User reviews

McCabe&Mrs.Miller isn't exactly the old west of John Wayne. But it has the look and feel of westerns shot in those early days of silent film. I suspect that the town in this film looked a whole lot like those in the rural northwest at the turn of the last century.

Warren Beatty in one of the title roles as a gambler whose specialty is the bluff arrives in town with the intention of setting up a bordello. But it's not until Julie Christie arrives, a professional madam with a string of girls hat the operation really takes off.

As the business grows so grows the town. Note how director Robert Altman has the look of the town spruce up bit by bit as the film progresses. Makes the town look attractive to speculators and as it does the cracks in Beatty's flawed character show.

A big mining concern wants to buy Beatty and Christie out they're not squeamish about methods. Beatty's persona is deflated and the citizens realize he's all bluff.

Julie Christie got an Oscar nomination for her role as Best Actress as the take life as it comes madam. But it's Beatty you will remember. His character is both outrageous and vulnerable.

The west was really like this.

Robert Altman puts his unique spin on the Western, and gives us a haunting and mournful film, and one of the best in his canon.

Warren Beatty buries himself underneath a bushy beard and an enormous fur coat to play McCabe, an opportunist who considers himself to have much more business savvy than he actually does. He appears in the ramshackle mining town of Presbyterian Church, somewhere in the wilds of Washington state at the turn of the 20th Century, and builds a whorehouse and saloon. Constance Miller (Julie Christie), also sporting her own mound of unkempt hair, arrives a little later and becomes McCabe's business partner. She knows much more about running a whorehouse at a profit, and it quickly becomes clear that she's the brains behind the operation. These two develop a timid affection for one another that's never overtly expressed, but their relationship doesn't have time to prosper, as a trio of hit men arrive to rub out McCabe after he refuses to sell his holdings to a corporation intent on buying him out.

Not surprisingly, considering the director, "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is a strange film. There are virtually no scenes given to outright plot exposition or to showy acting. Much of the plot is conveyed through asides, casual glances and subtle nuances. Wilderness life is shown in all its unglamorous detail, and many of the normally familiar actors are unrecognizable behind their bad teeth, greasy hair and dirty faces. The harsh environment is a character itself, and few movies have a more memorable ending, with McCabe engaged in a most unconventional shoot out amid waist-high drifts of snow.

Altman is of course interested in debunking the usual Western myths. There are no heroes to be found here. McCabe is a decent enough guy, but he's a bit of a fool, and when the bad guys come calling, he runs and hides. The American frontier depicted here is not a sacred place waiting for brave and noble men to come and realize their dreams. Instead, it's a brutal and dangerous wasteland, in which only the craftiest can survive. The theme of corporate exploitation that pervades the film still rings resoundingly to a present-day audience.

But for all its harshness, "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is a beautiful film to look at. Vilmos Zsigmond bathes everything in an ethereal light, and if there are images of icy starkness, there are also reverse images of rich warmth, notably those that take place in the whorehouse itself, which ironically becomes much more of a civilizing agent and cultural epicenter for the small town than the church that figures so prominently in other ways.

One of the best from Altman's golden period as a director, and one of the best films to emerge from any director in the 1970s.

Grade: A

Coming off the unexpected success of M.A.S.H, director Robert Altman decided to do a complete 180 in choosing his next project. As we all know, his first film was a black comedy with themes of war. His next movie, McCabe & Mrs. Miller strays very far from that field. This film is a combination of a Western and a romance film, but in ways you wouldn't expect. This is not a Western in a sense of cowboys and Indians, but about a man struggling to earn a living in the cold doldrums of the Old West. There are hidden themes about love, but this is not a love story although there is a heightened sense of romanticism in the movie. Altman introduced me to his style in the solid, if unspectacular M.A.S.H, but he comes through with this film in a big way.

