "13th choice" of the studio to direct.)

Shooting began during the summer of 1969. At the same time, the films "Patton" and "Tora! Tora! Tora!" were in production. Altman, eager to be successful in his first major film, decided to "hide out" on a back lot of the studio, where he would escape the watchful eyes of studio executives.

As a result, Altman was able to apply many innovative techniques to the film. He wanted his actors to improvise as much as possible in each scene. He wired each actor with an individual microphone and encouraged them to talk over one another. He incorporated several bloody operating room scenes in the film. He tried to mask the fact that the film was supposed to be set during the Korean War. He wanted audiences to assume that this was a film about Vietnam, and he wanted them to understand his clear message about the monstrosity of war.

(By the way, Altman's technique enraged Lardner, who thought Altman had basically thrown away the script. Lardner came perilously close to disassociating himself from the project, but in the end, accepted both the sole writing credit for the film... and the Oscar for Best Screenplay at the 1971 Academy Awards.).

Because of Altman's innovative (some say crazy) filmmaking techniques, "M*A*S*H" succeeds as a brilliant film that achieves almost all of Altman's goals. The film is deeply imbued with a lifelike realism that allows viewers to "feel" what it was like in the fictional 4077th MASH. The actors speak like one would expect them to when confronted with the reality of war and the boredom of inactivity.

Comedy scenes are uniformly uproariously funny, employing jokes and gags that range from subtle to coarse to borderline lewd. Interspersed with the comedy scenes are operating room sequences that are bloody to the point of horrific, but that bring home with full force the full brutality of war... so much so that, for a short time, the Defense Department banned the "M*A*S*H" from being shown in military theaters worldwide.

I've read some reviews of "M*A*S*H" in which a criticism is leveled that the movie's characters are not well developed. I disagree with this judgment. I found I was readily able to identify with all the characters, whether they were likeable or not. Hawkeye, Duke, Trapper, Frank, Hot Lips, Henry, Radar, and all the others were completely believable, and fleshed out in detail... no small feat since the actors who played these parts were directed to perform their roles in such a highly improvisational manner.

"M*A*S*H" is one of those rare films that gives viewers everything they could ask for from a great film: wonderfully realistic acting; a great script; brilliantly funny comedy; superb drama, important social commentary; and artful, innovative filmmaking techniques. "M*A*S*H" has steadfastly stood the test of time for thirty years, never becoming outdated or irrelevant. Whether you've never seen it, or, like me, you've seen it many times: RUN, don't walk, to your nearest video store and check it out!

M*A*S*H - intelligent satire in a benchmark DVD release
M*A*S*H is one of the zaniest and most intelligent satires ever produced by Hollywood. This is a war movie in which only two shots are fired -- as signals in a football game. It is a masterpiece of wider appeal -- even to veterans -- than is suggested by its setting in Korean War military hospitals, or by its director's explicit aim of promoting liberal opposition to the Vietnam war during the '60s and '70s.

The 2002 two-disk M*A*S*H special edition from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in many ways is a benchmark for DVD releases of cult movies. Picture and sound quality are high. The special feature content is entertaining and insightful.

This content includes extensive retrospective comment by director Robert Altman, producer Ingo Preminger, former studio boss Richard Zanuck, scriptwriter Ring Lardner Jr, actors including Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman, Tom Skerritt, John Schuck and Gary Burghoff, and medical veterans of the Korean War. We see the 30th anniversary M*A*S*H reunion at Fox, and presentation of a studio life achievement award to Altman.

The special content gives fascinating insights into the driving half-mad genius that so often makes a great director, and of egos and bigheartedness in movie making.

Almost everyone, from the scriptwriter to the studio executives and the actors, lined up against the director at some time. Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould once even tried to get Altman fired, fearing that he would damage their careers. In the M*A*S*H special edition features they eat their words and graciously pay tribute to Altman. Former studio boss Richard Zanuck says that until Altman came along other directors were afraid of the screenplay or didn't like it. 'Altman came in, and seemed unruly enough to be able to understand this subject matter.'

M*A*S*H was made on a shoestring budget with Fox's Century Ranch standing in for Korea. It emerged from chaotic creative tension as an enormous artistic and financial success. Altman accepted a salary of only $75,000. His son Mike is reputed to have made more money from writing the lyric to the keynote ballad, 'Suicide Is Painless', with Johnny Mandel. Altman kept costs down by casting the movie with mostly unknown and out-of-work actors. 14 of the movie's 30 speaking roles were played by actors making their screen debut. Shooting finished three days ahead of schedule in 1969, and almost half a million dollars under budget. M*A*S*H went on to earn more than $80 million at the box office, a Palme d'Or at Cannes and an Oscar (for the heavily reworked script of formerly blacklisted scriptwriter Ring Lardner Jr), and to inspire a long-running popular TV series.

This is a rare thing: a five star classic movie in a five star DVD release.

Second Release on DVD?
Normaly I would give this movie a 5 stars. I mean it is that good. The movie is outstanding.

Here is the reason I am giving this only 3 stars:

I am puzzled of why 20th Century Fox is re-releasing this movie as a single disc DVD.

They should have released the single disc first, then the Five Star Collection edition.

Hey 20th Century Fox, why????????

