Robert Altman - The Wild West Show 

Altman established himself as one of the most important American directors of the second half of the 20th century. At 45 years old, the filmmaker encountered success and recognition with M*A*S*H (1970), a brilliantly caustic, anti-militarist comedy that garnered the Palme d'Or and topped the box-office charts for the year. By revisiting genres, Altman infused his works with the realism that became so characteristic of his films, while delivering biting critiques of the American values behind them, delving into themes from westerns (McCabe and Mrs. Miller, 1971, Buffalo Bill and the Indians or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson, 1976) to film noir (The Long Goodbye, 1973). He directed major stars like Warren Beatty, Sissy Spacek, Paul Newman and Meryl Streep, as well as a series of trusted regulars who nearly constituted a troupe: Elliot Gould, Keith Carradine, Tim Robbins, Shelley Duvall and Lily Tomlin. With the sleeper hit The Player (1992), an enticing, cynical indictment of Hollywood, Altman was back in the saddle, enabling him to direct a former project close to his heart: Short Cuts (Golden Lion, 1993), a prestigious ensemble movie of virtuoso editing, set against the backdrop of Raymond Carver's short stories. He continued filming until his dying day, leaving behind a number of moving and partially autobiographical works, such as Kansas City (1996) and A Prairie Home Companion (2006), as well as epic dramas with superb staging, like Gosford Park (2001)... Robert Altman was a fiercely independent, humanist giant, who never ceased to hold up a mirror to America.

Our thanks to L'Atelier d'images, Bac Films, Metropolitan Filmexport, MK2, Moonstone Entertainment, Park Circus, Studiocanal, Warner Bros. 

Screenings

M*A*S*H by Robert Altman (1970, 1h56)
In the midst of the Korean War, a surgical unit welcomes three new doctors determined to turn life at the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital upside down... The advent of turbulent, impertinent American cinema, honoured at Cannes. A no-holds-barred comedy starring the infernal trio of Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould and Tom Skerritt.
UGC Confluence Sun 15 3:45pm | Pathé Vaise Mon 16 8:30pm | Cinéma Opéra Tue 17 2pm | Saint-Genis-Laval Wed 18 8pm | Pathé Bellecour Thu 19 10:45am | Institut Lumière (Hangar) Sun 22 7pm

McCabe & Mrs. Miller  by Robert Altman (1971, 2h01, Prohib. ages -12)
In 1902, John McCabe (Warren Beatty) is running a booming brothel with his partner Mrs. Miller (Julie Christie).... A sunset western that breaks away from the tradition of the genre.
Cinéma Opéra Sun 15 9:30pm | Comœdia Wed 18 10:45am | Pathé Bellecour Fri 20 9pm | UGC Confluence Sat 21 4:15pm

The Long Goodbye by Robert Altman (1973, 1h52)
Philip Marlowe (Elliot Gould) is a detective. His friend Terry Lennox begs him to take him to Mexico. Upon his return he is charged with murder - Lennox's wife has been killed... Robert Altman deconstructs film noir and gives Sterling Hayden his most memorable role.
Institut Lumière (Hangar) Sat 14 4:15pm | UGC Confluence Sun 15 2pm | Comœdia Mon 16 1:45pm | Vénissieux Tue 17 8pm | Lumière Terreaux Fri 20 10pm

Thieves Like Us by Robert Altman (Thieves Like Us, 1974, 2h02, Prohib. ages -12)
Three penitentiary escapees take refuge in the home of one of their brothers. One of them (Keith Carradine) and their host's daughter, Keechie (Shelley Duvall), fall in love... Somewhere between Romeo and Juliet and Bonnie and Clyde, a clever blend of gangster film and raw romance, set in Depression-era America.
Comœdia Tue 17 11:15am | UGC Confluence Thu 19 2:15pm | Cinéma Opéra Sat 21 9:30pm

