Nashville: The Most Robert Altman of Robert Altman Films Anonymous College

Nashville was one of the most enduring movies from the 1970s. Telling a story with an ensemble cast that interacts, this movie became a fiercely debated cultural icon. It wasn’t as popular as Jaws or Star Wars; however, it was probably more enduring. “The New York Times ran at least eight pieces about the movie, and editorial writers and critics weighed in with opinions and interpretations for months after the film opened.” (Sawhill) With the possible exception of MASH, Nashville was the first ensemble movie by Altman in which he takes many different characters in one setting and follows them through their individual stories in one location throughout a few days. He would repeat these ensemble movies, most notably with Short Cuts (based on several Robert Carver stories in the city of Los Angeles) and Gosford Park (in which nobles and their servants make up two separate worlds that comment on each other but interact only officially).

Robert Altman is a film director known for a naturalistic tone. His characters speak over each other. The audience hears scraps of dialogue and often he worked with the actors in order to create naturalistic characters. For example, Keith Carradine wrote two songs for the movie Nashville. There are...