I very much enjoyed this film. It's one of those slow-burn dramas, but when the time is right, I do enjoy these kind of films that don't heavily rely on action, but instead upon our characters. Speaking of which, Altman delivers an interesting way of developing characterization. As the movie starts, we see the townsfolk whom plays a major role during the entirety of the film. But, we are not introduced to them in the normal sense. Altman wisely refrains from using any monologue with his characters (outside the two main ones) that tell us who they are, what they are doing, where they come from, etc. We, as the audience, must piece together the puzzle ourselves. It's clear the townspeople knew each other for a long time. Each individual is pivotal in the lives of others. It is a master technique that Altman inhibits not only in this film, but in the majority of his films.

Another noticeable trait of the film is the look of the film. There is something about that snowy landscape that gives off a sense of beauty. The film was beautifully shot by legendary cinematographer, Vilmos Zsigmond (who unfortunately passed away only a few weeks ago). His work lives on in this film very much so. The film is beautiful to see with the snow-filled Canadian wilderness, but at the same time Altman gives an intentional dreary look to the film and his characters. The movie makes wonderful use of white, gray, and black to show how unspectacular life is for our characters. Everyone goes about their day in unspectacular fashion. Other than work, there is nothing much to do in this area.

This film is about a businessman named John McCabe (Warren Beatty) who builds himself a whorehouse in this remote Western town. The town is predominantly male, and women are hard to come by so this is the perfect investment for McCabe. Soon after he builds his whorehouse and tavern, a mistress named Mrs. Miller (Julie Christie) arrives offering herself to become McCabe's business partner in his booming business. She promises to handle the business side of things because she has expertise in that field. Soon after her arrival, several businessmen arrive in town wanting to buy McCabe's business. The stake of the town and even his life depends on the answer of McCabe.

There is a trend I've noticed in American films from the 1970's. They hardly ever rely upon a huge cast of big names, and that rings true in this film. The only big names at the time of this film's release were Warren Beatty and Julie Christie. This came out during an era where names led to a movie's success. Anyhow, they were both phenomenal in the movie. The chemistry shared between the two is excellent, and the aura they possess when it's only just one of them on screen magnifies their performances. McCabe is dim-witted when it comes to business, and I love how Mrs. Miller changes that.

Another interesting item about the film is the music. Unlike films at the time, it doesn't have a score to use. Instead, it uses three haunting Leonard Cohen songs that helps with the story. The soundtrack is another reason why this film works. They are haunting songs, but at the same time they are beautiful songs.

The film has a depressing feel though its duration, and sometimes I found myself searching for happiness in the movie. Right away, I knew what the tone would be as McCabe introduces himself to the town during a game of poker and finds he has a reputation of killing a man. Then there is the scene where this random kid (played by a young Keith Carradine) gets himself killed just because he couldn't stay out of trouble. He knew he was going to be killed and he tried to postpone his murder by adapting a cheerful attitude, but it didn't work. This town features a Presbyterian Church, which plays a prominent role in the plot and in the ending, where there is a cat-and-mouse shootout.

McCabe and Mrs. Miller is an excellent film and one of Altman's masterpieces. I loved how the story took its time to get rolling and I got the feeling I knew these characters as if they're real-life people. That should be the goal of every single movie, no matter the premise. The movie is very beautiful to look at, but I also get a sense of sadness because there is no happiness to be found in the movie. There is a lot of dreariness, but it's important for the kind of story being told. I had a heavy heart at times, but I still liked this movie very, very much.

My Grade: A-

Leonard Cohen's songs don't seem an ordinary choice for a western, but Robert Altman was no ordinary director, and his "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" was definitely not your traditional western. This film can be called a western because of its settings, but if anything, this is a "revisionist western" (à la Clint Eastwood's more recent "Unforgiven", a film that also subverted all the clichés and morales of this traditionally macho genre). And, more than anything, it's a love story.

John McCabe (Warren Beatty), charismatic but no so smart, sets up a whorehouse in the Old West. Constance Miller (Julie Christie), beautiful, strong and determined, soon arrives in town and offers to run the "business" and share the profits with McCabe. They start a tempestuous relationship while business thrives... but when a major corporation tries to buy McCabe & Mrs. Miller's enterprise, McCabe refuses to sell it. It's the beginning of his, her and the town's doom.

