McCABE & MRS. MILLER is a film about tone and feel, more than it is about being committed to genre or dialogue. It was directed by Robert Altman, and released in 1971. It's one of Altman's earlier pictures, and yet it feels as if it were a film he was working towards his whole life. It's so defined, so perfect in all of its movements, and feels spontaneous. Altman called it his "anti-western" because he wanted to keep away from all of the usual western movie clichés. The film stars Warren Beatty as McCabe. He's aggressive, possibly an old gunslinger, but now he's trying to make his way in a small Northwestern town where it's always snowing or overcast. He's as unclear as the images, which are gritty, striking, and have the look of "noise" regarding sound. Sometimes when McCabe speaks, you can't tell what he's even saying, as if his words couldn't get past his beard. This could be taken as a fault, but its actually a strength. It reflects the world within the character, and emphasizes that McCabe's actions, his movements are what is important. McCabe makes a name for himself, sets up a saloon that acts as a whorehouse, gets a few whores, and goes steady for a while. Then, Mrs. Miller (Julie Christie) shows up, tells McCabe she knows the business better than him, and they end up working together. This is a depressing film. As McCabe & Mrs. Miller work together as a business rather than lovers, we see a respect that is as deep as love. McCabe is not a smart man, and Mrs. Miller can't do much to help that. This leads to an inevitable fate, which is handled wonderfully. McCABE & MRS. MILLER works as a great western, despite not wanting to be that.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller: ★★★★
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