Alan Rudolph

Biography

Alan Rudolph makes quirky ensemble based stories that often center around lonely people and mysterious wanderers looking for love who find themselves in somewhat troubled, precarious situations.  Frequently filmed in artificial environments, the movie’s characters collide with one another like bumper cars at an amusement park in an attempt to find meaning in life and then wander off, slightly battered, searching for another brief encounter. 

He began his professional filmmaking career as an assistant director before being hired by fellow maverick Robert Altman to work as A.D. on Altman’s The Long Goodbye and later his masterpiece Nashville.  The two remained lifelong friends and collaborators as Altman served as producer on many of Rudolph’s future projects.   Director of some twenty films, he is perhaps best known for Welcome to L.A., Remember My Name, Choose Me, The Moderns, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle and Afterglow.

“I did some studio work and it wasn’t fun. There’s nothing worse than someone else telling you what to do and then having them pay you for it.”

Alan Rudolph

Overview of the Archive

The Rudolph collection covers the careers of both Alan Rudolph and his wife, photographer Joyce Rudolph.  Included are production notes, photos, script drafts and revisions and the wondrous photographs Joyce Rudolph took as on-set photographer for most of Alan’s films as well as a host of noted films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Terminator, Major League, Guilty by Suspicion and The Crossing Guard.Photographer Joyce Rudolph is represented by hundreds of professional and personal slides and photographs, including many candid on-set shots.

Rudolph Symposium

The University of Michigan hosted both Alan & Joyce Rudolph in June 2018 for the symposium “The Unreal Reality of Alan Rudolph: Conversations with the Filmmaker & Collaborators” in conjunction with the Cinetopia International Film Festival. U-M professor Caryl Flinn moderated discussion of why Rudolph’s films matter and panelists included Stony Brook University Professor Krin Gabbard, Western Illinois University Professor Richard Ness, and director and critic Dan Sallitt.

Actress Sondra Locke was also in attendance for the ribbon cutting ceremony and official opening reception of the exhibit “Nothing Makes Sense, Except Love: The Cinematic Musings of Director Alan Rudolph” at the University of Michigan. Locke also attended the Q&A with Alan during the Midwest Premiere of “Ray Meets Helen” as part of the Cinetopia Film Festival.

More on Alan & Joyce Rudolph

Finding Aid for the Alan and Joyce Rudolph Papers (1972 – 2011)