Even when exploring such a visual genre as the western (and visually the film is also very compelling, with great use of real snow and a beautifully shot "duel" on a bridge), Altman uses one of his most notorious trademarks: the overlapping dialogue, commonly used in ensembles but also wisely used in a more intimate, character-driven story like this. It works very well, although the 1 on 1 dialogues are deeply insightful themselves (the scene when Christie teaches a very young widow, played by Shelley Duvall, how she is supposed to behave in her new job, is brief, human, and dry). Beatty gives one of his most subtle, captivating performances, and Christie empowers Mrs. Miller with flesh and blood - she was definitely one of the most beautiful and intriguing actresses of her time, alongside Faye Dunaway and Jane Fonda, who set up a standard for beautiful, strong women who were much more than sheer eye candy. McCabe and Mrs. Miller's relationship is so fascinating that even the bang bang fans will be drawn into it and root for them to end together.

So, next time someone says Clint Eastwood reinvented the western with his masterpiece "Unforgiven", remember: 21 years before, Altman had experimented and succeeded on that with his "McCabe & Mrs. Miller". Because love stories are more than kisses and happy endings, and westerns go beyond blood and testosterone.

The first thing to know about Robert Altman's revisionist Western "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is that it takes place in Washington state. Typical Westerns are set in arid semi-deserts, full of blazing skies, blazing shotguns, and blazing tempers. Here, the dank, chilly Pacific Northwest permits, or rather demands, a different range of emotions: poignancy, regret, wintry melancholy. This film takes many risks, using Leonard Cohen's haunting ballads on the soundtrack and shooting scenes in very low light, but remarkably, everything coheres.

The film features Altman's trademark group scenes with overlapping dialogue, but not his typical interlocking plot lines. True to its title, the story centers on gambler and brothel owner John McCabe (Warren Beatty) and his shrewd business partner, Mrs. Constance Miller (Julie Christie). Still, supporting characters always hover at the edges, taking part in vignettes that underline the movie's themes and occasionally provide some humor. In this way, the movie avoids the chaos and confusion of some Altman films, while always remaining aware that the main characters are part of a larger community. It's a perfect balance: both clear and complex.

Still, "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is more a study of place and character than a narrative drama. The small, isolated settlement of Presbyterian Church is newly built, but already seems to molder. Ironically, McCabe's brothel is the most "civilized" place in town: it is built quickly and even gets painted, while the church remains half-finished. No families, parents or children live in this bleak town, just a bunch of weary miners and whores who delude and distract themselves. They all have dreams, but barely know how to achieve them; for this reason, they're sympathetic and all too human. McCabe is a true anti-hero, a guy who thinks he's a slick, wisecracking gambler, but his jokes fall flat and he lacks common sense. Mrs. Miller seems confident and shameless, but she secretly uses opium to dispel the pain of living.

At times, the movie is well aware of how it subverts the clichés of the Western genre to reflect what would really have happened out West. For instance, there is a final shootout, but it arises because of a quarrel over business—there are no Indians, no outlaws, and no sheriffs here! But "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is much more than just a clever exercise in revisionism; it's never overtly satirical or mean-spirited. It keenly observes its world and then comments on it, overlaying everything with a delicate sense of poignancy and loss. This is the kind of film that stays with you, but not because of sharp dialogue, beautiful images, or showy performances. Greater than the sum of its parts, "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is memorable for the pervasive but understated mood that runs through every frame, creating a truly atmospheric and humanistic film.

Few westerns have succeeded so strangely yet so completely in evoking a sense of place and time than Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs Miller". In fact, it's not really a western at all; certainly not like any western I've ever seen. It's setting is the Pacific Northwest; cold, rainswept and often covered in snow. There are gunslingers but they are more like the professional hit men of gangster movies. When Altman isn't filming through the haze of a rain-drenched exterior he is filming through the haze of a dimly lit interior where darkness is more prevalent than light. Above all, it doesn't have a conventional western hero. McCabe is like a tragi-comic Everyman out of his depth and his territory in this largely alien environment yet canny enough to apply his savvy into transforming the landscape into something tangible, real and materialistically American.