GOTTA HAND IT TO ALTMAN, GRUDGINGLY
At the same time, Robert Altman's "M*A"S*H" came out. It, too found an audience, and truth be told many who enjoyed "Patton" enjoyed "M*A*S*H". It was just plain funny, and the anti-military theme was subtle. Altman walked a brilliant tightrope between a pro-American and unpatriotic premise. There is no doubt that Altman intended it as an anti-Vietnam movie. It was written by former Communist Ring Lardner, Jr. Lardner had been Blacklisted, and this fact featured prominently in the politics of the film's aura. It was based on a sexy paperback novel about surgeons in Korea. The film was set in Korea, yet made every possible attempt to convey the image that it was actually Vietnam. Many of the movie's set pieces were deliberately Vietnamese in nature and costume, for that very purpose. To the extent that it was unpatriotic, it subtly described "regular Army" officers as unyielding, intolerant Christians, utterly blinded by stupid jingoism. The draftees, however, are funny and attractive as they drink and love their way through a bevy of good-looking nurses, all while saving lives in the style of comic Galahads. Altman showed genius as a filmmaker. The movie avoided real controversy because it was just so darn good.
"M*A*S*H" spurred a television show that ran for years. In the 1970s it played for its time and audience. Re-runs, however, strain its credibility beyond Altman's original themes. Two doctors played the "bad guy." The first was a complete buffoon. Frank Burns was prominently identified as a Republican. He is given zero good qualities. He is ugly, a bad doctor, a coward, a racist and all-around mean SOB who cheats on his wife with Major Margaret Hoolihan, who at least is given some character. She is half-Vixen, half-Fascist, naturally Republican, a patriotic American in the "worst way," who worships the idols of war. Over the years the writers gave Margaret a little development. Very little. Burns was replaced by Major Charles Emerson Winchester, a Boston Brahmin, naturally a Republican whose father "knows Truman. He doesn't like him, but he knows him." Winchester, like Hoolihan, is allowed a touch of humanity when the liberal writers felt charitable, but generally was available for all possible bashing. Two hero-doctors anchor the show by showing their intelligence, medical skills and tolerance as direct contrasts to the war effort. The CIA is lampooned, and a military effort that in reality featured MacArthur's Inchon campaign, perhaps the most brilliant invasion in history, is also played as foolish. In the end, the TV show and the film avoid being really and actually unpatriotic because they do feature an emphasis on the basic goodness of the American spirit under stress, but you will not catch me tuned in to those old re-runs(...)

Suicide is painless
Dear lord, I could not stop laughing during this movie, everyone from Hawkeye to Hotlips are back in a special edition five star collection restored set, the picture and sound are restored wonderfully, I watched this on VHS when I was 12 and I can appreciate DVD quality, the anti-war message is beautifully satirical, right from the opening theme to the heart warming ending, it is quite a trip ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

If aliens came down to earth to see if humanity was worth saving,showing them Short Cuts, Robert Altman's bluesy riff on life in L.A. in the '90s,would not be a good idea. Based on the stories of Raymond Carver (adapted by Altman and Frank Barhydt), this ambitious film is a devilishvalentine to living in L.A., where happiness comes at a premium. There are at least eight separate stories that crisscross, most about people who choose not to relate to the lives they are living. Seemingly by design, none of the stories (nor the performances for that matter) have more impact than the others--this is a true mosaic film. The most representative plot deals with a group of friends (Buck Henry, Fred Ward, and Huey Lewis) who decide to keep fishing even after discovering a body in the river. The story works as a morose comedy and a flag holder for the movie: the inability to take the correct action. Others would rather talk about seeing Alex Trebek than discuss their faltering relationships. A huge and talented cast twists in the wind, bumping into moments of truth, sex, and passion. Some even come out all right in the end. The accidental nature of life--a common theme in many Altman films--has never been so maddeningly persistent, or absorbing. The score by Mark Isham with songs sung by Annie Ross (also a cast member) fuels the moodiness, as does theopening number in which Medfly helicopters spray the town to the tune "Prisoner of Life." Delivering the film a year after his biggest hit in two decades, The Player, Altman proved his artistic tenacity as an aged artist with the heart of a new filmmaker: he's not afraid of risking it all. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Loved it!
I saw this movie when it first came out and found it SO engrossing! While long, the film keeps your attention the whole time, and I thought every plot line was totally intriguing. I recently saw "Magnolia" and felt disappointed that it wasn't as good as "Short Cuts", although the potential was there. Jennifer Jason Leigh's character sticks in my mind, particularly when she's doing phone sex while diapering her baby! It was absurdly dark scenes like that which made me think Altman had a great knack for observing human nature. I thought the whole cast was excellent and I loved the way the stories intertwined. To the reviewer who thought the earthquake was out of place, I think they misunderstood the whole device as a way of tying everyone together - 'we're all in the same boat' so to speak. I left feeling better about this whacky, often tragic world we live in. It makes you think a lot about how we relate to those around us, whether we ever meet the people we interact with on a daily basis or not. Brilliant!

okay
Minus the critical acclaim, buzz, influence over films like Magnolia, Short Cuts, on its own, is a mediocre movie. Despite the best efforts of around a dozen talented actors and a director who obviously knows his stuff, Robert Altman, this movie is an exercise in redundancy and misery. Many of the stories fail to make a worthy case as to why they need to be told in a movie.

However, Short Cuts has a few scenes so brilliant and affecting that they are worth the rental (or purchase price) alone.

The intersecting storylines tell a story about a group of fishermen who discover a dead body, a grieving family (Andie MacDowell), a married couple with skeletons in the closet (Julianne Moore and Matthew Modine) a drunkard and his waitress girlfriend (Tom Waits and Lily Tomlin), a depressed cellist (Lori Singer) a philandering cop with a wife and family back home (Tim Robbins and Madeleine Stowe) and a sketchy make-up artist and his girlfriend (Robert Downey Jr. and Lily Taylor).

The incredible number of stories and stars may seem mind-boggling, but it's the least of the film's problems. In fact the strong acting and richness of the collective stories are the film's high point.

All the actors are great in one way or another, but Julianne Moore's performance is stunning. Jack Lemmon is similarly incredible. These two have to be seen to be believed.

However, with so many stories, all of them won't measure up to high quality. Short Cuts main problem is that a whole lot don't measure up.

By the way, there's a lot of nudity in this film, profanity, sex, and overall depressing material.

AN ACRID BUT INTRIGUING BANQUET OF CLIPS FROM EVERYDAY LIVES
Altman's singature classic with twenty two characters and ten nearly distinct tales. Imagine the ingenuity required to interweave all of that into a seamless whole, but Altman manages the feat deliciously.

While the individual threads may coax discussion, it is their blending that enables a variety of perspectives. Most of them are poignant, for instance the life of a pool cleaner and his wife who vocalizes orgasms on the phone in her job as a tele-sex worker while changing her kids' diapers. Or the life of a couple whose son has been in a tragic accident that brings their lives to an abrupt halt. Etc.

Be warned, many of these vignettes, while very tautly scripted and cleverly screenplayed, remain "unresolved," which may not work for some viewers. Personally I feel that films like this are more genuine reflections of the world in which we live: people often don't change, questions are frequently left unanswered, and unbecoming things do happen every day.

