Robert Altman and the Elaboration of Hollywood Storytelling

Robert Altman and the Elaboration of Hollywood Storytelling explores the filmmaker's seminal work during the Hollywood Renaissance or New Hollywood period of the early 1970s, reframing him as a complex, pragmatic innovator whose work exceeds classical Hollywood storytelling norms. It employs an historical poetics approach, functionalist frameworks, archival research, and formal and statistical analysis to demystify the essential features of Altman's filmmaking history and profile-lax narrative form, heavy reliance on the zoom, sound design, improvisational infidelity to the screenplay, and a desire to subvert.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 25 March 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Robert Altman and the Elaboration of Hollywood Storytelling offers a fresh perspective on the renowned filmmaker, shedding light on aspects that have been overlooked in previous critical accounts. This re-examination of his seminal work during the Hollywood Renaissance or New Hollywood period of the early 1970s, including masterpieces such as M*A*S*H, Brewster McCloud, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Images, The Long Goodbye, Thieves Like Us, California Split, and Nashville, presents a nuanced understanding of both the films and the filmmaker. Rather than portraying Altman as a rebel who rejected traditional Hollywood storytelling norms in favor of modernist art cinema, the book presents him as a complex and pragmatic innovator whose work transcends but is also firmly rooted in the conventions of classical Hollywood storytelling.

The findings and approach of this book hold significant implications for the study of cinematic authorship. By largely avoiding thematic exegesis, the book employs an historical poetics approach, robust functionalist frameworks, archival research, and formal and statistical analysis to demystify the essential features of the standard account of Altman's filmmaking history and profile-lax narrative form, heavy reliance on the zoom, sound design replete with overlapping dialogue, improvisational infidelity to the screenplay, and a desire to subvert based in his time in the training grounds of industrial filmmaking and filmed television.

The book provides a clear example of how a filmmaker might work collaboratively and pragmatically within and across media institutions to elaborate upon their sanctioned practices and aims. It challenges the notion that innovation is necessarily opposed to institutional norms and emphasizes the ways in which these norms can assimilate and incorporate innovative elements. By examining Altman's work within the context of Hollywood storytelling, the book offers valuable insights into the creative processes and strategies employed by filmmakers in the industry.

In conclusion, Robert Altman and the Elaboration of Hollywood Storytelling is a groundbreaking work that offers a fresh and insightful perspective on the filmmaker and his work. By challenging traditional narratives and employing a comprehensive approach, the book provides valuable insights into the complex and multifaceted nature of cinematic authorship. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the study of film and the evolution of Hollywood storytelling.

Weight: 570g
Dimension: 156 x 233 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197523834