In this respect it is a very modern film in spite of its setting. The fact that Altman doesn't care very much about convention or even about narrative, (it's story is perfunctory; Altman is more interested in 'observing'), makes it so. But then "MASH" wasn't a conventional war movie either just as "Nashville" wasn't really about the country music business.

As for McCabe himself, Beatty plays him with the same laconic, stammering mannerisms he applies to all his roles, (and which he seems either blessed or cursed with in real life), and which actually makes him a perfect Altman hero, (or anti-hero, if you prefer). Mrs Miller, on the other hand, seems coolly distracted from what's going on around her. Julie Christie plays up her Englishness adding another element to the alienation of her character, a stranger in a strange land indeed, while in the foreground the songs of Leonard Cohen seem to hover like warm blankets, cosily familiar and comforting even at their bleakest. They could have been written for the film.

Director Robert Altman spanned great lengths of symbolism to bring audiences a tale of an unlikely pairing in life on the frontier. The tale of "a savior for everyone" lays as a backdrop for the 1971 film. Warren Beatty and Julie Christie join forces to bring a sense of civilization to the town of Presbyterian Church, which has little civilization and no church. A heavy western dealing with themes of isolation and redeemers, McCabe and Mrs. Miller came off a touch thematically weighed down.

Upon his arrival to the town of Presbyterian Church, gambler John McCabe (Warren Beatty) quickly learns that the town of God is nearly God-less, as the church remains under construction. McCabe then designates himself to be the town's savior, the first nod to this enduring theme. He wants to bring his brand of civility to a township that, is, well, lacking. Deciding to build a brothel, McCabe is soon joined in his exploits by Mrs. Miller, a shrewd business-minded woman who seems to believe that she acts as a savior to the girls she "employs". Soon, as their mutual business thrives, so do budding feelings between the entrepreneurs. Competing moral compasses keep McCabe and Mrs. Miller apart, as each walk among the desolate winter scene McCabe traverses reminds the viewer that the only certainty in life is solitude; we enter, and leave this world, alone. Soon, a battle erupts as the business is challenged by corporate interests who have invaded the town. The choice McCabe makes was perhaps the only one he could live with, but it holds desperate consequences for everyone else involved. The forever in solitude, John McCabe was played well by Warren Beatty who was able to execute the competing dualities of McCabe's character, who both wanted to be alone, but also wanted to be loved and needed. Julie Christie plays Mrs. Miller well also as the gruff, shrewd business woman, yet angel to the girls she employed. Personally, I get pulled into a movie's lighting. If the lighting is not right for the mood, the story is not being told properly. The lighting in McCabe and Mrs. Miller was overly dark, which fit the mood well, but was not contrasted enough with brightening during the lighter parts of the film. Another compelling aspect of the film was the cinematography. Shots of trees and mountains slated against the unfruitful harsh winter that was being endured were a true treat to the viewer. The shots were also pivotal to illustrate the deeper themes of the film. There's not much that photographs lonelier than a bare tree in the middle of winter. The audience learns that McCabe is like this tree, alone, yet seeking the cover of its familiarity. The audience eventually starts rooting for McCabe, in hopes that someday find his leaves.

All-in-all, I applaud Robert Altman for providing audiences with such a deep film, and bringing such allegory and theme to the western genre. That being said, it was a little symbolism heavy. The Jesus-like moment in this film was not executed as well as the one in say, Raging Bull (1980), nor was it necessary to prove that theme to the audience. If only the director had more faith in his audience to reach the conclusions he was intending, rather than weighing down the film with so much symbolism, McCabe and Mrs. Miller could have risen to "Classic" status outside of the western genre. We will never know what could have happen, and even though I found the thematic elements over the top, I would recommend this film to any fans of great westerns, or Warren Beatty.