It's a pure pleasure to find a movie that weaves such a deep and intelligent tapestry of human lives, with all their idiosynchratic travails and triumphs. An absolute gem for you to own, not just rent.

why is 'short cuts' not out on DVD?
the greatest masterpiece of the '90s is STILL not out on DVD. filmmaking like this doesn't come along often enough.

Altman's finest hour? (or 3 and a half)
I think this ties nashville as his greatest work. i was blown away and cannot wait to own the DVD. 3 plus hours just fly by with excellent performances all around, and wonderful music courtesy of annie ross, the ow note quintet and all other contributors. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

This tape is a collector's item.
This tape is more of a "must have" for Jerry Seinfeld fans or diehard SNL fans. For others, you may want to think twice before spending good money on this one. That is only because of the length, a mere 32 minutes (and that includes the video company's opening credits). The comedic skits and comedy bits are very good. I believe this originally aired in 1992, a couple of years BEFORE the TV show "Seinfeld" hit its prime. Jerry's fans will like this tape a lot. Especially the "Superman" sketch and the "game show" sketch (where the contestants answer questions, using Jerry's trademark delivery style). Again, if you're a fan of anything "Seinfeld," grab it while you can. It already seems like a collector's item to me. If you're an SNL fan, be aware that the only skits on this tape (except for the opening bit, before the monologue) are the ones in which Jerry appear. The episode's other skits are not included. For fans of both Seinfeld and SNL, definitely purchase it.

Highly enjoyable. Jerry at his Jerry-best.
This is a very enjoyable video if you are a Jerry Seinfeld fan. It starts with a sketch (4.10 minutes) with Phil Hartman playing Clinton and Dana Carvey playing Brown. They are talking about a political debate they are about to have.

Then comes Jerry Seinfeld's monologue (6.1 minutes), which consists of some material any fan will be familiar with because it is also covered in his book SEINLANGUAGE and in his stand up act I'M TELLING YOU FOR THE LAST TIME (available on VHS and DVD). My favorite part of this bit is when he talks about the water at the edge of the runway at La Guardia Airport. I know exactly what he is talking about; it is kind of freaky to be in a plane going down a runway that ends at a body of water. Jerry suggests that they put piranha in the water to make the experience even more pleasant.

"Stand Up and Win" (8.26 minutes) is the first sketch we see Jerry in. In this sketch, Jerry is the talk show host of a game that tests contestants' knowledge of commedian catch phrases. Jerry gives a question, and the guys have to answer with a "Jerry" response. Also in this sketch are: Dana Carvey, Rob Schneider, and Adam Sandler.

"Make You Think" (6.28 minutes) has Jerry as an exasperated high school teacher. His students are incredibly dense as he tries to teach them about World War II. I really enjoyed this sketch because one of my favorite SNL alumni is in it, Ellen Cleghorn. And Jerry makes a very good teacher, if only his students weren't so dumb (one student being Chris Rock, and another being an even-skinnier-than-usual David Spade).

Probably the best part of the video is "Superman" (4.32 minutes). In this sketch Jerry plays the man he will always be famous for wanting to be: The Man of Steel. Jerry as Superman is being interviewed on the radio by a radio personality played by Phil Hartman.

"Goodnight" (1.31 minutes) is just the standard "Thank you for watching, Goodnight" thing that all SNL hosts do after the show with the cast standing behind them. Apparenlty Annie Lennox was the musical guest that night, because she is in the crowd.

I'm not exactly sure what the original air date was, but it was obviously in the very early 90s - probably 1992 or 1993. And my only complaint is that I believe that they failed to include all sketches that made it into the original airing. .

Other than that, what Jerry fan could ask for more? The Patron Saint of Mr. Average playing Superman. This is why we love him.

A real classic - collector's item
If you can still get your hands on this one, do it. This features Jerry at his younger comedian days along with the talented crews at Saturday Night Live. See how his nothingness evolved into His Royal Nothingness.

Disappointing for a Seinfeld fan.
Except for the monologue, it had some pretty weak material, I thought

This is great, Seinfeld on SNL.
This video is awsome. Jerry does his act, and hosts the show. If you like SNL and Jerry this is the video to buy. In one part of the show Jerry is a teacher of a slow-witted class. Where he tries to teach history. After he gets a couple of stupid anweres he gives up on the class. Chris Farley also stars in this episode. The video is also very inexpensive. ... Read more

Reviews (343)

Not for 14 year old boys?
While taking all those guided tours through cavernous estate houses in England and Ireland (and even a few on the north shore of Long Island), I always wondered what it was like to live that lifestyle. But of course, walking around those still houses doesn't really tell you about the people who lived there anymore than a stage tells you about its actors. However, Gosford Park was a great way to fill in those blanks. The way it pulls you into the world of 1930's English high society and all its pretense and hypocrisy is great. This movie definitely enlivened my understanding of class in old European societies.

The reason Gosford Park has such great insight is the film's screenwriter, Julian Fellows who himself grew up as part of the English aristocracy. Much of what makes this film fun is the idiosyncrasies of its characters and their world that Fellows has personal experience with. A maid and driver stand in the pouring rain until their mistress gets in the car. Servants only refer to each other by their master's name, and they maintain the same hierarchy as their masters so that a duke's servant is treated better by other servants than a baron's. Only married women are allowed to have breakfast in bed; unmarried women must go to the dining room. What a strange world they lived in, especially to someone like me who grew up in a middle class New York neighborhood.

The spine of Gosford Park is, without question, NOT the murder mystery. In fact, the murder mystery plot is about 5% of the movie-if that. It's what's known in film lingo as a McGuffin, a device that helps propel the plot in a story but is of little importance in itself. If a viewer turns to the murder mystery plot for what this movie is all about, they will most likely be sorely disappointed, seemingly like many of the negative reviewers here were.

The key to enjoying this movie is to think about what it's like to live in a society that is extremely oriented by class. What must it take to keep it going? As I alluded earlier, pretense and hypocrisy grease the gears of high society. From scene to scene, we peep around corners and into bedrooms to see characters trying to hide one secret or another. And in the end, we see the unpleasant consequences of this duplicity.

This is definitely not a film that lays out its purpose before the audience. Since the almost 60 characters (for a chuckle, look under product details above for the colossal cast list) each add something unique to the larger picture, and since the audience is usually only told something once, you definitely have to be your own detective. However, Julian Fellows does a brilliant job interweaving these characters into a solid whole, and he definitely deserves the Oscar he received for the screenplay.

