Nashville (1975 film)
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| Nashville | |
|---|---|
 original movie poster |
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| Directed by | Robert Altman |
| Produced by | Robert Altman |
| Written by | Joan Tewkesbury |
| Starring | Ned Beatty Keith Carradine Geraldine Chaplin Scott Glenn Shelley Duvall |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 11 June 1975 (premiere) |
| Running time | 159 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | USD$2,000,000 (estimated) |
| IMDb profile | |
Nashville is a 1975 film directed by Robert Altman. It depicts the country music and gospel music businesses in Nashville, Tennessee and combines them with material on U.S. presidential politics. The film weaves together multiple storylines that eventually coalesce in the final half-hour in a climactic sequence at the Parthenon in Nashville. Among its many musical sequences, the song "It Don't Worry Me" is the film's theme, heard sporadically throughout and then performed at the climax.
The film features a large ensemble cast including David Arkin, Barbara Baxley, Ned Beatty, Karen Black, Ronee Blakley, Keith Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin, Shelley Duvall, Allen Garfield, Henry Gibson, Scott Glenn, Jeff Goldblum, Elliott Gould, Barbara Harris, David Hayward, Michael Murphy, Cristina Raines, Lily Tomlin, Gwen Welles and Keenan Wynn.
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[edit] Production
The film was written by Joan Tewkesbury but as in many of Altman's films, improvisation was important in the filming process, and Nashville features Altman's trademark overlapping dialogue. The actors and actresses were required to write and perform their own songs live for the movie.
Many of the characters in the film are based on real country music figures: Henry Gibson's Haven Hamilton is a composite of Roy Acuff, Hank Snow and Porter Wagoner; Ronee Blakely's Barbara Jean is based on Loretta Lynn; the black country singer Tommy Brown (played by Timothy Brown) is based on Charley Pride; and the feuding folk trio is based on Peter, Paul and Mary. Keith Carradine's character is believed to be inspired by Kris Kristofferson and Karen Black's Connie strongly resembles Lynn Anderson.
Altman had enough footage to produce a four-hour film, and assistant director Alan Rudolph suggested he create an expanded version of "Nashville" to be shown in two parts, "Nashville Red" and "Nashville Blue," but the film ultimately remained intact. [1] After a rush of critical acclaim, ABC expressed interest in a proposal for a ten-hour miniseries of "Nashville," based on the footage not used in the final cut, but plans for the project were scrapped. [2] The additional footage has not been made available on DVD releases.
[edit] Responses
The movie was widely despised by the mainstream country-music community at the time of its release, with many artists believing it was ridiculing their talent and sincerity. [3] Since then, however, the songs (most of them composed by the film's actors themselves) have achieved a certain popularity in alternative-country circles, well away from the world of the music establishment. In 2002, a CD "Tribute to Robert Altman's Nashville" was released, featuring new interpretations of the movie's songs by the likes of such respected country figures as Carolyn Mark, Kelly Hogan, and Neko Case. Keith Carradine performed "I'm Easy" at the famed (and, as of 2006, still-extant) performance venue the "Exit/In".
[edit] Awards
The film won an Oscar for Best Original Song (awarded to Keith Carradine for "I'm Easy"). In addition, Ronee Blakley and Lily Tomlin were nominated for Best Supporting Actress Altman was nominated for Best Director and the film itself for Best Picture.
The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
[edit] Legacy
Plans were discussed for a sequel to Nashville, set twelve years later and titled Nashville 12, and most of the original players agreed to appear. In the script for the sequel, Lily Tomlin's character, Linnea, is running for political office. [4]
The 1992 presidential campaign of H. Ross Perot is reminiscent of the campaign of the "Replacement Party" and its candidate in this film, Hal Phillip Walker, the fictional candidate with a twang in his voice and a penchant for folksy maxims.
The shooting of Barbara Jean by a deranged loner foreshadowed the murder of John Lennon in 1980; in interviews on the DVD, Altman remarks that after Lennon's death, reporters questioned the director about "Nashville" and its harbinger of the assassination of a music star.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Stuart, J. "The Nashville Chronicles: the Making of Robert Altman's Masterpiece" p. 276, Simon & Schuster, 2000.
- ^ Stuart, J. "The Nashville Chronicles: the Making of Robert Altman's Masterpiece" p. 304, Simon & Schuster, 2000.
- ^ Stuart, J. "The Nashville Chronicles: the Making of Robert Altman's Masterpiece" p. 292-294, Simon & Schuster, 2000.
- ^ Stuart, J. "The Nashville Chronicles: the Making of Robert Altman's Masterpiece" pgs. 305-306, Simon & Schuster, 2000.
[edit] External links
The Delinquents • The James Dean Story • Countdown • That Cold Day in the Park • MASH • Brewster McCloud • McCabe & Mrs. Miller • Images • The Long Goodbye • Thieves Like Us • California Split • Nashville • Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson • 3 Women • A Wedding • Quintet • A Perfect Couple • HealtH • Popeye • Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean • Streamers • Secret Honor • O.C. and Stiggs • Fool for Love • Beyond Therapy • Aria • Vincent & Theo • The Player • Short Cuts • Prêt-à-Porter • Kansas City • The Gingerbread Man • Cookie's Fortune • Dr. T & the Women • Gosford Park • The Company • A Prairie Home Companion
