Movies
Brewster McCloud (1970)
The films of Altman kinda make you feel as if your life is a film. Altman is - easily - my favorite director, and Brewster McCloud, his fourth film, and second after the mega hit of MASH, demonstrates exactly why Altman is - has always - fascinated me. MASH, of course made Altman a star, previous to that, he toiled in televised obscurity, and two movies, Countdown and A Cold Day in the Park, and yet - Altman making Brewster McCloud is the kinda artful maneavur which set the tone for his entire oeuvre. The film and script seem almost improvised. And probably was. And yet - the tale of a young boy who is cared for by an Angel-Bird, who helps him develop a set of wings, and protects from his homicidal impulses, almost seems like a parody, a magical parody of fairy tales set against an analogous backdrop of America. The shock ending, is—horrific—and the cast-as-circus sets the tone for Altman’s directorial style. And for you ‘fact fans’, Brewster McCloud was the film debut of Shelly Duvall.
The films of Altman kinda make you feel as if your life is a film. Altman is - easily - my favorite director, and Brewster McCloud, his fourth film, and second after the mega hit of MASH, demonstrates exactly why Altman is - has always - fascinated me. MASH, of course made Altman a star, previous to that, he toiled in televised obscurity, and two movies, Countdown and A Cold Day in the Park, and yet - Altman making Brewster McCloud is the kinda artful maneavur which set the tone for his entire oeuvre. The film and script seem almost improvised. And probably was. And yet - the tale of a young boy who is cared for by an Angel-Bird, who helps him develop a set of wings, and protects from his homicidal impulses, almost seems like a parody, a magical parody of fairy tales set against an analogous backdrop of America. The shock ending, is—horrific—and the cast-as-circus sets the tone for Altman’s directorial style. And for you ‘fact fans’, Brewster McCloud was the film debut of Shelly Duvall.