Robert Altman, certainly one of the great directors of all time. I heard a lot about this prior to watching it through cinephile sites and insights from other famous directors about it, and I thought for sure that I would love it. I don't really know what to say, honestly. It's one of the slowest westerns ever made. Not too much happens, and most of the dialogue is completely garbled and unintelligible due to what I think was a terrible job in the sound department, but upon research, I think that it might have been on purpose. Cinematography is quite beautiful for it's time, of course thanks to the great Vilmos Zsigmond. I appreciate what it did for the western genre, by making McCabe all talk and no action. The final shootout proves to us that he is sort of a coward. In the end, he's just a hustler, looking for love and a place to belong, but realizing nearly all of it comes at a price. After reading Roger Ebert's review of the film, I realized that the story is more or less about loneliness. McCabe and Mrs. Miller are essentially empty people, hiding under fake identities of grandeur. But they've been playing the game for so long, that even when they try to act like a couple, it fails miserably. The end of the film is extremely well done, with the close up of McCabe freezing to death in the snow, as the camera blurs out, and cutting back to Mrs. Miller getting high in the opium den. Poignant, beautiful, and perhaps indicative of the entire film itself. I don't know if I will ever watch the film again, it's quite tough to sit through, but as a fan of Altman, this is a film worth telling people that you've watched.

Behind every great man is a great woman. McCabe is the man, Mrs. Miller is the woman, and together they form a pretty successful team. Both are in search of the American dream: freedom, fortune, security. Mrs. Miller, a prostitute, and the real brains behind the operation helps make this possible for the couple. She doesn't want to be nothing but a whore for the rest of her life. They partner up and establish the best lil' whorehouse in town. This is quite the unconventional western, and it is executed so perfectly as only the great Robert Altman could do.

I loved the whole process of the film. I liked the characters and wanted to see them succeed. When things go bad, as they often do, some very tense sequences ensue. Men are hired to kill McCabe for not negotiating with the right people. There is one part where he first meets the man hired to kill him that is so nerve-wrecking, but so amusing at the same time. I mean, it's pretty clear early on that McCabe is a bit of a buffoon, but I think this is the crucial point in the film when we know we really care about his fate.

Wonderfully acted by Warren Beatty and Julie Christie in the lead roles(as well as the supporting cast), being in the hands of Robert Altman, and with some great music by Leonard Cohen, McCabe & Mrs. Miller proves itself as a great, great movie. It's a comedy, a tragedy, a classic, a true masterpiece.

My rating: 10/10

A slight rant in place of a typical review, so bear with me. I'm somewhat amused by those that seem to think this version of the Old West is somehow the most real. They believe that the west was a place that was dark, rainy, and muddy all the time. One can't deny the influence Altman's film has had on westerns since. So many have shot their westerns to mimic this supposed reality. The comparisons typically go "old westerns didn't have it right but Altman does. His is the most authentic picture of life in the Old West." Really? So life in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, California, etc. matched that of rainy Vancouver? This is ridiculous.

Here's what's real: this movie takes place in the pacific northwest and is shot in Canada. To say Altman is fictionally portraying a small previously unexplored part of Old West history is fine. But to take it a step further and say this is representative of the Old West as a whole or even a majority is blatantly false. Furthermore, to use this as a tool to degrade older western movies, which actually did take place and were filmed in proper western US locations, is dishonest. Sorry but this sort of thing has always bugged me. I'm not a big fan of the visual of the Canadian westerns even though I have enjoyed quite a few of them as films. It's an artistic choice for these filmmakers to choose to shoot there because the weather is depressing and the stories usually follow suit. It's also a business choice because it has been so much cheaper to film there for decades. But let's not say it's because of historical accuracy when it isn't.

Anyway, as to this film's merits. I won't bother to cover ground others have covered. It's an enjoyable movie, artistically speaking, though not much fun and you're left at the end with a "what was the point" type of feeling. It's definitely not a strong narrative. The story is paper thin. If you're coming to this hoping to see some of what you expect from the two stars, you'll probably be disappointed. Warren Beatty is not his usual sexy, funny, charming self. Hidden away behind a beard and spending about half the movie mumbling like Popeye, none of the personality Beatty exhibited in most of his more famous films comes through. Julie Christie is a great beauty but here she's deliberately "uglied up" so as to add to the film's perceived authenticity.

