Robert Altman

Starred review from August 10, 2009
In this fitting tribute to one of Hollywood's greatest directors, journalist Zuckoff (Ponzi's Scheme
) chronicles Altman's remarkable life both in and out of the spotlight. Though it's arranged roughly chronologically, Zuckoff wisely chooses to reflect the director's nonlinear approach to storytelling in crafting the biography. Interspersed with Altman's own words—from interviews with Zuckoff near the end of his life—are memories from his large family and extended circle of cinematic collaborators, and excerpts from critics' reviews of his almost 40 films. More interested in character than traditional stories, Altman put his own spin on everything from war films with 1970's M*A*S*H
—which Pauline Kael dubbed the “best American war comedy since sound came in”—westerns with 1971's McCabe & Mrs. Miller
, and English murder mysteries with 2001's Gosford Park
. Despite his artistic achievements, Altman's personal life was often rocky, with philandering and a penchant for alcohol, aspects that Zuckoff's interview subjects confront with refreshing frankness. The myriad stars who worked with Altman and share their reflections with Zuckoff include Lauren Bacall (Prêt-à-Porter
), Julie Christie (McCabe & Mrs. Miller
), Paul Newman (Buffalo Bill and the Indians
) and Robin Williams (Popeye
). A rebel to the end, Altman's spirit is perfectly captured in this fascinating read.

August 15, 2009
The expansive oral biography a great American director.

Zuckoff (Journalism/Univ. of Boston; Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend, 2005, etc.) begins with Altman's childhood in Kansas City, his first two brief marriages and his struggle to become established in Hollywood. Recollections from his sisters and ex-wives paint the director as a hard-living, immensely likable character with grand ambition. During his many years directing television, Altman met his third wife and lifelong companion, Kathryn Reed Altman, whose contributions to this volume are substantial and forthright. Altman directed a wide variety of films in his long career, and each theatrical picture is represented here by at least one substantial passage or archived review. The major works—M*A*S*H (1970), McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), Nashville (1975), The Player (1992) and Short Cuts (1993)—receive their own chapters, which chronicle the beginnings, production and reception of each film. Nearly all of this material is of great interest to movie buffs, but certain passages stand out—the disagreements between Altman and Warren Beatty over McCabe; the production fiasco of Popeye (1980) on the island of Malta; the director's critical rebirth with The Player, told from the perspective of its star, Tim Robbins. Altman was known as a director beloved by his actors, and an abundance of rhapsodic anecdotes from the likes of Paul Newman, Elliot Gould and Cher reinforce this reputation. Conversely, an often-neglected family and a litany of wronged producers and screenwriters amply represent his cruel side. Due to the sheer number of contributors, several of these accounts, particularly those regarding the director's financial problems, bear marked similarities that can become tiresome. But Zuckoff's portrait is multifaceted and fully realized, giving the reader a clear view into Altman's firebrand persona.

An engrossing, comprehensive book that gives invaluable insight into the life and work of a truly original artist.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

October 19, 2009
Robert Altman was father, husband, womanizer, dog-tattoo expert, raconteur, and prodigious filmmaking genius. Although repetitious and often plodding, Zuckoff's (Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend) oral biography captures, through the words of Altman's family and friends, his brilliance and his visionary character. Malcolm McDowell, of The Company, sums up Altman, remembering him as "a maverick and as such a complete individual who marched to his own beat." Verdict While this may not be the definitive biography of Altman, it's a love letter from the fans to one of our greatest talents. Zuckoff presents a fitting tribute to the tremendous effect Altman had on filmmaking in America.-Henry L. Carrigan Jr., Evanston, IL

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2009
Interview sessions Zuckoff had been conducting for a planned memoir by Altman became, after his death in 2006, the basis for this oral history that grew to encompass reminiscences by more than 100 family members and friends as well as colleagues and stars ranging from Meryl Streep and Paul Newman to Warren Beatty and Martin Scorsese. A significant portion of the text is devoted to Altmans early years in Kansas City, where he honed his filmmaking skills directing industrial films. After a decade making episodic TV, he scored his artistic and commercial breakthrough in 1970 with M*A*S*H. Three decades of ups and downs followed, with fallow periods inevitably broken by comeback hits, the most notable among them being The Player and Gosford Park. The freewheeling oral history format seems appropriate for tracing the life of a man known for his loose, improvisational style, although, given his signature treatment of dialogue, a more fitting approach might have been to print the quoted passages overlapping one another, with occasional words smudging one another into unintelligibility.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)