Since this is a complex and subtle film, multiple viewings are helpful, but unlike some other reviewers, this is something I really enjoyed. Like a good album, each time with it reveals another layer and increases your appreciation. Robert Altman, the director, says in his DVD commentary (which was boring except for a few insights, but Julian Fellow's commentary was excellent) that the film is "like looking in through the windows of a house, you only get part of the picture at a time." I think this analogy fits nicely, especially since the film is set in a house. Altman also acknowledges what some of the negative reviewers complain about, saying he meant the audience to be left wondering after the first viewing. He didn't intend this movie for the "wham, bam, thank you ma'am" set. In fact, Altman went out of his way to insert curse words, guaranteeing an R rating so that "14 year old boys couldn't walk off the street and watch it."

And of course, last but not least, the acting was great. Gosford Park has an excellent ensemble cast with not a single weak link. Maggie Smith as the snobbish Aunt makes you smile; Kelly MacDonald as the Aunt's young, innocent maid makes you want to give her a big wet kiss (maybe that's just me); and Clive Owen's cool restraint as a mysterious footman keeps you following him around the screen.

All through, Gosford Park is a movie very well done.

Buy this DVD and watch it again and again....
because you miss most of the film the first time around!

On the surface this appears to be a very formulistic murder mystery. It has the classic setting, 1930's period, an isolated English manor house filled with guests for a weekend shooting party, and all of the servants both resident and visiting. Everybody has secrets, the tension is so thick it could be cut with a knife and there is conveniently one missing from the kitchen. For more than half the film we see motives offered and wait for the murder and yet after it occurs it becomes evident that this is NOT a murder mystery at all!

The film has been compared to Upstairs Downstairs and it does involve the lives of those both above and below stairs, but it is much more than that. The various stories are added layer by layer some, such as the imposter in the servants' hall are obvious while others like the secret abortion are only alluded in a couple of lines. The various stories are, while interesting, not really the point of the film either. This is a beautifully drawn portrait of a way of life that is long gone and will probably never return. Almost everyone has read about or seen depictions of English Country Life in the '20's and '30's. It is a setting that has been used in drama, comedy, romance and of course mystery genres for years but Gosford Park makes it clear that we have only the faintest ideas of what that life was really like. The genius of this film is that it takes all the information that could have been spread out in a PBS documentary series and used fiction to illustrate the same points in a much more effective and enjoyable way.

The cast is huge and filled with actors, both well known and soon to be well known. No one is given such a large role that it becomes their film and yet each performer manages to turn their scenes into a polished little gem.

The extras included in the DVD are wonderful. They include deleted scenes (with commentary), features on the making of, and authenticity of the movies as well as Q & A with cast and filmakers. The best of the extras by far are the commentaries with the director, Robert Altman and screenwriter, Julian Oscar.

I highly recommend the purchase (as opposed to the renting) of this film. It is so packed with detail that it would be impossible to absorb it all in just one or two viewings.

"Nothing's more exhausting than breaking in a lady's maid."
The upperclass friends and relations of Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) arrive at his country house for a weekend of shooting, accompanied by maids, footmen, and valets, all of whom will be staying under one roof. Sir William is a mean-spirited and self-centered old man, married to a much younger, emotionally distant wife (Kristin Scott Thomas), with many family members dependent upon his continuing largesse. The hilariously waspish Countess of Trentham (Maggie Smith), who believes she has a lifetime stipend, arrives with young Mary Maceachran (Kelly MacDonald), who is trying valiantly to become a good lady's maid. Ivor Novello (Jeremy Northam), a Hollywood star, and Morris Weissman (Bob Balaban), a producer of Charlie Chan movies, are the only guests without aristocratic backgrounds and inherited privilege. The atmosphere of the house, filled with venomous "friends" and relations, soon becomes even more poisonous.

The "below stairs" lives of the servants are also fully revealed, as they share living quarters, eat meals together, tend to the laundry and cooking, and gossip about their employers. The butler Jennings (Alan Bates) and the head housekeeper (Helen Mirren) run the household and try to guarantee that no real-world cares will intrude upon the lives of their employers. Since "upstairs" and "downstairs" occasionally meet very privately at night, secrets abound, many of them secrets of long standing. When Sir William is poisoned and stabbed ("Trust Sir William to be murdered twice"), nearly everyone has a motive for wanting him dead.

For director Robert Altman, the primary focus of the film is on the characters, their way of life, and their values, with the murder mystery secondary. Set in late November, the end of the year 1932, the action takes place when this secure aristocratic lifestyle is also nearing its end, something that the arrival of the newly rich Hollywood characters, Novello and Weissman, illustrates. Dramatic cinematography (by Andrew Dunn) emphasizes the cold and rainy dreariness of the weekend, and suggests parallels with the coldness of the dying aristocracy.

Interior shots reveal the contrasts between the elegant and mannered lives of the "upstairs" characters and the hardworking daily lives of the "downstairs" characters, who adhere to their own rigid social codes. Every detail rings true, and as the characters' lives and interrelationships are revealed obliquely in brief snippets of seemingly unrelated conversations, a broad picture of the upstairs and downstairs lifestyles gradually emerges. Fully developed, many-leveled, wonderfully acted, often funny, and impeccably directed and filmed, this is a film one can watch again and again with delight. Mary Whipple

The Triumph of the Tried and True... a la Robert Altman!
GOSFORD PARK is an enchanting movie on every level and should please even the most discerning audience. Quite unexpectedly, Robert Altman has thoroughly researched the Agatha Christie murder mystery-type stories, the archetypical British mystery/drawing room genre, and (more important) the stuffy and unbelievable class disparities of olde England and has produced a stylish, smart, lushly beautiful recreation of England in the 1930s. The settings are elegant - a mansion/castle where the 'haves' and their lowly servants carry on their lives as though 'to the manner born'. Blessed with a dream cast that includes nearly all of the greats of the British acting school, Altman has given plumb roles to Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Eileen Atkins, Emily Watson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Stephen Fry, Michael Gambon, Jeremy Northam, James Wilby, Alan Bates, and Derek Jacobi. The story is an interesting murder mystery but it merely serves as the matrix upon which these fine actors, writer, cinematographer and director capably flaunt their skills. This movie is Delicious! It is so fine that it bears repeated viewings just to make sure you catch all the innuendoes and rapid, superb double entendres encased in this bit of magic. Altman devotees will not be disappointed and those who are not fond of the eccentric director's previous films are bound to be won over to the genius of Robert Altman.

