Nashville (1975)

Director:

Robert Altman

Writer:

Joan Tewkesbury (written by)

Release Date:

21 September 1975 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

Wild. Wonderful. Sinful. Laughing. Explosive.

Plot:

Over the course of a few hectic days, numerous interrelated individuals prepare for a political convention as secrets and lies are surfaced and revealed.

Plot Keywords:

Nashville | Candidate | Reporter | Assassination | Striptease

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 20 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

David Arkin	...	Norman
Barbara Baxley	...	Lady Pearl
Ned Beatty	...	Delbert Reese
Karen Black	...	Connie White
Ronee Blakley	...	Barbara Jean
Timothy Brown	...	Tommy Brown
Keith Carradine	...	Tom Frank
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Opal
Robert DoQui	...	Wade (as Robert Doqui)
Shelley Duvall	...	L. A. Joan
Allen Garfield	...	Barnett
Henry Gibson	...	Haven Hamilton
Scott Glenn	...	Pfc. Glenn Kelly
Jeff Goldblum	...	Tricycle Man
Barbara Harris	...	Albuquerque

Runtime:

159 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:12 | West Germany:12 | UK:AA (original rating) | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Company:

ABC Entertainment

Trivia:

In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #59 Greatest Movie of All Time. It was the first inclusion of this film on the list.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Two policemen directing traffic - one waving and another carrying a bullhorn - are visible in the middle of the interstate during the car crash as the bus crashes into the pileup.

Quotes:

Barnett: [In Barbara Jean's hospital room] Now, where's Barnett goin'? Where am I goin'? Hmm?
Barbara Jean: King of the Road.
Barnett: Why am I goin' there?
Barbara Jean: To see Connie.
Barnett: And why am I doin' that?
Barbara Jean: To thank her for singin' at the Opry.
Barnett: Now, who am I doin' that for?
Barbara Jean: You're doin' it for me.
Barnett: That's right. Now, I'm walkin' out now. What do you say as I walk out? You say bye-bye.
Barbara Jean: Bye.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Siskel & Ebert 500th Anniversary Special (1989) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Rolling Stone

Masterpiece

Director Robert Altman has assembled a massive cast of brilliant actors to create this rollicking and rambling masterpiece. While skewering the often intertwined worlds of entertainment and politics, Altman and company pretty much play it straight therefore heightening the satire. The various stories unfold at a deliberate pace - the movie is quite long - allowing all 25+ characters to fully develop. It's a technique Altman would later utilize with his '90s masterwork SHORT CUTS.

The cast is excellent and many have what turned out to be their best ever movie roles. Among the standouts: Ronee Blakely as Barbara Jean, the diva of the country music world. She's all aflutter as she attempts a triumphant return to her fans; Karen Black is her chief rival and has a very funny interaction with Julie Christie, who plays herself; Lily Tomlin is a gospel singer with two deaf children and a disengaged husband; Keith Carridine is one part of a folk trio who beds just about every female in the cast; Barbara Harris plays a struggling singer whose big break comes at a very unexpected moment; Henry Gibson is Haven Hamilton, a ego maniacal music legend; Geraldine Chaplin plays Opal, a BBC reporter doing an expose of Nashville and serves as a decidedly callous Greek chorus. She's uncomfortably intrusive in nearly every scene.

The rest of the large cast includes Altman regulars Bert Remsen, Shelley Duvall and Michael Murphy along with Keenan Wynn, Jeff Goldblum, Ned Beatty and Barbara Baxley.