Nashville

I am, for this post, going to take a risky position. I am going to defend (to the highest of my abilities) Nashville. The lack of a coherent plot is often point for disdain, so is the ubiquity of country music (this latter point I must concede). The beauty of the film, however, lies in the fact that it imparted its themes and ideas in the absence of complex story lines. Like Altman's later film Short Cuts, it is a sum of its parts. In fact, these ideas reflect Altman's improvisitional style. Once it is established that there are more characters than a bakers' dozen, try taking in the film without trying to make sense of it all. Resign yourself to confusion. Only with that clear state of mind can a member of the audience begin to see Nashville for its wisdom.