Robert Altman

I am very sad to hear of the death of Robert Altman, one of my favourite film makers. Altman had one of the most distinctive styles among modern filmmakers. He often employed huge ensemble casts, encouraged improvisation and overlapping dialogue and filmed scenes in long tracking shots that would flit from character to character. His Gosford Park is one of those films that I never tire of watching. His filmography as Director includes some of the most loved, but also most controversial films of recent times, including Pret-a-porter, The Player, Nashville, Short Cuts, right up to A Prairie Home Companion which is still playing in the cinemas here.