{"id":8558,"date":"2009-07-27T11:43:33","date_gmt":"2009-07-27T18:43:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8558"},"modified":"2023-09-25T13:43:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T20:43:56","slug":"nashville-1975","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8558","title":{"rendered":"Nashville (1975)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Well, that&#8217;s the price of success, I guess.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Nashville-Poster2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Nashville-Poster2-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-58304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Nashville-Poster2-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Nashville-Poster2-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Nashville-Poster2-180x270.jpg 180w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Nashville-Poster2.jpg 426w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nOn the eve of America&#8217;s bicentennial celebration, a diverse group of aspiring and successful performers interact with one another in Nashville, while preparations for a political rally ensue in the background.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Allen Garfield Films<\/li>\n<li>Aspiring Stars<\/li>\n<li>Barbara Harris Films<\/li>\n<li>Ensemble Cast<\/li>\n<li>Geraldine Chaplin Films<\/li>\n<li>Jeff Goldblum Films<\/li>\n<li>Karen Black Films<\/li>\n<li>Keenan Wynn Films<\/li>\n<li>Keith Carradine Films<\/li>\n<li>Lily Tomlin Films<\/li>\n<li>Michael Murphy Films<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<li>Musicians<\/li>\n<li>Ned Beatty Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Altman Films<\/li>\n<li>Scott Glenn Films<\/li>\n<li>Shelley Duvall Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary refers to this classic Altman ensemble flick as a &#8220;crazy-quilt vision of America&#8221;, noting that the &#8220;excitement of [the] film comes from Altman&#8217;s innovative storytelling techniques, how he plays musical chairs with his characters&#8217; destinies, moving them in and out of each other&#8217;s lives until they all gather together for the tragic ending.&#8221; However, while he concedes that &#8220;the actors are well chosen and their characters make strong initial impressions&#8221;, he complains that &#8220;few are developed sufficiently&#8221;, and further notes that &#8220;the reason [he] can&#8217;t ever fully appreciate this picture is that, with the exception of Henry Gibson&#8217;s parody songs, none of what Altman and music director Richard Baskin try to pass off as country music&#8230; <em>is<\/em> country music.&#8221; He complains in particular about the songs sung by &#8220;Ronee Blakley as the Loretta Lynn-like Barbara Jean and Karen Black as the Tammy Wynette-like Connie White&#8221;, insisting that &#8220;it&#8217;s not fair to pass off these two as the <em>best<\/em> country music has to offer.&#8221; He argues that the &#8220;music works best [in part] when we&#8217;re watching Lily Tomlin and a black chorus perform gospel music&#8221; &#8212; an ironic statement, given that Tomlin&#8217;s singing voice (c.f. Altman&#8217;s last film, <em>A Prairie Home Companion<\/em>, as well) really isn&#8217;t all that strong or impressive.<\/p>\n<p>Tomlin&#8217;s acting, however, is another matter altogether: her role here as the mother of two deaf children, intrigued and bothered by insistent phone calls from an aggressive rock star (Keith Carradine), is quite impressive, and she deserved her Oscar nomination &#8212; as did Ronee Blakley in what is arguably the film&#8217;s &#8220;central&#8221; (or at least most pivotal) role. Indeed, the entire ensemble cast is in fine form &#8212; and while it may be true, as Peary points out, that none of their characters are &#8220;developed sufficiently&#8221;, this is simply part of Altman&#8217;s unique vision for the story; to give each of them more screentime would require a mini-series (not a bad idea, really!). <\/p>\n<p>While I agree with Peary that &#8220;this is a cynical film&#8221;, I&#8217;m not sure I believe that &#8220;Altman and [screenwriter Joan] Tewkesbury are condescending toward&#8221; the characters, given that they simply represent a cross-section of America, flawed aspirations and all. As Peary notes, &#8220;almost all of these people are unhappy or pathetic&#8221; &#8212; and several subplots hint at the quiet tragedies of their lives: Gwen Welles&#8217; pathetic insistence on trying to &#8220;make it&#8221; as a singer despite lacking any talent; Blakley&#8217;s unhinged attempt at a comeback, which is met with jeers by her suddenly <em>un<\/em>supportive fans; and Carradine&#8217;s mind-boggling treatment of Tomlin. It&#8217;s to Altman&#8217;s enormous credit, then, that we remain so invested in these diverse characters&#8217; lives, despite the gloominess that pervades. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lily Tomlin as Linnea<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/nashville-tomlin.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/nashville-tomlin.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8562\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Henry Gibson as Haven Hamilton<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/nashville-gibson.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/nashville-gibson.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8563\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ronee Blakley as Barbara Jean<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/nashville-blakley.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/nashville-blakley.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8564\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gwen Welles as Sueleen<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/nashville-welles.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/nashville-welles.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8565\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Memorable supporting performances by the remaining cast members<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a genuine classic of American cinema. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0073440\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1975\/06\/12\/archives\/nashville-lively-film-of-many-parts.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/nashville-1975#:~:text=It's%20a%20film%20about%20the,Sure%2C%20it's%20only%20a%20movie.\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Greatest Films Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reelviews.net\/php_review_template.php?identifier=387\">James Berardinelli&#8217;s Reelviews Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/nash.html\">Greatest Films Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/2965\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/84580\/nashville#articles-reviews?articleId=115792\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/63163\/nashville.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Well, that&#8217;s the price of success, I guess.&#8221; Synopsis: On the eve of America&#8217;s bicentennial celebration, a diverse group of aspiring and successful performers interact with one another in Nashville, while preparations for a political rally ensue in the background. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Allen Garfield Films Aspiring Stars Barbara Harris Films Ensemble Cast Geraldine Chaplin Films Jeff Goldblum Films Karen Black Films Keenan Wynn Films Keith Carradine Films Lily Tomlin Films Michael Murphy Films Musicals Musicians Ned Beatty&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8558\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8558"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92086,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8558\/revisions\/92086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}