Nashville

I am proud to have recently got around to seeing Nashville. It is never easy to find the time to dedicate three hours to a film, but this one was certainly worth the effort.

Robert Altman has a way with an ensemble. It is not hard to see how class act filmmakers like PTA are influenced by this very talented director. Nashville is a collection of lives strewn about a few days in Nashville, Tennessee. Concerts, political rallies, and studio sessions serve as a back-drop for tales of love, infidelity, murder, and the creative process of country music.

What is interesting here is that one of the leads- Barbara Jean (a Loretta Lynn style country superstar)- is played by an utter amateur in Ronee Blakely. Her performance is stellar. I, personally, am not a fan of the country music scene. After watching the film, I sought out the soundtrack and continue to play selections today.

Haven Hamilton's 200 years, an ironic ode to America in light of the bicentennial, is particularly catchy. He really nails the voice that encompasses a country music star of the period depicted in this film. In direct compliment to the voice is the costume and attitude. This man personifies every preconceived notion I had gathered about Nashville in the 1970s. Granted, my only real exposure to the setting were the albums and album covers my grandfather continuously played while I was a boy, and of course the Conway Twitty cutaways on Family Guy. Regardless, my expectations were met.


As stated before, I can't imagine an ensemble (a total of roughly 25 main characters!) being as captivating and intriguing in someone else's hands. Similar to Short Cuts, Nashville never looses the viewer in terms of "why am I watching this?", "who is that?", or "what is their scenario again?". Whereas some ensembles, which I'll leave nameless (2006 best picture, anyone?), desperately try to connect every character by the end of the film, Nashville simply presents them to us. Opal, the BBC reporter, weaves between characters with her hip-attached microphone, which helps in the aforementioned effect of never loosing the viewer. Also aiding in this effect is the political candidate Hal Philip Walker, whose voice is only heard through a megaphone on top of his van, and a young Jeff Goldblum who drives the scenes (literally) atop his three-wheeler.

Several story lines are juxtaposed over the city of Nashville during a political season. There is literally a potpourri bowl- something for everyone. There is comedy in watching a very talented Barbara Harris play Winifred, an aspiring country singer constantly running away from her husband. There is drama in the dynamic of the folk trio Bill, Mary, and Tom (very Peter, Paul, and Mary-esque). The trio consists of a husband, wife, and womanizer/aspiring solo artist Tom. Bill and Mary are married, but Mary yearns for Tom. Mary has bedroom romps and desperation phone calls with Tom while he seduces married women and the BBC Reporter Opal.

Things get spicy.

The film climaxes at an outdoor concert benefiting fictional Replacement Party candidate Hal Philip Walker. Two of the film's best songs are featured here: My Idaho Home performed by Barbara Jean and It Don't Worry Me performed by Winifred. The final cadence for each character is beautifully illustrated as we are given new and exciting insights into some of the faces we've been observing.

Kudos, Mr. Altman. I look forward to watching McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Player, Images, and The Long Goodbye. You have yet to disappoint.