Upstairs, downstairs, cold stares
No matter how many actors, including bankable stars, appear in a Robert Altman movie, it seems to be about Altman. He has an individual, if by now familiar, style of filmmaking that is always calling attention to itself. That style includes very fluid camera movement, quick-cut editing, and a good deal of dialogue that is covered by other dialogue or sounds distant. We are meant to be awed by the spontaneity and naturalism of it all.

Apparently many people are impressed by this mannerism and consider it a sign of artistry. On the whole, I find it pretentious and irritating. In one of the supplementary features on the DVD, Altman, his screenwriter and a handful of the actors from Gosford Park are interviewed in front of a studio audience. Altman and the writer rattle on about how every scene is shot by two cameras that are always in motion, so that the actors are never sure whether they are going to be foreground or atmosphere, or what angle they'll be seen from. Does Altman really think he invented the idea of shooting a scene from multiple angles, and choosing one during editing? And why is a camera that's gliding and panning constantly somehow more "truthful" than one that's framing the character or group that the director believes is most essential to telling the story at that moment?

It can be said in Altman's favor, though, that he never makes a merely conventional or routine film; they are all a bit eccentric (a compliment in my book) and, despite my reservations about the camera and sound-recording style, usually offer a fresh view of the theme or its environment. Gosford Park is your standard Agatha Christie-style murder mystery set among a dinner-jacketed, evening-gowned crowd in an English manor house in 1932 -- except, in this case, the doings of the upper crust are set against the army of servants below stairs who work their tails off to make everything straight, gleaming and smooth for their social betters.

Altman and his screenwriter Julian Fellows do a very creditable and humane job of conveying the personalities and individuality of the servants; they aren't just symbols of The Oppressed. The characters of the gentry, though, while ably portrayed (the acting talent makes sure of that), are almost universally so sour, rude and calculating that it's hard not to feel that there's a touch of old-fashioned, left-wing agit-prop involved. (The one exception is Jeremy Northam, who plays Ivor Novello -- a real singer and film star of the period -- with considerable charm.) I can believe that an assembly of English bluebloods in that era might have carried within themselves much wickedness, but they would have been far too polished to display it as openly and crudely as they do in Gosford Park.

Altman recruited a clutch of A-list British stage and film actors, and they don't fail him. Altman's casual attitude toward the basics of craftsmanship (as opposed to displaying his self-assumed creative genius) ensures that you will be lucky to figure out who half the characters are and their relationships with one another by the time of the denouement, but their cultivated swinishness holds the attention anyway. I think actors love playing obnoxious and unlikeable characters; these seem to be enjoying their roles, and you will, too.

The English have a term, "curate's egg." The meaning is, "parts of it are very good." ... Read more

Amazon.com

Every few years Robert Altman gets rediscovered by critics and audiences, yet somehow this middle-period gem remains underviewed. It's hard to understand why. In 1974, when he made Thieves Like Us, Altman was in top form. He'd recently made McCabe and Mrs. Miller and The Long Goodbye, and the next year would bring Nashville, his touchstone masterwork. As with his other films, Thieves Like Us at first has a homemade immediacy, chugging along like back-porch skiffle music. Set in the Midwest of the 1930s, early scenes between the three thieves (Keith Carradine, Bert Remsen, and John Schuck) feel like silent-movie era routines about a trio of affable farm boys turned bank robbers.Altman's subject--the "thistledown" critic Pauline Kael once described as Altman's real material--emerges by degrees. The story of hell-bent innocents devolves into a tale of the spell cast over the boys by the newspaper stories that mythologize them. (They turn a corner when their pictures appear in an issue of Real Detective.) The string of bank robberies, interlaced with episodes of a shy romance between Carradine and his Coke-sucking girl, Keechie (Shelley Duvall), becomes an agrarian noir by way of Madame Bovary. These thieves lived just at the point when American pop culture was emerging; the cities may have had Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra, but in the Altmanesque countryside sheet music was wallpaper and what pulled were radio serials such as Gangbusters. Compared at the time to Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde, Thieves Like Us now seems singular, a fable of fatal crime and punishment amid barbershop-quartet music and cricket song. --Lyall Bush ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Depression-era tragic romance that's quintessential Altman
Keith Carradine as Bowie and Shelly Duvall as Keechie inhabit the mouldering hamlets of the 1930s south so naturally and unaffectedly that your throat tightens. This softer, dreamier Bonnie & Clyde-type tale (filmed in 1941 by Nicholas Ray as "They Live By Night")stands, with "The Long Goodbye" at the pinnacle of Robert Altman's extraordinary 1970s body of work -- even above "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" & "Nashville." Shot like old sepia photographs by Jean Boffety, the film boasts extraordinary supporting work by Bert Remsen, John Shuck, the pre-"Cuckoo's Nest" Louise Fletcher, and one unforgettable little girl. Why this masterpiece is all but forgotten is baffling: it's in a royal line of American movies dealing with average men and women trying to live in the twilight between decency and crime. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Altman, Great Ensemble, and Catfish Enchiladas...
This review refers to the DVD edition of "Cookie's Fortune"....

Glenn Close literally gets caught with her hand in the cookie jar in one of Robert Altman's all star,delightful comedies. It also stars Julianne Moore,Liv Tyler, Chris O'Donnell, Charles S.Dutton, Ned Beatty,Courtney Vance, Lyle Lovett,Donald Moffat and screen legend Patricia Neal as "Cookie"....what an ensemble! These great stars work beautifully together, and their comic timing is brillant.

The story starts out at a leisurely pace that gives you the perfect feel of Holly Springs, Mississippi, a small, slow-paced,antebellum town where everyone knows everyone. Then BANG..the little town is shaken up by the death of it's matriach, Jewel May "Cookie" Orcutt, and everyone gets involved with the murder investagation....but wait...was this actually a murder? Someone is sure trying to make it look that way! And uh-oh... the wrong man has been arrested and the police chief is out to prove his innocence. How does he know he's innocent...well..he fishes with him, of course!

