Robert Altman: The Oral Biography

(Paperback)

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The definitive oral biography of a Hollywood icon- Robert Altman. VINTAGE. Robert Altman-visionary director, hard-partying hedonist, eccentric family man, Hollywood legend-comes roaring to life in this rollicking oral biography. After an all-American boyhood in Kansas City, a stint flying bombers in World War II, and jobs ranging from dog tattoo entrepreneur to television director, Robert Altman burst onto the scene in 1970 with M*A*S*H. He reinvented American filmmaking, and went on to produce such masterpieces as McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Nashville, The Player, Short Cuts, and Gosford Park. In Robert Altman, Mitchell Zuckoff has woven together Altman's final interviews; an incredible cast of voices including Meryl Streep, Warren Beatty, Paul Newman, among scores of others; and contemporary reviews and news accounts into a riveting tale of an extraordinary life.

Reviews

Scrupulously intelligent and entertaining. . . . Noisy, funny, slightly ill considered, a bit chaotic, and wholly believeable. In short, Altmanesque. The New York Times Book Review

[Zuckoff] uses a light editorial hand, allowing a wide range of contributors to have their say. . . . A comprehensive, 360-degree look at a complicated subject. Wall Street Journal

[There are] many surprising and revealing comments that Zuckoff has assembled in his fittingly rambling book. . . . Life is complicated, often messyas Altman showed usand his life, as seen in Zuckoffs book, was no exception. San Francisco Chronicle

A brilliantly researched, near-cinematic evocation. . . . Altman never gave up creating his cinematic portraits of people on the marginscon artists, prostitutes, gamblers, theives, clowns, movie executivesif only to shed light on the falsity behind his countrys seemingly indefatigable, desperate pursuit of success. The New Yorker

[Zuckoff] doesnt try to resolve the many contradictions surrounding Altmans life and work, but lets them stand awkwardly beside one another for the reader to sort out. . . . As a form, the oral biography is well suited to a director who loved the sound of noisy conversation. The New York Review of Books

Splendidly well-assembled. . . . Altman made amazing films, which Zuckoffs far-reaching interviews illuminate, and by all the included accounts, he led an amazing life. The Morning News

Like Altmans signature soundtracks, this babel of transcripts offers a panoramic portrait. Chicago Sun-Times

[A] marvelous, epic, tapestry-like life-scape of Robert Altman. . . . Witness by witness, Zuckoff constructs an exemplary and cautionary American life, and with the funny, tragic, and compelling tales they tell, he has made something like a print version of the Last Great Robert Altman movie. Directors Guild Quarterly

A positively Altmanesque treatment. . . . [Altman] made a great Western, a great anti-war movie, a great period piece, a great detective picture, a great ballet movie and the how-Hollywood-works movie. And Zuckoff . . . is an apt choice to corner an old fast-talker like Altman. Put this oral biography on your book list. Orlando Sentinel

A fun read, more like a cocktail-party remembrance than a scholarly study. . . . Recollections of movies that strike a chord are so entertaining youll think about adding them to your Netflix queue to see them again. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Zuckoffs biography is like his subjects movies, filled with a multiplicity of voices and averse to defining meaning. Yet in the end, readers understand Altmans stubborn vision, his refusal to compromise with commerce, and his hard-earned, eccentric genius. The Boston Globe

I just now put [Robert Altman] down feeling heartbroken but happily and deeply inspired. . . . Wonderful. Wes Anderson

Author Bio

Mitchell Zuckoff is a professor of journalism at Boston University. He is the author of three previous books, most recently Ponzi's Scheme- The True Story of A Financial Legend. As a reporter with The Boston Globe, he was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize and the recipient of numerous national writing awards.