It's a revisionist western and a good one. I would just like some of the pretentiousness to be checked at the door. Not for all tastes.

I was led to this movie in 1972 via the Academy nomination of Julie Christie for her remarkable performance and the small trailer used to highlight her. This was enough to get my attention.

Since then I have recommended it to any movie lover- whether a "student of film" or not. I am constantly surprised at the numbers of people who haven't seen this masterpiece. I've lived with it's haunting scenes for a quarter of a century and, as with anything of depth, constantly find new charms in my old love.

From the evocative lyrics of the opening score to it's sudden chilling and deadly encounters, this movie lives in your mind long after the final blizzard cloaks the frame.

If one is a contrarian I would guess the only thing to do after seeing this for perhaps the fiftieth time is to begin looking for that moment where someone, anyone has put a foot wrong in this production. From gaffers to grips, actors to designers, continuity to props it is so pure as to be a documentary in it's granular clarity- there may be a wrong note in there somewhere but until then do yourself a favor and give yourself up to as rich a cinematic experience as you are ever likely to find.

There are few movies I love- I love this movie.

The story of entrepreneur John McCabe (Warren Beatty), who sets up a whorehouse in a western town with the help of Constance Miller (Julie Christie) is interesting but ultimately too difficult to be worthwhile. A beautifully constructed movie, it creates tons of atmosphere, with the music, cinematography, and sets all perfectly setting the tone. The fault of the movie lies in an unfocused plot that really never gets the movie anywhere. I understand that the movie isn't about plot, but rather tone and atmosphere. However, it is necessary that a movie maintains some form of interest throughout its course, and for me, this movie failed to do so. It was beautifully to take in for the first fifteen or twenty minutes while I experienced the atmospheric look at the west, but when the plot began to go nowhere I found that the atmosphere was really all the movie had going for it. So, while I admire its craftsmanship and appreciate Altman's directorial talents, it provided little entertainment and offered little satisfaction when all was said and done.

Really just an epic snore fest to be honest. The only strengths are the cinematography and Beatty's performance - he does as best a job would seemingly be possible bringing some stimulating elements to this character in an otherwise thoroughly dull script, filled to the brim with impressively uninteresting characters and lackluster sequences.

Leonard Cohen's music is more entertaining than the majority of the movie. It is rare for me to feel this way, especially since folk rock is absolutely not my thing, and Cohen has never meant anything to me, but I think the music would fare better on it's own rather than to these images. Even Julie Christie is just kind of one-dimensional and mostly underutilized here. The ending was the only mildly amusing segment but it was not worth the long slow trudge in any regard - it didn't even feel like there was any building tension whatsoever. It's also funny how Altman's audio/dialogue techniques are regarded and celebrated so frequently because the audio may very well by the biggest downfall of this film, just as it was with California Split - Altman's biggest dud. The overlapping dialogue and the tinny, scrappy, hardly distinguishable audio makes for a grating experience.

I have now seen a solid 8 or so Altman movies but it is clear to me just how hit-or-miss the guy is for me. When he hits, he really hits, and when he misses, he REALLY misses. This is probably my 2nd least favorite Altman movie, with only California Split surpassing it.

3 Women > The Long Goodbye > Images > The Player > Short Cuts > Gosford Park > Nashville > McCabe & Mrs. Miller > California Split

As a Western this film is fascinating for what it does not contain. There are no sweeping vistas of the Great Plains, no Indians, no cacti, no cowboy hats. There is no sheriff, no broiling sun, and no corny music. And unlike most Westerns, which are plot driven, "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is less about plot than about the tone or mood of the frontier setting.

The film takes place in the Pacific Northwest. The weather is cold, cloudy, and inclement. You can hear the wind howling through tall evergreens. And Leonard Cohen's soft, poetic music accentuates the appropriately dreary visuals. In bucking cinematic tradition, therefore, this film deserves respect, because it is at least unusual, and perhaps even closer in some ways to the ambiance of life on the American frontier than our stereotyped notions, as depicted in typical John Wayne movies.

