Robert Altman: Jumping Off the Cliff [Hardcover]

Patrick McGilligan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Based on prodigious research including dozens of interviews, this perceptive unauthorized biography pierces the mystique surrounding the maverick film director. Altman has encouraged his image as the lone genius in revolt against Hollywood, yet McGilligan ( Cagney ) shows how much his breakaway films of the 1970s--from McCabe and Mrs. Miller to California Split --depended on an unsung collaboration with his "talent trust" of friends and cohorts. Egomania, paranoia, drugs, temper tantrums, a "party-animal lifestyle" and isolation have plagued the wild boy from Kansas City, Mo., according to those interviewed here. McGilligan dutifully traces Altman's long apprenticeship, first making Midwestern industrial films, later as a relatively anonymous L.A. director of TV series ( Alfred Hitchcock Presents ; Whirlybirds ; The Millionaire ; Bonanza ; etc.). But, as he tracks the guarded director's career from M*A*S*H through the flops, fizzes and brilliant flashes of the late 1970s and '80s, the inner man remains frustratingly elusive. Photos.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Extensive acknowledgments testify to a thoroughly researched biography of the film director best known for M*A*S*H and Nashville . While describing the boozing, womanizing, and gambling that somehow catalzyed Altman's creativity, McGilligan stresses what many performing arts biographers shun: the actual making of TV shows ( Alfred Hitchcock, Bonanza, Combat ) and theatrical films. The author's view that Altman is the most important English-language director since the Sixties might be disputed. Complete film and TV credits and sharp writing make this suitable for general readers and film collections. It complements Gerald Plecki's Robert Altman (Twayne, 1985), which is thin on biography.
- Kim Holston, American Inst. for Property and Liability Underwriters, Malvern, Pa.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 652 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (August 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312026366
• ISBN-13: 978-0312026363
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,555,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best film books ever, but needs an update, June 11, 2006

By 

Leaman G. Crews - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robert Altman: Jumping Off the Cliff (Paperback)

Patrick McGilligan's thoroughly detailed biography of Robert Atlman is nothing short of one of the greatest film books of all time. McGilligan's style is exhaustive, yet easy to read, covering all the bases of Altman the man, his life and his films.

Even though it is apparent that McGilligan is a huge fan of Altman's work, he never writes with a bias. His analysis is totally fair and balanced, pointing out the both the failures and successes of both Altman the person and his films. By the end of the book, you really feel you have gotten to know the great filmmaker and have been along for the ride on all of his many exploits.

The only problem with the book is that it was published in 1989, and hasn't been updated since. While Altman's first golden period (the 1970s) is obviously well covered, we are deprived on McGilligan's analysis of Altman's second golden age (1992's "The Player" up to the present). After re-reading this book recently, I was left with a nagging desire to read McGilligan's take on Altman's career in the last 15 years. His thoughts on the twin triumphs of "The Player" and "Short Cuts," or on "Pret a Porter" (which is hinted at in the last chapter), or Altman's very personal "Kansas City" (the book has a heavy emphasis on Altman's KC upbringing), or Altman's ordeal over "The Gingerbread Man," and especially "Gosford Park" are needed.

Please, Mr. McGilligan, update this fantastic book!