3 Women [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Robert Altman's Three Women takes a surreal, improvisational and rather eerie look at the lives of three women in a western desert town. The plot centers around the youngest of the women, Pinky (Sissy Spacek), an eccentric, withdrawn woman trying to begin a new life. She finds work as an attendant at a hot springs spa catering to the elderly and infirm. There she befriends her co-worker Millie (Shelley Duvall), an equally strange but more outgoing woman; the two bond, and are soon sharing an apartment. Pinky becomes increasingly dependent on Millie, eventually adopting aspects of her personality and appearance. This obsessive attachment is threatened when Pinky discovers Millie with a man -- Edgar (Robert Fortier), the macho, faux-cowboy husband of local artist Willie (Janice Rule), the last of the title's three women. Pinky's subsequent, desperate actions precipitate the film's enigmatic conclusion, involving an unexpected series of confrontations and role reversals amongst the three women. This story tends to take a backseat to the elliptical, spooky imagery, particularly the desert landscapes, and the quirky performances -- not surprising, given that the film was reportedly shot without a full screenplay and inspired by Altman's own dreams. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • cc
  • New high-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound and enhanced for widescreen televisions
  • Audio commentary by director Robert Altman
  • Stills gallery of rare production and publicity stills
  • Original theatrical trailers and television spots
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
  • Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

AWARDS

• Cannes Film Festival

•     Won Best Actress - 1977 (Shelley Duvall)

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Actress - 1977 (Shelley Duvall)

• New York Film Critics Circle

•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 1977 (Sissy Spacek)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Shelley Duvall - Millie
       Sissy Spacek - Pinky
       Janice Rule - Willie
       Robert Fortier - Edgar
       Ruth Nelson - Mrs. Rose
       John Cromwell - Mr. Rose
       Sierra Pecheur - Bunweill
       Craig Richard Nelson - Mr. Maas
       Maisie Hoy - Doris
       Beverly Ross - Deirdre
       John Davey - Dr. Norton
       Belita Moreno - Alcira

• Director:

  Robert Altman

• Producer:

  Robert Altman, Scott Bushnell

• Screenwriter:

  Robert Altman

• Cinematographer:

  Charles Rosher Jr.

• Editor:

  Dennis M. Hill

• Art Director:

  James D. Vance

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Jim Webb, Richard Portman, Chris McLaughlin

• Makeup:

  Monty Westmore

• Special Effects:

  Modern Film Effects

• First Assistant Director:

  Tommy Thompson

• Consultant/advisor:

  J. Allen Highfill

REVIEW:

• Few filmmakers short of Luis Bunuel have made better onscreen use of dreams than Robert Altman, and 3 Women is the film in which he most successfully (and disturbingly) captured the hazy logic and off-kilter visual perspectives of the unconscious state. Shelley Duvall delivered the best work of her career as a woman so shallow that it never occurs to her that people are laughing at her behind her back, and Sissy Spacek is brilliant as Pinky, the naive girl who worships her; their emotional give and take as they begin to exchange personalities exemplifies the kind of risky but satisfying performances that Altman knows how to draw from actors. Gerald Busby's quietly troubling, discordant score and Bodhi Wind's surreal artwork are singularly appropriate aural and visual backdrops, while Charles Rosher Jr.'s cinematography layers the images in intoxicating washes of yellow and blue. While Altman has made a career out of endings that don't spell themselves out, the conclusion of 3 Women is both vague and provocative -- have we witnessed the aftermath of a tragedy, a descent into insanity, or a quiet but defiant call to arms? Altman isn't telling, but one can read 3 Women in a number of ways and still walk away convinced that it's a work of singular vision and emotional power from one of the most gifted American filmmakers of his generation. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi