Duvall delivered one of her most memorable performances in one of Robert Altman's most experimental films playing a character she helped shape in every way.
It's always weird to me - and I don't think Keith quite does this here, though I do think there are places on the commentary track where Altman did this - when people describe 3 WOMEN as if it were some sort of naturalistic drama as opposed to a dream-logic hellscape. Maybe I'm primed by knowing Spacek and Duvall foremost from their roles in Stephen King adaptations - though, in fairness, I think they got those roles due to their otherworldly qualities - but man, this movie scares the hell out of me.
Duvall really doesn't get enough credit for her work - she's remembered more as Stanley Kubrick's victim - and that's a shame.
POPEYE is the first thing I would have seen Shelley Duvall in, but TIME BANDITS was assuredly the second. Her turn as star-crossed lover Patsy — who gets crossed up by the bandits twice in different time periods — has always been a favorite.
Every once in a while, I think that "Robert Altman's POPEYE" sounds like an absolutely bizarre movie that I need to see, but then I never get around to seeing it. Do I want to remedy that?
It is a bizarre movie, and parts of it were incredibly confusing to me when I first encountered it on television. It’s unlike anything else Altman ever made, but the combination of his direction, Jules Feiffer’s screenplay, Harry Nilsson’s songs, and that stacked cast makes it worth a look.
I saw a clip from it the other day, and I can't get over thinking of Duvall's boots in that movie. I mean, the costumes are great as a whole, but those boots (sort of proto-Uggs?) seem EXACTLY like EC Segar drew them in the comic strip. Somehow, Duvall has cartoon feet, without them being cartoonish. They're magic.
It's pretty good until and including Duvall's big musical number which you may recognize from a certain PTA film, but then it falls apart after that. Definitely worth a watch.
I thought Duvall brought great performance to Roxanne as "Dixie". Her role as landlord, cafe owner, friend to C.D. was a subtle, fun portrayal and it was fun to see Duvall as a small town normal, everyday, character.
Thank you, Keith, for showcasing this film. I just finished watching it for the first time and my goodness, I adored it. What doesn't this movie have? It's weird, it's strange, it's odd, and It made me laugh out loud, too. I mean Pinky's parents - the dad who's always sleeping, the mom who brings the very odd sign-gift, makes Millie read it out loud, then proclaims, "IT'S FOR THE KITCHEN!" - and the nasty backchatter of the pool people ("Oh no, it's Thoroughly Modern Millie, Tom, you better start coughing"). The humor is almost reminiscent of early Coen brothers. But yeah, Duvall is the center of this movie and she is just fantastic. I can't believe Spacek was just a year younger than her (not even -- both born in 1949, Shelley 7/7, Sissy 12/25) -- she could pass for a twelve-year-old in this film.
It took the entire run of the film to make me realize that the mural was a depiction of Edgar, Willie, Millie, and Pinky. I'm slow.
The 70s really was peak US cinema, wasn't it? I've heard people say this many times, and each time I see a movie from this period that you guys recommend (like The Driver by way of Drive - https://thereveal.substack.com/p/the-new-cult-canon-drive), the notion is reconfirmed.
Great piece!
It's always weird to me - and I don't think Keith quite does this here, though I do think there are places on the commentary track where Altman did this - when people describe 3 WOMEN as if it were some sort of naturalistic drama as opposed to a dream-logic hellscape. Maybe I'm primed by knowing Spacek and Duvall foremost from their roles in Stephen King adaptations - though, in fairness, I think they got those roles due to their otherworldly qualities - but man, this movie scares the hell out of me.
Duvall really doesn't get enough credit for her work - she's remembered more as Stanley Kubrick's victim - and that's a shame.
POPEYE is the first thing I would have seen Shelley Duvall in, but TIME BANDITS was assuredly the second. Her turn as star-crossed lover Patsy — who gets crossed up by the bandits twice in different time periods — has always been a favorite.
Every once in a while, I think that "Robert Altman's POPEYE" sounds like an absolutely bizarre movie that I need to see, but then I never get around to seeing it. Do I want to remedy that?
It is a bizarre movie, and parts of it were incredibly confusing to me when I first encountered it on television. It’s unlike anything else Altman ever made, but the combination of his direction, Jules Feiffer’s screenplay, Harry Nilsson’s songs, and that stacked cast makes it worth a look.
Confusing outlier made by Altman, Feiffer, and Nilsson — it may have been made in 1980, but it most 70s film ever to 70s.
I saw a clip from it the other day, and I can't get over thinking of Duvall's boots in that movie. I mean, the costumes are great as a whole, but those boots (sort of proto-Uggs?) seem EXACTLY like EC Segar drew them in the comic strip. Somehow, Duvall has cartoon feet, without them being cartoonish. They're magic.
It's pretty good until and including Duvall's big musical number which you may recognize from a certain PTA film, but then it falls apart after that. Definitely worth a watch.
I thought Duvall brought great performance to Roxanne as "Dixie". Her role as landlord, cafe owner, friend to C.D. was a subtle, fun portrayal and it was fun to see Duvall as a small town normal, everyday, character.
Thank you, Keith, for showcasing this film. I just finished watching it for the first time and my goodness, I adored it. What doesn't this movie have? It's weird, it's strange, it's odd, and It made me laugh out loud, too. I mean Pinky's parents - the dad who's always sleeping, the mom who brings the very odd sign-gift, makes Millie read it out loud, then proclaims, "IT'S FOR THE KITCHEN!" - and the nasty backchatter of the pool people ("Oh no, it's Thoroughly Modern Millie, Tom, you better start coughing"). The humor is almost reminiscent of early Coen brothers. But yeah, Duvall is the center of this movie and she is just fantastic. I can't believe Spacek was just a year younger than her (not even -- both born in 1949, Shelley 7/7, Sissy 12/25) -- she could pass for a twelve-year-old in this film.
It took the entire run of the film to make me realize that the mural was a depiction of Edgar, Willie, Millie, and Pinky. I'm slow.
The 70s really was peak US cinema, wasn't it? I've heard people say this many times, and each time I see a movie from this period that you guys recommend (like The Driver by way of Drive - https://thereveal.substack.com/p/the-new-cult-canon-drive), the notion is reconfirmed.