Altman's superb direction,the wonderful twists and turns, the great camera work, the music, the terrific story and of course the fabulous ensemble make for a very entertaining 2 hours. You'll want to watch it over and over.

The DVD is a beautiful transfer. You have the choice of widescreen or full screen. The picture is clear and bright with great color. The sound offers the choice of Dolby 5.1 or stereo surround and is excellent. There are closed captions(English) and subtitles in Spanish and French. It includes cast bios and filmographies, and the theatrical trailer. You have the option of listening to the director commentary during the film as well.

So spend some time behind bars in Holly Springs, with Charles Dutton and Liv Tyler. Don't worry it's fun behind these bars..they never lock the bars, and you get to play scrabble and have some great meals! We are serving our famous "catfish enchildas" today!

Have fun with this one.....Laurie

One of Altman's best!
If you like loud movies' with lots of special effect that merely mask the fact that they have no plot and the actors can't act, you'll want to take a pass on "Cookie's Fortune." If, however, you preference is for movies with great writing and acting, then you'll want to see "Cookie's Fortune" to be sure.

Yes, it is paced at a leisurely rate, but the plot and characters are so endearing and so quirky that once things do get going this is a decided plus. Glenn Close, Charles S. Dutton, Patricia Neal, Julianne Moore and Ned Beatty are all top notch (no surprise really) in their roles in this superb ensemble piece, and while Liv Tyler and Chris O'Donnell are perhaps miscast in their roles (and a subplot involving their affair is not necessary) these are only minor quibbles. Great bluesy score by Dave Stewart adds to the mix.

All and all one of the best films of 1999. Too bad it played in theaters to early in the year for the Oscars to remember it.

TOOKIT!
This just has to be said:
Robert Altman's Cookie's Fortune may very well one of the greatest films ever made. I kid you not! Well. At least one of the finest films of the past decade.
When you watch this film you are viewing the work of a director that is so sure of himself and his abilities and the story that he just sort of let's it happen. It's truly amazing when it hits you. This film plays effortlessly. Like a Mozart composition.
Unpretentious. Deliberate and confident. No single performance stands out or hogs the spotlight. And Altman's cast is top-notch from critic darlings like Glenn Close to fantastic character actors like THE ROCK!
You might not catch it the first time you see it. But. Watch it a few times. Then it'll hit ya!

Made for the Stage
I enjoyed this movie, but thought it'd make a better play. >you need to go rent and watch this movie (cookie's fortune).

the rest of this is spoilers .. dont read til you've seen it:

the first act ends right after they find the body and willis walks in. the second act (a little longer, without editing) starts with willis sitting on his bed holding the bag of groceries and the cop walks in. dr. cummings could play the one attorney in town. there are only nine or so parts (cookie, willis, emma, cora, cora's sister, jason, the attorney, the investigator, and the sheriff). there are several things that make it a great play, including the dialogue, play-within-a-play, and some key devices. (the shattering glass bowl is a great scene ender, esp if done off-stage). and the action takes place in only a few areas: the first act is mostly the bedroom/stairway/kitchen/yard, with a bit at the church and a bit at the bar. the second act is mostly in the jail, with a bit at the bar and a bit at the house. you could edit out several parts, and possibly several scenes.

it's funny, but a bit dark, and a bit of drama and a bit of sadness. ... yadda yadda... good stuff!

Great actors having a lot of fun.
One of Robert Altman's attractions is his ability to attract groups of fine actors to play in his films. In that regard, Cookie's Fortune is one of his best, with Glenn Close, Charles S. Dutton, Julianne Moore, Patricia Neal, Chris O'Donnell and Liv Tyler. It's one of those rare films where all of the actors perform well, with none upstaging the others.

The plot, ideal for a sleepy southern town, plays out smoothly with lots of low-key laughs along the way. After it's over, you'll want to watch it again. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

great stuff but a crappily made
Belushi and Aykroyd are amazing no complaints about the skits except maybe some more.

The videotape itself is really crappy though. It plays in EP. In my opinion all factory made, store bought videos should be in SP. I have the video about 5 years and I have trouble playing it now. It plays like a video you've had for ten years that was taped in EP off of TV

SNL the funny years
Yes, this is what SNL should be. All you people who think SNL has been consistently funny the last 10 years (they've had their moments, but they are few and far between): buy, rent, borrow or steal these videos. Now. You will learn the truth. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This thematic video, featuring the best game-show parodies presented by Saturday Night Live, concentrates mostly on the later years, with regulars Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Julia Sweeny, and Chris Farley dominating the proceedings. And though some of the skits have their moments, such as when guest host Joe Pesci menaces seriously out-of-place contestant Chris Rock on "Bensonhurst Dating Game," an inevitable feeling of sameness can creep in. Perhaps that's mostly forgivable, as the individual sketches were not written or acted to be seen one after another. Besides regular cast members, guest hosts were regularly put to work in game-show skits, with varying degrees of comedic success--Garth Brooks (in drag in a misbegotten parody titled "Old French Whore"), Jerry Seinfeld, Tom Hanks, and Quentin Tarantino. Gilda Radner and Bill Murray appear all too briefly in a snippet of a sketch from the early years, but seeing Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Laraine Newman, and Chevy Chase in "Jeopardy 1999" from the show's first season is a treat. For a fan of 1990s vintage Saturday Night Live, this tape does have its winning moments, but it may be best watched in small doses. --Robert J. McNamara ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Where's the Jeopardy?!!!!!
All right, I have always loved SNL, and especially the Celebrity Jeopardy's. There was only a single CJ episode at the end of the tape! I feel that with the exception of the guess the word game, the tape should be wiped clean of the waste on it now and filled with stuff that...gasp!...people actually want to see! My ideal: I must agree with another [person] when I say a tape full of Celebrity Jeopardy. Do not waste your money on this, simply tape skits off the air if it means that much to you.

Well it wasn't bad
Overall it was just an average video. The title is somewhat deceiving since not all the skits were game shows. What was disappointing was in some sections they didn't show all of the game shows they were parodying.

Varies wildly from hysterically funny to downright awful.
As you might expect, this "Saturday Night Live" tape is a lot like the show. Some of the skits are fantastic while others fall flat on their face.