Not that the plot is unimportant. Warren Beatty plays John McCabe, a two-bit gambler who imports several prostitutes to a tiny town, in hopes of making money. Julie Christie plays Mrs. Miller, a prostitute with a head for business. She hears about McCabe's scheme, and approaches McCabe with an offer he can't refuse. Soon, the two are in business together, but complications ensue when word gets around that McCabe may be a gunslinger who has killed someone important. Mrs. Miller is clearly a symbol of the women's liberation movement, and the film's ending is interesting, in that context.

"McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is a vintage Altman film, in that you can hear background chatter, in addition to the words of the main character. It's Altman's trademark of overlapping dialogue. The film's acting is fine. Both Beatty and Christie perform credibly in their roles.

The visuals have a turn-of-the-century look, with a soft, brownish hue. Costumes and production design are elaborate, and appear to be authentic. The film is very dark, so dark in some scenes that I could barely make out the outline of human figures. In those scenes, I think they went overboard with the ultra dim lighting.

Strictly atypical for the Western genre, "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" provides a pleasant change from cinematic stereotypes, and conveys a different perspective on life in the Old West. It's a quality production, one that has Robert Altman's directorial stamp all over it. In that sense, it's more like a cinematic painting than a story. And the painting communicates to the viewer that life on the American frontier was, at least in some places, cold and dreary, and had a quietly poetic quality to it.

McCABE & MRS. MILLER deals with several of the harsher realities of life in The Old West, and does so unflinchingly, without undue sentimentality (despite the haunting music of Leonard Cohen). Down and dirty filmmaking. Had there been documentary filmmakers roaming The Old West, they might well have shot something not unlike what Altman has wrought here. Unconventional in the extreme, McCABE & MRS. MILLER is the kind of down-to-earth western we need more of. The glamour of hard times washes right off and all that's left is a brutal, harsh reality. Superior filmmaking.

This is one of those groundbreaking films that that put the whammy on a genre; in this case, the Western can never come back. Oaters traditionally are the realm of strong male characters righting wrong, loving their horses, and ignoring the school marm. Robert Altman, a political and cultural man of the 1960's Left simply says "horse feathers." The hero is a corrupt bawdyhouse owner. The school marm makes her living in a crude manner and normal everyday middle-class types don't really exist in the hardscrabble world of capitalism.

The town in Vancouver, Canada sits in a mountains and wilderness. The film company built the town. That's real snow there folks and blizzards as our anti-hero Beatty shoots it out with the company men while his best "girl" Julie Christy hides out in an opium den, her brown eyes realistically glassy. John Wayne's, The Searchers was one of the best films ever made. McCabe & Mrs. Miller tries to undo all that.

Fascinating look at the underbelly of frontier life and a forerunner of the HBO series Deadwood, the West may not be a better place for it.

Robert Altman never get the respect from the producers, due him was so rebel, in this period of time since "M.A.S.H." until "Thieves Like Us", was a true fertile phase, after that he never got a succeeded career, therefore McCabe & Mrs. Miller gave to Bob an high acknowledgement from the critics, This picture wasn't a usual western, is quite different, no heroes, no gunfights, no romance, it's display to us how was the western on those hard times, a little town on northwest of US's territory, living for early mining and around countless suppliers selling goodies, tools, liquors, Chinese cheap labors and the main and a essential, many prostitutes to relief those tough and lonely workers, McCabe and Mrs. Miller were partner on this profitable business, somehow appears someone to buy it by any means, fabulous near masterpiece, Warren Beatty and Julie Christie were incredible, this picture was the forerunner of successful "Deadwood" series, both have the same cold environment and approaching , outstanding production that became a cult movie, despite overlooked on release time!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 9

"Sometimes, when I take a look at you, I just keep looking and looking. I wanna feel your little body up against me so bad, I think I'm gonna bust... You're freezing my soul, that's what you're doing."

