BY DARREN ALLISON
There’s
an awful lot to like about director Robert Altman’s revisionist Western, and conventional
it certainly isn’t. Altman himself once described it as an ‘anti-Western’ film
because the movie ignores or subverts a number of Western conventions. However,
there’s no ignoring its importance, and in 2010, McCabe & Mrs. Miller was
selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the
Library of Congress as being ‘culturally, historically or aesthetically
significant’.
Altman's
central characters are far from the stereotypical Western heroes. John McCabe
(Warren Beatty) is a small-time pimp and would be entrepreneur, who rides into
the small frontier town of Presbyterian Church with a singular aim to get rich.
McCabe sets up a seedy brothel, consisting of three women he purchased for
$200. British cockney Constance Miller (Julie Christie) arrives in town and
convinces him that she could run the brothel more profitably. Unknown to McCabe,
she is also addicted to opium.
Their
scheme starts to become profitable and the small town begins to become richer
because of it. That’s until a pair of ruthless agents Eugene Sears (Michael
Murphy) and Ernest Hollander (Antony Holland) from the Harrison Shaughnessy
mining company begin to take an interest. They make McCabe an offer of $5,500
which he refuses. Miller warns him of Shaughnessy’s reputation and that he is notorious
for his violent actions should they not take the money.
McCabe
and Miller are undoubtedly flawed characters which is exactly what makes
Altman’s film so engrossing. They are both effectively losers and on a path to
nowhere. Beatty’s charismatic performance is arguably among his very best while
Christie’s performance saw her nominated for the Academy Award for Best
Actress. The cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond is quite beautiful, as is the
use of the three songs composed and performed by Leonard Cohen. ‘I think the
reason they worked was because those lyrics were etched in my subconscious, so
when I shot the scenes I fitted them to the songs, as if they were written for
them’, Altman later said.
Warner’s
new Blu-ray / DVD combo comes in a beautifully produced package. The print is
as close to pristine as you could expect. It was also great to see the original
Kinney / WB shield in place at the opening. I can’t express enough how
important this is to film purists. Warner’s have made this something of a welcomed
habit, with the original Kinney openings reinstated back to their previous
titles such as Dirty Harry (1971) and The Omega Man (1971).
There’s
a lovely depth to the picture quality which reflects the damp and murky
settings perfectly without ever losing it to diluted or milky backgrounds. Zsigmond’s
cinematography captures the green and leafy locations of West Vancouver rather
nicely and works especially well on this high definition presentation. Audio is
also clear throughout, even in scenes where Altman uses his trademark
overlapping dialogue.
The
bonus material consists of an original featurette (approx. 09.30 minutes) which
provides plenty of insight and behind the scenes footage shot during the
production. There is always something charming about these featurettes, often
shot on 16mm, in that they really capture the atmosphere and environment of the
time. Theirs is also the original trailer which acts as more of a show reel for
Leonard Cohen’s music which is overlaid on top of several scenes. The highlight
is the commentary track featuring director Robert Altman and producer David
Foster. I believe this is the same track (dating from 2002) which was used on
the Criterion Collection release and recorded some four years before Altman’s
death.
As
with all of Warner’s Premium Collection releases, the packaging consists of an
attractive slipcase. Inside is a selection of art cards which feature original
artwork and selected scenes along with a download token. Warner’s new release
marks the debut of McCabe & Mrs. Miller on UK Blu-ray. As a film, it is
often considered as one of Altman’s very best and has been cited as one of the
most important to emerge from the then blossoming New American Cinema.
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