The Ins & Outs of Altman
By Daily Bruin Staff
March 4, 2002 9:00 p.m.
 USA Films Robert Altman directs
Kristin Scott Thomas on the set of "Gosford
Park."
By Christopher Cobb
Daily Bruin Contributor
Few film directors are distinguished enough to have a three-day
retrospective held in their honor; few audiences have the
opportunity to talk with a director during such a
retrospective.
This was the case Wednesday night when the Landmark’s
Regent Theatre on Broxton Avenue hosted a number of films by Robert
Altman and, during an intermission between two films, hosted to the
director himself.
Between showings of 1972’s “The Long Goodbye,”
and 1970’s “M.A.S.H.,” Altman spoke on his career
in Hollywood and how each film has changed his perspective on
filmmaking.
“All the films that I make, I cannot make an original
film,” Altman, 77, said. “And I can’t think of an
original film, and if I do they’re kind of “¦ I
don’t do that well. But what I do is kind of copy. When I get
something to copy, I can say, “˜Oh, I can take my own spin on
this.'”
The result of this viewpoint has produced numerous achievements
that focus more on storytelling than film studio interests.
All of this comes in the wake of the Academy Awards nominations,
with the awards taking place on Sunday, March 24. Altman currently
stands to receive two awards that have eluded him in his over 50
years in Hollywood: honors for Best Director and Best Film, both
for last year’s “Gosford Park.”
Altman is notorious for his use of a large ensemble cast, as in
“Gosford Park.”
“I figured that if I had enough actors around and a couple
weren’t doing too well, I could just cut away to the other
ones,” he joked. “If I stuck with that “¦ the
thing would be pretty good, hopefully.
 USA Films (Left to right) Maggie Smith, Natasha
Wightman, Tom Hollander, Geraldine Somerville, Kristin Scott
Thomas, Jeremy Northam and Bob Balaban
are all featured in Robert Altman’s Academy Award-nominated
"Gosford Park."
“I just got used to this system, and it’s a way of
painting that I like and I feel comfortable with it, and I like
actors and I really mean that,” Altman said. “I have no
idea how they do what they do. I admire it because I don’t
understand it.”
Altman has a lot of experience as a director and is no newcomer
to the Academy Awards scene. The first time the Academy Awards gave
him any notice was for 1970’s “M.A.S.H.,” which
won for Ring Lardner Jr.’s adapted screenplay.
One of the most striking parts of “M.A.S.H.,” the
operation sequences, were nearly cut before the movie appeared
publicly.
“So we had a sneak preview for the film,” Altman
said, “and Dick Zanuck (head of Fox Studios) was there and at
the end of this thing, I mean the crowd just went crazy. I went
over and shook Dick’s shoulder and I said, “˜Let’s
pay attention to these people here. Don’t let them cut this
picture.’ And they didn’t, so “M.A.S.H.”
escaped.”
 Lee Salem Photography Robert Altman speaks at the
Landmark’s Regent Theatre in Westwood about his 50 years of
experience in Hollywood.
Altman’s influence with that picture alone remains a part
of mainstream culture. Watch any episode of “ER” after
watching “M.A.S.H.” and you might wonder why Altman
isn’t getting royalty checks for the hit TV show.
Altman’s latest picture, “Gosford Park,” shows
the director delving into new territory while staying true to a
filmmaking style that people love. With an ensemble of over 40
roles, the English whodunit required actors to really act.
“Every actor that comes in, they are prepared, in some
way.” Altman said. “They don’t walk in out of a
dream onto the stage not knowing anything. So they got backups,
they have backup ideas. They probably know all of these lines.
They’ve gone through in their head how they’re going to
get where they’re going.”
The size of the ensemble became a challenge for both Altman and
the actors, when dealing with the magnitude of people on
screen.
“There are 17 of them instead of one. Then they’re
not getting the responses, other actors around them don’t
exactly do what they thought they would do. Their scene now
doesn’t seem to work around them. It’s working around
each of the 17 actors who’s in a scene. And you really just
have to leave that alone, and the scene finds its place.”
A distinguishing feature for “Gosford Park” was that
fame played a part in helping audiences understand the film as a
whole. Altman believes it was this that helped to attract audiences
to the movie.
“I think that “˜Gosford Park’ had the finest
actors in the world, in all of the 40-some-odd parts,” Altman
said. “And had nobody ever seen any one of them before, the
audience would give up after 15 or 20 minutes. So I felt that we
had to have a Maggie Smith. When you see Maggie Smith and you come
back to her, you know who she is, (or) when you see Kristin Scott
Thomas “¦ so we used that notoriety, the popularity or
familiarity, whatever you want to call it, of those actors to help
tell them apart.”
Shooting the film in England was also new territory for Altman.
Since the actors were all used to working in theater, there were
none of the qualms that are usually associated with the glamorous
demands of Hollywood movie stars.
“I don’t even think that film could have been made
in America, with the experience I’ve had,” he said.
“And I think the reason is, is that all of these actors in
this film also work in the theater. And they’re used to
working not to just one eye; they’re used to working to an
audience. So it was not difficult for them. They never asked where
the camera was or if the camera was on them or not. They were
“˜on’ all the time, and it’s a part of their
culture.
“First of all, I didn’t see an agent the entire time
I was in England,” Altman continued. “No one complained
about the size of their trailer. Nobody said, “˜Well I have to
have this,’ they all came there to do it, and we all had a
good time. I had that experience with many many many films in
America, but it’s difficult, because the setup is
different.”
Continuing in the tradition of his colorful career,
Altman’s “Gosford Park” is nominated for seven
Oscars in all, including Best Original Screenplay, Costume Design
and Art Direction.
“It was terrific because it wasn’t an actor’s
piece of work; no one could direct that, you couldn’t go in
and say, “˜OK, now let’s see, you’re over there,
and you do this.’ You just had to go in the scene and let
everybody do their stuff. And that’s exactly what
happened.”