The tape both starts and ends on a high note. The first skit is one that skewers our characterizations of French prostitutes. Garth Brooks (whom I didn't recognize at first) is in drag and is very funny. The final skit is the classic "Celebrity Jeopardy" episode where the contestants are supposed to be Tom Cruise, Adam Sandler (played FLAWLESSLY by Jimmy Fallon) and Sean Connery. Will Ferrell, playing Alex Trebek of course, delivers some of his best dry humor ever.

Regarding the rest of the tape, it's interesting to note that the best clips are those that shouldn't even be included...skits that have nothing to do with game shows. The best of the bunch is a mock promo advertising a new show coming to NBC called "Princess & The Homeboy". Tim Meadows is completely outrageous as G-Dog. It's some of the edgiest stuff that the writers of SNL ever came up with.

It's true that most of these SNL tapes don't seem to be chock full of the best that the show has had to offer. However, at least this one is able to provide a fair share of laughs and is worth a rental or a purchase at a cheap price.

Great Collectoin of SNL sketches
I definately recommend you buying this collectoin of SNL Game Show Parodies. It features some of the greatest SNL sketches ever. One is Dysfunctional Family Feud, which features Chris Farley at his greatest. Also, you'll enjoy Jackie Roger Jr.'s $100,000 Jackpot Wad, which features Billy Crystal as Sammy Davis, Jr. Pay attention to Rajeevs face when Saammy gives the clue for asparagus. And David Spade gives a great performance in Geek, Dweeb, or Spazz. The only thing that I think hould've been included is the rest of the Stand Up and Win sketch. Overall, this really is a great video.

Pretty Good Video!
The is a pretty good video. The only bad thing about it is that there is not enough good games shows. Some of them are very, very stupid. But all in all, it's a good video. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A powerful film about a brother's love -- and high art
I'm more than someone who appreciates the art of Vincent van Gogh -- I'm a painter and writer. I was influenced by the work of van Gogh at a young age, and through my years of struggle for self revelation, the power of his work has only grown in my mind. I came across this film about van Gogh in the early 90's and it immediately struck me as the most powerful piece of cinema -- about art or otherwise -- that I had ever seen in my life. Everything ugly and everything that is beautiful about the pursuit of art is effectively portrayed in this film. Where "Lust for Life" sugar-coated elements of the artist's life, in this film we see the dark side of Vincent's life without apology. Well shot and very well acted in a straight forward, no nonsense manner. Written very true to life -- Tim Roth BECOMES Vincent to a frightening degree. I've seen virtually every movie about art and artists -- nothing comes remotely close to this movie for its harshness, truth, and beauty.

Beautiful and sad
Of all the movies I have seen none have captured more sad images than this one. There are scenes in this film that will break your heart. Van Gogh was one of the most misunderstood figures in art. When his name is mentioned we always think about the ear, or about paintings with thick harsh lines that almost resemble a child-like technique. But who really knew the man? His brother Theo. And through his eyes and letters we learn about the madness and the sorrow that permeated his life. Vincent wanted to love but he was so enshrouded by the creative process that he could not be a good father or husband. Sure he was gentle and had a sense of decently, but was incapable of carrying out such a "mundane" task. His heart and head had higher aspirations but during the time in which he lived, people did not understand or appreiciate his work. Vincent wanted friendship and communication but often he was belittled and mistrusted. Other than his brother, Gaugin tried to reach this tortured soul. But by the age of 37 Vincent had given up.

This story is so often repeated. Robert Altman's film helps us understand that creative people can sometimes be totally ignored--only to have a far-off generation appreciate them

But that's the tragedy ...

The Bimbo from Atlanta Georgia Should Re-Watch this Film !!!
This is a Very Moving Film and shot in a very Stark and Realistic manner...Guess She was Just Too Mentally Challeged to see that !!! Gabriel Yared score is meant to make the viewer Uncomfortable just like the unrest in Van Gogh's mind...Guess She is Too Dense to catch that too !!! Must be a Peroxide Bottle Blonde :) Lol...HA,HA,HA The Acting was GREAT TOO !!!

back to the drawing board
This film was a drastic disappointment. First of all, the soundtrack was horrendous - more like a piercing of the inner ear in its often violent screeching...if the composer was trying to relay van gogh's angst and madness, he suceeded more so in annoyance, when at times the music overshadowed and drowned out the dialogue. The story, although delivering passionate exchanges between the two brothers, flatlines in character development - it is mostly devoid of warmth, failing to draw the viewer in to the soul of the brothers van gogh...one is left feeling pity for the pathetic dysfunction, rather than empathy for van gogh's passionate longing, joy and despair.... i have said for years that no one has yet portrayed van gogh's life properly in film, and i will continue to have this opinion until some brilliant filmmaker (with brilliant composer in tow) does justice to this brilliant and misunderstood artist.

Intimate portrait of Vincent Van Gogh & his brother
"Vincent and Theo" is an atypical film for Robert Altman - no repartee, no overlapping dialog, almost no humor, little overt social commentary. But who better than this fiercely independent and creative director to paint a cinematic portrait of the intense, complex relationship between the wildly creative and eccentric 19th Century artist, Vincent Van Gogh, and his brother, Theo?

The movie covers only the last years of their short, extraordinary lives, but these are among the most important historically because Vincent produced so many masterpieces during them. I assume the screenplay is based on the many letters the brothers sent to each other. Considering the chaos that filled their lives, it is almost miraculous that Vincent's works survived, not to mention the letters. Vincent and Theo certainly didn't survive the chaos.

Tim Roth and Paul Rhys are brilliant as, respectively, Vincent and Theo. Ordinarily, it might be irritating to have two main characters with so many tics and odd physical mannerisms, but the idea works here because it cements the illusion that the two are brothers in every way. Vincent may have the artistic genius, but in every other way, they are cut from the same mold.

The photography is stunning, especially in the sections where we see the scenery colored much the way Vincent might have seen it. The locales are well chosen, and the sets and costumes look appropriately late 19th Century European.

