McCabe & Mrs. Miller
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Movie Reviews of McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Movie Review: SUBLIME!
Summary: 5 Stars
Toss all the John Ford drek in the trash; this is the best western of all timeMovie Review: Who learned you history "a viewer" ?
Summary: 5 Stars
You obviously know very little of the west during the 19th Cent.Movie Review: Turns the Western genre on its ear
Summary: 4 Stars
The Old West as depicted in most movies consisted of heroes and villains, cowboys fighting indians and outlaws to protect a tiny rural town. Well, needless to say, the Western genre does not generally provide an accurate portrayal of the Old West. McCabe & Mrs. Miller turns the Western genre on its ear with its gritty, realistic portrait of a Western town where there are no heroes or villains, only people struggling to survive and live their lives uninterrupted.
McCabe (Warren Beatty) comes to a one-horse town called Presbyterian Church in the Pacific Northwest, where he stresses to the local gentleman that he is a businessman, though they have heard whispers that he killed a man. McCabe's intention is to build a saloon-slash-whorehouse that will make him some money and provide the men in town with some jollies. While the construction is underway, Mrs. Miller (Julie Christie) makes her way into town and strikes up a partnership of sorts with McCabe. She figures he's not too bright and she can help him run a successful business. McCabe develops a liking for Mrs. Miller and her, urrmm, assets, but she does not return his affections; she gets her kicks from opium, not sex.
Before long, business is booming, and a large corporation sends a few representatives to buy out McCabe's properties in town. McCabe balks at the offer, hoping to hold out for more money, but instead the men just walk away entirely, leaving McCabe confused, until he finds out that bounty hunters have been sent to eliminate him. He fashions himself as a spokesman for the small businessman standing up to the large corporations, but his time is becoming precious.
The late '60s to early '70s was a time when some brilliant filmmakers were allowed to be daring and make the kinds of films they wanted to make. Directors like Mike Nichols and Martin Scorsese flourished, as did Robert Altman, the director of McCabe & Mrs. Miller. The visual style has hints of Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate, but also adds a sepia tone quality to give it the look of old photographs, which is perfect.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller moves at a languid pace, and is less concerned with telling a compelling narrative than it is with exploring its characters. Warren Beatty brings McCabe to life with an aw-shucks approach, creating a character who so desperately wants to be a successful businessman that when he's doing something foolish he doesn't even notice. His heart, while in the right place, does too much of the decision-making.
Also, the film is very sly in its commentary on business practices, which resonates to this day. It shows the small business struggling to retain its identity outside the scope of the corporation trying to destroy it for its own benefit. Overall, McCabe & Mrs. Miller is a worthy film that stands the test of time.
Movie Review: Haunting, beautiful and near perfect
Summary: 4 Stars
I experienced repeated viewings of this movie on a widescreen in Montreal's art theaters of the early 80's, at the height of my love affair with Robert Altman and Leonard Cohen. At the time, neither of these artists could do wrong, so I wondered how the movie would fare 20 years later. Would I discover I had been infatuated blindly in my youth? Or would my ardor be re-kindled?I found I have less patience for some of Altman's mannerisms: Camera shots that linger on irrelevant close ups as if the camera wandered off and got lost, scenes where cast and director seemed to be jamming and can't get the magic to happen, and abrupt cuts that disrupt the flow of the movie. It is as if Altman gave up on some scenes and moved on even though they didn't quite work.
However, most of the time, the magic is there. The opening credits show a hunched rider bundled from the relentless sleet in a huge fur coat ride though a breathtaking wilderness. It's beautiful and raw, but not romantic. We see McCabe (Warren Beatty) bumbling through his attempts to build a whorehouse and gambling saloon: a man with entrepreneur spirit and vision, but hopeless at business. The townspeople, deftly sketched with Altman's trademark overlapping conversations and ensemble sets, rally behind McCabe without really connecting with him. Soon, more people come to town, including Mrs. Miller (Julie Christie), the tough Madam who has the business sense that McCabe lacks. When McCabe bungles the ultimate negotiation of his "holdings" with a large mining company, he misses out on the big cash payout and has to face the bounty hunters sent to get him out of the way. The town deserts him and Mrs. Miller sinks into an opium induced dream world.
We see the town buildings grow from the timber of the great northwest (the carpenters on the sets must have had a ball), and small hovels change into cozy wood paneled homes. The photography catches the rain, snow, dark clouds and dazzling sunshine and colors of the northwest, as well as the actor's terrific performances, and the fated arc of McCabe's rise and fall.
In the end, Altman doesn't give us neat answers. Why did the townsman rally to save a church run by a minister who mostly ignored them, while deserting McCabe who brought them prosperity? Was Mrs. Miller found of McCabe, or was it just a business relationship? Was McCabe just a bumbling man in the right place at the right time, or did he have some unique entrepreneurship? I have my answers, just as you will have yours after watching the haunting, beautiful movie.
The DVD transfer appears rather grainy to me (I remember such crisp images from that large theater screen), and the sound is dim (Leonard Cohen's songs are distant and I really had to crank up the volume).
Movie Review: Pacific north "western"
Summary: 4 Stars
Set in the late 19th century Pacific Northwest, McCabe & Mrs. Miller is unlike conventional westerns. Warren Beatty gives an outstanding performance as McCabe, an itinerant gambler who settles in the small town of Presbyterian Church, and goes about building a saloon and whorehouse with Constance Miller, played by Julie Christie. When McCabe is approached by a pair of mining company employees to sell out his holdings, he bluffs, holding out for a better offer. As in poker, sometimes they call your bluff, and so it is with McCabe. Bounty hunters are sent in to get rid of McCabe, and take his property by force. The town used for the movie was literally carved out of the wilderness of British Columbia, and has the rough edge and character of a newly born mining town. Seasons set the mood for much of the movie, with rainy northwest weather, contrasted with winter snows. While the confines of the town are close, what is striking about the main characters is their distance from each other. McCabe struggles with his feelings for Miller, but she maintains her emotional distance, more interested in opium than McCabe. The final scene plays out as the town's church burns, and McCabe faces the bounty hunters, while Mrs. Miller slips away to smoke opium. Sad, haunting and realistic, this film has been called 'perfect' and one of the best of all time. To me, it's good, but not great. While praiseworthy, it moves a little slowly. The DVD commentary from Altman is pretty good too.