Nashville by Robert Altman (1975, 2h40
Twenty-four destinies intertwine in Nashville, the capital of country music... A polyphonic film that paints a political portrait of 1970s America through intersecting trajectories. Starring Keith Carradine, Shelley Duvall, Lily Tomlin and Géraldine Chaplin. 
UGC Confluence Tue 17 9pm | Cinéma Opéra Sun 22 5pm

Buffalo Bill and the Indians or Sitting Bull's History Lesson by Robert Altman (1976, 2h03)
For one of his travelling shows, Buffalo Bill (Paul Newman) buys Sitting Bull, an Indian chief taken prisoner by the Army. Sitting Bull gradually manages to reverse the situation... A stinging analysis of the values and mythologies on which America is based.
Cinéma Opéra Mon 16 6:30pm | UGC Astoria me 18 2:45pm | Pathé Bellecour Fri 20 5pm

3 Women by Robert Altman (1977, 2h04)
Millie (Shelley Duvall) and Pinkie (Sissy Spacek) are colleagues and roommates. Willie (Janice Rule), their landlady, lives in an abandoned amusement park in the middle of the desert... This fusion of three destinies is a singular exploration of the female psyche.
Pathé Bellecour Sun 15 10:45am | UGC Confluence Wed 18 1:45pm | Institut Lumière (Villa) Thu 19 9pm & Institut Lumière (Villa) Thu 19 9:15pm | Comœdia Fri 20 2pm | Rillieux Sat 21 8pm

The Player by Robert Altman (1992, 2h04)
Griffin (Tim Robbins) is a player, in charge of production at a major Hollywood corporation. One day, he receives a death threat.... A ferocious reflection of the Hollywood system, in this fabulous adaptation of Michael Tolkin's novel.
Lumière Terreaux Sun 15 4:30pm | Comœdia Tue 17 4pm | UGC Confluence Thu 19 9:30pm | Pathé Bellecour Fri 20 1:45pm

Short Cuts by Robert Altman (1993, 3h08)
Twenty-two destinies overlap in the daily life of Los Angeles in the 1990s... Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival, it is loosely based on the writings of Raymond Carver. This epic tale of the American way of life stars Andie MacDowell, Julianne Moore, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Lemmon.
Institut Lumière (Hangar) Mon 16 9pm | Corbas Tue 17 8pm | UGC Confluence Fri 20 2pm | Pathé Bellecour Sat 21 8:45pm | UGC Astoria Sun 22 4:45pm

Kansas City de Robert Altman (1996, 1h56)
Blondie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) kidnaps a politician's wife (Miranda Richardson) in order to free the man she loves, who has fallen into the clutches of a gangster (Harry Belafonte)... Part film noir, part homage to jazz, a plunge into the director's hometown.
UGC Astoria Mon 16 6:15pm | Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon Tue 17 8pm | Cinéma Opéra Wed 18 6:30pm | Pathé Bellecour Sat 21 2:15pm

Cookie's Fortune by Robert Altman (1999, 1h59)
Cookie (Patricia Neal), an eccentric old lady, is mourning her late husband. She is surrounded by her nieces Camille (Glenn Close) and Cora (Julianne Moore), her faithful friend (Charles S. Dutton), and young Emma (Liv Tyler)... Robert Altman delves into the world of buried secrets and gossip.
Institut Lumière (Villa) Sun 15 10:15am & Institut Lumière (Villa) Sun 15 10:30am| UGC Confluence Mon 16 5:15pm | Bron Tue 17 8:30pm | UGC Astoria Sat 21 1:45pm

Gosford Park by Robert Altman (2001, 2h17)
In an English manor house, the two worlds of masters and servants interact but never mix… until the day Sir William is stabbed to death... A superbly staged whodunit, reminiscent of Renoir's The Rules of the Game. The film received an Oscar for Best Screenplay. Ten years later, its writer would go on to create the hit series Downton Abbey.
Lumière Bellecour Sun 15 6pm | Pathé Bellecour Wed 18 5:30pm | Institut Lumière (Hangar) Sun 22 10:30am