Dan's Papers - October 13, 2006 - Robert Altman

In one corner of the party, the flashy film producer brags through his plastic smile to the attractive young girl about his next triumph, and how he still has yet to begin casting. She responds in an awkwardly inquisitive manner. Panning away from the two and scrolling across the meticulously arranged yet delightfully decorated room, two different conversations audibly butt heads as the real estate agent and her friend talk trends just a few inches away from the father who is reprimanding the little son for bad behavior. Moving from one room to another feels like a complex, yet elegant, documentary as myriad stories come out of each mouth and either conclude or intertwine with something significant by the time the night is over. Are you somewhere reminiscing an extravagant gathering in the Hamptons? Maybe, or perhaps you are watching another scene from another film by Robert Altman.

Attention movie fans - those who take in every shot as if it were a piece of evidence, and treat each word of dialogue as if it were the main theme of a sermon or perennial issue in a political debate - Altman is your director and storyteller of choice. Through a career that has now spanned six decades, Altman has received multiple Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for directing, producing and writing, praise from critic and audience circles of all tastes, and was this year's recipient of the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement. A smaller, yet still special, moment for the film icon still lies just around the corner in time and place. A marquee highlight of the upcoming Hamptons International Film Festival will be "A Conversation with Robert Altman," in which the man converses with "Rolling Stone" writer Peter Travers. Unlike the trademark of most Altman films, this conversation between two people will be the only one in the frame. Altman's love for overlapping dialogue and multi-character influenced plotlines will take a back seat to the solo dialogue between him and Travers as they follow the storyline of his life in film.

Before he first stepped behind the complex world of the camera, Altman was living a simple life in Kansas City, Missouri. He was born there on February 20, 1925. After high school, he attended the Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Kentucky before enlisting in the Air Force and becoming a co-pilot of B-24 bombers during World War II. To this day, Altman does not appear eager to converse about the specifics of what he did during the war. He was, however, clearly eager to leave the military atmosphere for the world of Hollywood after first seeing its bright lights on a training run for the Air Force in California.

The nascent period of his film career began in 1946, when Altman made several trips into and out of Hollywood. After a brief stint in acting, he wrote or co-wrote screenplay after screenplay and pitched them to studios. With diligence and time, he mastered his craft as United Artists accepted his script for Christmas Eve (although he did not receive a credit for it) and RKO picked up his screenplay for Bodyguard. Shortly thereafter, he accented his writing talents in New York City. The screenplays, published or not, came and went, along with several magazine articles, novels and musicals. The work was constant, but it still was not Hollywood. Altman so yearned to be a part of that enamoring world he even tried non-cinematic means. A notable attempt remains his invention of a "dog-tattooing system" called Identi-Code. Altman creatively managed to tattoo the President's dog while Truman was still in the White House, as a publicity stunt. Shortly thereafter, however, the company went bankrupt, and Altman was forced to return home.

Kansas City may not have had the endearing panache and posh that Hollywood emanated but it still had the Calvin Company, which, at the time, was the world's largest production company and 16mm film laboratory. Back then there was no New York Film Academy and there was no University of Southern California for Altman to attend and learn the craft of filmmaking. Using his newly discovered talent, Altman started as a film writer and worked his way up within a few months to begin directing. Over the span of six years, he directed over 60 shorts on a learn-by-film basis. It was not too long before he acquired the essential experience of filming quickly on a tight schedule and thoroughly within a set budget. In addition, he continuously honed his skills in framing the camera, setting the correct input on the boom mike, and adjusting the lights for an epic shot. He could now bring his screenplays to life on the big screen.

The storylines, cameras and lights in an Altman film traditionally revolve around a large cast - A Prairie Home Companion and Gosford Park each had over 50 characters with speaking roles. He can lead, inspire, and manage numerous actors, in addition to the production team, after decades of experience in accomplishing such a complicated feat. In 1955, he wrote and directed his first feature film, The Delinquents, in Kansas City, using local actors and actresses from the community, and members of his own family. Friends from Altman's days at the Calvin Company helped with the lights, the mikes, and the cameras. Two years later, Altman's desire to get his foot further in Hollywood's door paid off when United Artists purchased the film and it grossed close to $1 million. 15 years later, MASH grossed over $73 million, garnered Altman his first Academy Award nomination, and solidified his name and reputation as an influential and talented filmmaker.

Over the years, several film critics and movie gurus alike have been enthralled by Altman's style - some call it "naturalistic." Others do not appreciate his style or, in fact, get frustrated by it. He does not use digital enhancements or special effects like so many filmmakers do these days, but instead harnesses his experienced love for sound, framing and the written word. Amidst the overlapping dialogue and specifically placed items on the wall, in the foreground or anywhere else in the shot, he coaxes movie fans further into the intricately complex storyline that lies ahead of them. The strength of Altman's talent and passion mixed with his history of unique achievements (many of which were accomplished independently) make him an excellent choice for honor at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

A Conversation with Robert Altman takes place at Guild Hall Saturday, October 21 at 3pm.