Biography
In 1970, after working in episodic television for two decades, Robert Altman, at age 45, was propelled to the A-list of noted film directors when his movie M*A*S*H, a film dozens of others passed on making, became a box office success. Over the next four decades, working with some of the industry’s best actors who loved his comfort with improvisation, Altman unleashed nearly 40 films that poked, prodded and punched at our culture, particularly satirizing our institutions. He created a film language of his own that was noted for subverting genres and overlapping dialog. Characterized as the ultimate non-conformist, his method of telling stories was so unique that the Oxford English Dictionary included the term Altmanesque in their 2018 edition. Nominated five times by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences as Best Director, he is the recipient of numerous awards, critical accolades and industry distinctions. Chief among his best known works are McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Nashville,The Player, Short Cuts and Gosford Park.
I am really sorry that I can’t be in Ann Arbor when ‘The Player’ is being shown. As you know, I have a special place in my Psyche for your city.
Robert Altman, 1992
Overview of the Archive
The Altman Collection is a massive array of some 700 boxes of documents, scripts, photos, props, costumes and paraphernalia related to the enormously influential career of a cinematic titan.
Publications & Projects
The Altman Collection at the University of Michigan Library was used for several publications and projects including:
- A Companion to Robert Altman, edited by Adrian Danks and published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2015.
- Altman, Kathryn Reed Altman’s memoir co-written by film critic Giulia D’Argnolo Vallen with an introduction by Martin Scorsese, published by Harry N. Abrams in 2014.
- Robert Altman’s Soundtracks: Film, Music, and Sound from M*A*S*H to A Prairie Home Companion, by Gayle Sherwood Magee, published by Oxford University Press in 2014.
- Altman, a 2014 documentary directed and produced by Ron Mann.
Altman Symposium
In 2013, the University of Michigan Library presented an exhibit on Altman’s work and hosted a three-day symposium —including screenings and scholarly presentations — to mark the official opening of the archives to the public. “Altmannerisms: Conversations Celebrating the Opening of the Robert Altman Archive” included Altman collaborators and scholars from around the world to discuss his craft and what made him stand out as a director, including special guest Kathryn Reed Altman.
More on Robert Altman
Explore the online exhibit The Many Hats of Robert Altman: A Life in Cinema. This exhibit is based substantially on the work and insights of students in Matthew Solomon’s University of Michigan, Winter 2013 Screen Arts & Cultures course 330 “Great Directors: Robert Altman & Orson Welles.”
Browse the Screen Arts Makers & Mavericks Finding Aids at the University of Michigan Library’s Special Collections Research Center.
Screen Arts Mavericks & Makers 