Jim Doherty wrote:
> Altman, instead of using the film medium to
tell
> Chandler's story, used Chandler's story to
criticize
> the genre. If he wanted to criticize the genre,
he
> didn't have to use Chandler's novel as a
vehicle.
What should he have used, THE ASPERN PAPERS?
>
> > I'd say any genre
> > needs to be examined in order to stay vital.
Was
> > Altman's McCabe and
> > Mrs. Miller a contemptuous insult to the
western
> > genre it explored?
>
> Genres stay vital by continuing to tell stories
well.
> That's the ONLY way they stay vital. And yes,
M&MM was
> a contemptuous insult to the western.
I begin to suspect, Jim, that no genre piece that isn't
traditional is going to be acceptable by your lights. As much
as I love private eye stories, I also love Westerns. And I
thought M&MM was an excellent Western. It gave me some
new ways to think about the genre, just as TLG did for me for
the P.I. movie.
And frankly, I don't think either genre feels insulted by
Altman.
Jim Beaver
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