Week Six Q&A

Roy Sawhill

Which of Altman's stylistic techniques does Sawhill associate with 'inclusiveness?'

Altman's technique of combining fiction with fact invites the audience to believe what they choose; including them in the lie. Altman's screenwriter encouraged improvisation and the cast of Nashville also combined elements of their personal lives with their character histories. Altman skillfully blends what we know to be true with what the narrative tells us; allowing his audience active participation (inclusion) in the fact-is-fiction charade of cinema.

What does Sawhill suggest are the functions of the recurring “wires, phones, intercoms, cameras, mikes, speakers” throughout the film? 

The functions of the recording and communication devices are to comment on the ideas of fame that the characters in Nashville are pursuing. Altman shoots in studios, stages and sound booths; he casts amateur actors, and he layers the soundtrack and audio all as a metacritical commentary on the dichotomy between Nashville's gaudy exterior and gritty interior.

Noel Carroll

Carroll writes, “The number of recent films in the style-as-symbol category that revive film noir as a means of commenting on their dramatic material is legion: Night Moves ('75), Elephant Man ('80), All the President's Men (76), Taxi Driver, Hardcore, and Body Heat.” How might this also relate to stylistic choices in The Godfather, Part II? 

Certain stylistic choices in The Godfather, Part II that echo noir are; the hyper saturated brown-and-black palate (echoing the chiaroscuro of classic noir), the 'death opera' in the third act (a revenge plot that echos both the original Godfather and gangster films of the 20's and 30's), and the loss of innocence (of the Corleone family) portrayed by cross-cutting between Vito's warm, sun-drenched experiences in turn of the century New York and Michael's cold, sterile Nevada homestead. Michael is also often framed alone and aloof, a classic trope of noir films. This choice also echos the contrast between Vito's experience and Michael's-Vito has lieutenants who he is close to, while Michael has only the aging infrastructure his father left him.