One of the advantages of modern cinema's freedoms is that it can show historic figures with warts and all, and Altman takes full advantage of this. Vincent is scrawny and has rotten teeth, while Theo is obviously syphilitic. Not to disparage biographical movies of fifty years ago, such as the 1956 film about Van Gogh, "Lust for Life" with Kirk Douglas, but I find these modern visions much more truthful and accessible. Somehow, by humanizing such people, their genius seems somehow more amazing and profound.

This is one of Altman's more difficult movies, but it is also one of the most rewarding. If there is a social message to it, it must be this: As a society, we have forgotten or dismissed the idea that artistic geniuses are, more often than not, not blessed with certain important social skills. This is a primary reason why they must and should be supported, just as Theo selflessly provided emotionally and financially for his tormented, graceless brother who sold just one painting in his lifetime. Theo was reputedly the buyer. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Best of Toonces & Friends
Toonces & friends was so funny! It's a must own!!! Needs to be re-released and in DVD format. I would certainly buy it for myself and for friends. It would make a great stocking stuffer.

Absolutely classic...
Remember when Saturday Night Live was funny? Well, if you don't remember Toonces, then you missed out on some pretty hilarious skits. This particular video is entitled "Toonces and Friends," which kind of urks me because I wanted more of Toonces and less of his friends. However, most of the skits are funny, such as Coach Dobbs, Scruffy the Rat and Abe Lincoln and His Time Machine. The only one I didn't find funny at all was that bizarre Fugitive Couple skit. It was dumb.

As Steve Martin says, Toonces can drive... just not very well. In every Toonces skit, he winds up driving himself and his passengers over a cliff. Aside from these moments, a comedic gem is when we see Toonces stuck on the hubcap of a moving car.

This is a pretty hard to find tape, so if you can find it, get it. Just know it's of low quality as it was recorded in EP mode (see how much better DVD is?)

Wanted more Toonces!
Funny, funny stuff, but i wanted more Toonces and less of eveything else.

Toonces was so bad it was Hillarious!!
Toonces the cat who could drive a car... or could he? this is one of the funniest reccuring SNL skits ever if you have never seen it track down a copy of this rare and hillarious video!

Very funny
I love this type of comedy. The type of goofy ideas and cheap shots that were used in the Toonces skits. We lost our copy, and it's worth buying a new one to replace it. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Upper middle-class solitude
In this old film by Robert Altman, we discover how solitude for a young woman is a plague on her way to happiness and satisfaction. She comes to the point where she cannot even ask anyone for the contact she desires. She lives in a completely artificial and closed world. One day she brings into her world a stranger she finds in a park and she desires him but she treats him like a canaribird in a cage : she feeds him, she bathes him, she dresses him, she provides him with all comfort, she even provides him with a woman, but he cannot escape, he is a prisoner. It is only within that frame and after a long evolution that she finally finds the courage to ask for what she wants, and yet with no promise that the cage will be reopened. In other words, after a long life with her mother after the death of her father and among people who are from her mother's world, she is totally handicapped in society and unable to navigate properly among desires and obstacles. She can only take and possess. The other is no longer a human being but a toy, a doll in a way. A very sad picture of the loneliness of the solitary young lady in the upper middle-class....

Provides a few fun, campy moments.
"That Cold Day In The Park" opens up in a rather innocuous fashion. A middle aged woman, Frances, is entertaining some dinner guests when she notices that a young man is sitting outside on a park bench. It begins to rain and the man attempts to take cover under a newspaper that had been thrown in the trash. After her guests leave, Frances goes outside and invites the young man inside her apartment to dry off. It quickly becomes clear that Frances is quite lonely and she tries her best to make her new guest very welcome. She is in no hurry for him to leave.

Unfortunately, the film ends up doing a 180. At first this appears to be a fascinating look into a woman's lonely existence and her desperate quest for companionship. Instead, it descends into trashiness and an attempt to shock the viewer. Perhaps back in 1969 viewers found this to be something interesting in a freakish sort of way. In this day and age, however, the shock value is gone and its entertainment value lies in its ability to make the viewer laugh at the campiness of it all. Neither character is at all sympathetic so it ultimately leaves the viewer feeling disconnected. Sandy Dennis gives a wonderful performance but it is mostly wasted here. I only recommend this movie for those who enjoy bizarre social behavior.

'HOW I DO LOVE THEE".
Pre - "Fatal Attraction" this "sister to that lady" is also a close cousin to Polanski's "Repulsion".

Quite a nasty tale about a lonely spinster's yearning for compansionship and the devastating result of "being kind to strangers".

An all but forgotten Altman - it deserves a better place, letterboxed and restored with the other odd Altman Jewels "3 Women", etc.

SANDY DENNIS devastates as usual with her unique "portrait of loneliness". Absolutely an award winning performance, DON'T neglect this one!

For more fun? "GAMES" [Simone Signoret], different, but equally piquant!

Distinguished stage actress in her finest hour on screen.
Desperate for companionship, a lonely spinster invites a young homeless boy up to her apartment and then goes to drastic measures to make him stay. Following her Oscar-winning turn in Mike Nichols' ground-breaking drama "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?", this is the gifted Sandy Dennis' finest hour on screen. As the demented heroine, Dennis makes you feel your way into her character's dark and ultimately disturbing world. It's a blissful, strikingly effective performance, and watching it one might wonder why Dennis didn't win a second Oscar. The film is also well-directed by a supremely talented fellow by the name of Robert Altman whom you may know as the creator of such hit films as "MASH" and "NASHVILLE". Unfortunately, "THAT COLD DAY IN THE PARK" bit the dust at the box-office. Like so many of Altman's films(3 Women, in particular), the movie requires a great deal of patience to fully understand its meanings, but those who sit it out will find it to be a rich, rewarding film.

Torment into Madness
Sandy Dennis plays Frances Austin an ultra vulnerable boderline psychotic woman who wants to make a big change in her life.

As fate would have it she trys to possess a young man she sees in the park with a bizzare and devastating outcome. Directed with a sure hand by Robert Altman .A Most unusual film. ... Read more

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SNL Review
A great special for a great show...BUT DON'T BUY THIS VHS! I bought it for 14.95 and i spent 9.95 too much. It is recorded in EP mode, so it doen't come in very well. If you want an SNL special worth every penny, get the 25th Annaversary Special. ... Read more

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Robin how he was meant to be
Robin is at his best when the script is either loose or nonexistent. Here you will see some of Robin's best works. A m