Saturday, October 4, 12:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Instructor: Jennifer Fleeger, Ph.D., Montclair State University
Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975) is a portrait of a place, a musical spectacle, and a political analysis, made on the cusp of America’s bicentennial. Interweaving performances with the personal lives of its twenty-four main characters, Nashville is also a manifestation of cinematic possibility.
Altman’s innovative sound design is crucial to his storytelling. He gave his cast much freedom, even allowing actors to write their own songs (including Keith Carradine, who won the Oscar for “I’m Easy”). In the presentation of these numbers, recorded live, the director offers more than one perspective, provoking his audience to think critically about the meaning and purpose of music. With overlapping dialogue mixed for stereo, Altman’s soundtracks ask listeners to make choices about what they hear, and consequently, whose story they follow.
We’ll ask whether such an approach has implications for making art more democratic and what impact that has on the film’s political message. We’ll also explore the director’s collaboration with screenwriter Joan Tewkesbury, his relationship to music, and his conception of realism. Often read as a microcosm of the United States, Nashville has been received both cynically and authentically, making claims about celebrity, propaganda, patriotism, and community that continue to resonate fifty years later. What can it reveal about American life today?
Are you interested in “just” seeing this movie? Visit the public screening page here.
Cinema Classics Seminars offer an entertaining and engaging way to learn more about some of the true classics of world cinema. All students receive an introductory lecture before the film and a guided discussion after the film. In addition, those in attendance receive a ticket to see it on the big screen, as well as popcorn and a drink. Please note: the screening associated with this seminar will be open to the public, as well.
Please contact BMFI Programs and Education Manager Jill Malcolm with any questions.
$30 for members, $40 for non-members
Schedule