Nashville (1975)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

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 | Nashville Tennessee

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 20 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

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
David Hayward	...	Kenny Fraiser
Michael Murphy	...	John Triplette
Allan F. Nicholls	...	Bill (as Allan Nicholls)
Dave Peel	...	Bud Hamilton
Cristina Raines	...	Mary
Bert Remsen	...	Star
Lily Tomlin	...	Linnea Reese
Gwen Welles	...	Sueleen Gay
Keenan Wynn	...	Mr. Green
James Dan Calvert	...	Jimmy Reese
Donna Denton	...	Donna Reese
Merle Kilgore	...	Trout
Carol McGinnis	...	Jewel
Sheila Bailey	...	Smokey Mountain Laurel
Patti Bryant	...	Smokey Mountain Laurel
Richard Baskin	...	Frog
Jonnie Barnett	...	Himself
Vassar Clements	...	Himself
Misty Mountain Boys	...	Themselves
Sue Barton	...	Herself
Elliott Gould	...	Himself
Julie Christie	...	Herself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steve Earle	...	Concert-goer (uncredited)
Thomas Hal Phillips	...	Hal Phillip Walker (uncredited)
Patrick Reynolds	...	Grand Ole Opry Performer (uncredited)
Gailard Sartain	...	Man at Lunch Counter (uncredited)
Howard K. Smith	...	Himself (TV Correspondent) (uncredited)
Joan Tewkesbury	...	Tom's Lover / Kenny's Mother (uncredited) (voice)

Directed by
Robert Altman

Writing credits
Joan Tewkesbury		(written by)

Produced by
Robert Altman	....	producer
Scott Bushnell	....	associate producer
Robert Eggenweiler	....	associate producer
Martin Starger	....	executive producer
Jerry Weintraub	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Arlene Barnett
Jonnie Barnett
Karen Black
Ronee Blakley
Gary Busey
Juan Grizzle
Allan F. Nicholls
Dave Peel
Joe Raposo

Cinematography by
Paul Lohmann		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Dennis M. Hill		(as Dennis Hill)
Sidney Levin

Set Decoration by
Robert M. Anderson		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Marvin C. Thompson	....	makeup artist (as Tommy Thompson)
Ann Wadlington	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alan Rudolph	....	assistant director
Tommy Thompson	....	assistant director

Art Department
Robert M. Anderson	....	property master (as Bob Anderson)

Sound Department
Randy Kelley	....	assistant sound editor
Chris McLaughlin	....	sound
Richard Portman	....	sound re-recording mixer
William A. Sawyer	....	sound editor
James E. Webb	....	sound (as Jim Webb)
Richard Oswald	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)
Donald C. Rogers	....	technical director of sound (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Randy Glass	....	electrical gaffer
Edmond L. Koons	....	camera operator (as Ed Koons)
Eddie Lara	....	grip
J. Michael Marlett	....	electrical gaffer (as Mike Marlett)
Harry Rez	....	grip
Robert Reed Altman	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jules Melillo	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Tony Lombardo	....	assistant editor
Tom Walls	....	assistant editor
Mark Eggenweiler	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Maysie Hoy	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Richard Baskin	....	music arranger
Richard Baskin	....	music supervisor
Gene Eichelberger	....	music recordist
Johnny Rosen	....	music recordist
Daniel J. Johnson	....	assistant music editor (uncredited)
Ken Johnson	....	music editor (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Gene Clinesmith	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Stephen Altman	....	production assistant (as Steve Altman)
Jac Cashin	....	assistant to producer
Elaine Di Bello Bradish	....	production secretary (as Elaine Bradish)
Angel Dominguez	....	production assistant
Mark Eggenweiler	....	production assistant
Roger Frappier	....	production assistant
Ron Hecht	....	production assistant
J. Allen Highfill	....	production assistant (as Allan Highfill)
Maysie Hoy	....	production assistant
Joyce King	....	script supervisor
Kelly Marshall	....	production coordinator
Dan Perri	....	title designer
Thomas Hal Phillips	....	political campaign
Noreen Beasley	....	assistant: Dan Perri (uncredited)

Production Companies

• ABC Entertainment (presents)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1978) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1975) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1976) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Paramount Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• Lion's Gate 8 Track Sound  sound system
• Solters & Digney  publicity (uncredited)

Runtime:

159 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (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) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Company:

ABC Entertainment

Trivia:

Cameo: [Joan Tewkesbury] [, the film's writer. She is on the phone as Kenny's mother, and as Tom's lover.]

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Mercedes bus (model O 309) breaks the gate-arm at the Nashville Airport (21:00 in), there is clear right-front damage, the bumper is bent, headlight broken, and there is no sign on the right side of the bus. But, at the freeway accident scene (22:12 in; on I-24 near Shelby Avenue), the passengers act like the damage just happened (saying: "Oh no." And looking at the damage), and now there is a sign on the right side that reads: "Connie White" and has her image.

Quotes:

Bill: You're supposed to wear the blue dress when I wear this.
Mary: I don't want to dress like twins anymore.
Bill: We're not twins. We're a trio.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Sissy Spacek/Richard Baskin (#2.16)" (1977)

Soundtrack:

Yes, I Do

An often-misunderstood masterpiece - full of life like no other movie

Much like some of the other comments about "Nashville" that are circulating around IMDB, the reviews I've seen of Robert Altman's 1975 Oscar contender have been completely adulatory or completely dismissive. Contrary to some comments I've read, "Nashville" looks as prescient and magnificent now as it appeared to some critics nearly thirty years ago. Dated? Absolutely not. "Nashville" is a movie about people more than anything else, but a political campaign van that appears throughout the movie shows the unavoidable nature of politics in people's lives in the 70's. Has that changed since then? It's even more true now, with our war in Iraq and all of the conflicting viewpoints that exist. Annoying overlapping dialogue? To dismiss this unique trait of "Nashville" is to hate the trademark of director Robert Altman. Do people wait their turn as if reading from a screenplay in real life? Muddy cinematography? Certainly not - to show a Nashville vibrant with colors that don't really fit (a crime that most visually overachieving movies commit) would distract from Altman's amazing focus on the relationships of the characters that he builds so well. And the characters....the dozens of cast members lend terrific support to a film that moves forward constantly while never seeming to move too fast, leaving time for moments of poignancy and heartbreak, as well as unintentionally hilarious moments (as every good pseudo-documentary film has). Who can forget Lily Tomlin gazing at her deaf children tenderly as their father completely ignores them as they speak? Or the moment Keith Carradine performs his Oscar-winning "I'm Easy" in front of a night club crowd? Really, "Nashville" is filled with great moments ALL the time that make the nearly three-hour film unmissable, but nothing in the world can prepare the patient viewer for the film's breathtaking finale which seems even more moving today in the midst of everything. Forget the "National Anthem" or "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." The gospel-esque strains of "It Don't Worry Me" make it the American song for the ages, in an American film that ranks among the best of its kind.