The story of a gambler and a prostitute who, in a remote settlement somewhere in the Wild West, manage an elite brothel in partnership, until capitalists far above their level interfere. Altman's revisionist western (or anti-western) is more of a life drama and tragic romance set in the Wild West than a western in the classical sense. The fight of heroic cowboys against evil and primitive Indians is replaced by the fight of anti-heroes, small entrepreneurs against corporate capital, and instead of good and bad guys, we have real convincing people with whom we can more easily identify. And the environment itself ceases to be a fairy-tale town on the prairie, instead of which Altman portrays the harsh living conditions of the American Northwest at the time. Everything in this film leaves a realistic impression, from the environment, the characters, and their development, the story itself, to the pace at which it takes place. And the strong emotion that permeates it is further enhanced by the beautiful songs of Leonard Cohen. If you are looking for magical landscapes, constant action and gunfights, heroes and their heroines, and the inevitable happy ending, this film is not for you. But if you like a solid drama that shows life as it really is and that does not hide the flaws of individuals and society under the carpet, you will enjoy it.

7,5/10

McCabe and (Mrs. Miller. Yes, Mrs. Not "Ms.")

It was a good script. The bad guys were corrupt businessmen. So what? Love did not conquer all. But it was there. It was heroic. Why?

The setting: old, wet, miserable. It seemed futile. It turned out to be futile. It seemed absurd. It was absurd.

The preacher was absurd. His cartoonish "gun control" was absurd. His absurd behavior led to the church fire.

The Leonard Cohen music tied it all together. Leonard gave it meaning while his lyrics explicitly addressed the absurd:

> "you knew I was a stranger."

> "about this or any other matter."

> "you could read their address by the moon."

> "Yes you who must leave everything / that you cannot control / it begins with your family / but soon it comes round to your soul

What made this a good film? It reminded me of the French writer Albert Camus who died in a car crash in 1960. His literary mission was the unblinking confrontation of the absurdity of life, and the heroic response to such an absurdity: rebellion.

Camus used the Greek myth of Sisyphus, condemned to eternal frustration by the gods, having to push a rock uphill only to see it roll back down day after day.

Camus wrote: "We might imagine Sisyphus happy."

Neither of the lead characters of the film were conventional. They rebelled against the conventional wisdom represented by the preacher, and they knew that there was such a thing as right and wrong, even though they didn't know how they knew it.

Did the movie accurately represent American history? In my view it did. The "seamy side," but accurate.

Where was it shot?

"The film was shot in West Vancouver and in Squamish (BC, not WA), almost in sequential order, a rarity for films." (Wikipedia)

Was the plot "camusien"? Yes. The characters worked against Sisyphean odds, and they were rebels. Their hard-scrabble lives had "become so absolutely free that you'd believe their freedom was an act of rebellion." (Translation of a quote from Camus.)

That's what made the movie work. Otherwise it would have been nihilistic, mean but without meaning.

McCabe and Mrs. Miller were heroes, not victims, villains, or vegetables.

What does it mean to rebel against absurdity?

It means to make the meaningless meaningful, while knowing the futility of that effort. Pushing the rock up the hill, knowing that it will just roll down again.

By a remarkable quirk I watched this after viewing Robert Altman's M*A*S*H which was released a year earlier than this film.

It becomes immediately apparent that the director has stock repertory of actors such as Rene Auberjonois, Michael Murphy, John Schuck appeared in both.

Another thing noticeable immediately is the cinematography and the photography, the great Vilmos Zsigmond adds vibrant colour and mood to the bleak landscape of the Pacific northwest.

Warren Beatty gives a charismatic performance as someone who is not as bright as he thinks he is. He opens a brothel in this rough frontier town.

Success comes in the form of Mrs Miller played by the remarkable Julie Christie a whore, madam and opium smoker who has big ideas and dreams earns both a lot of money which attracts the attention of a corporation which makes an offer to McCabe to buy his holdings.

This is not a fast moving film, nor a shoot em up western. It is a character study set in the old west that can be broken down a series of vignettes really.

Although the film is directed by Altman the influence of Beatty cannot be ignored.

An actor who is choosy about his projects and is hardly ever just an actor in the films he appears in once he became a star. This is a daring and risky project for Beatty and over time it has rewarded him as the film has been regarded as a classic.