Director Robert Altman dies at age 81

One of the great American directors of our time passed away last night. Altman leaves behind an enormously influential body of work, including a remarkable string of great films made during the early 1970s: M*A*S*H (1970), McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), The Long Goodbye (1973), Thieves Like Us (1974), California Split (1975), and Nashville (1975). Altman returned to great form in the early 1990s with Vincent and Theo (1990), The Player (1992) and Short Cuts (1993). His most recent work, Prarie Home Companion is still in theaters. Altman is one of several maverick directors to emerge at a time—the late 1960s—when Hollywood was bankrupt, both literally and creatively. He, along with such filmmakers as Hal Ashby, Francis Ford Coppola, Arthur Penn, Peter Bogdanovich, Robert Rafelson, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg, built the New Hollywood and forever changed both the film industry and filmmaking inAmerica. Altman, in particular, has directly influenced our young filmmakers, such as Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia,Punch Drunk Love) and Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic). Altman was awarded an honorary Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards.