M*A*S*H

Who is Robert Altman?

Robert Bernard Altman (February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.

Notable Films: M*A*S*H; Nashville; McCabe and Mrs. Miller

Comments about his style of film-making:
He often tended to focus on realism, he had a distinctive and 'experimental' style and often focused on character relationships rather than elaborate storylines.

How did Robert Altman come to direct M*A*S*H?
Robert Altman came to direct this Korean war-era novel after many other directors had passed it on. production and stars such as Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould tried to get Altman sacked for his unusual filming techniques.

How old was he when he directed M*A*S*H?
44 when first given the scripts and 45 by the time it was released in the cinemas.

What had Altman done prior to directing M*A*S*H?
Prior to this Altman had done much work on television incuding episodes in series such as Whilrlybirds, Bus Stop and Combat! whilst also recieving recognition for his work by Alfred Hitchcock. The rest of his work before M*A*S*H included three feature length films (The Delinquets, Countdown, That Cold Day In The Park), 17 short films and one documentary.

Filming of M*A*S*H -
The filming process was difficult due to tensions between the director and cats. Donald Sutherland has stated that he was the only member of the cast and crew that was not using drugs whilst filming. Donald and Gould spent a third of their time trying to get Altman fired. Altman was unaware of this and said that if he had known he how Donald and Gould had felt, he would have resigned immediately.

Film Studio: Aspen Productions; Ingo Preminger Productions

Estimated Budget: $3.5 Million