Short Cuts: Criterion Collection

November 17, 2016

Director: Robert Altman,
Starring: Andie MacDowell, Bruce Davison, Julianne Moore, Matthew Modine, Anne Archer, Fred Ward, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Penn, Lili Taylor, Robert Downey Jr., Tim Robbins, Lily Tomlin, Tom Waits, Frances McDormand, Peter Gallagher, Jack Lemmon, Madeline Stowe,

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DVD Review

J.D. Lafrance +

After the critical and commercial success of The Player (1992) put Robert Altman back on the map—within the Hollywood industry—he wisely used his new found (and fleeting) cache to get a personal project of his green-lighted. With Short Cuts (1993), he took several of Raymond Carver’s acclaimed short stories and weaved an intricate tapestry of the lives of 22 different characters living in Los Angeles.

The stories that comprise Short Cuts span a variety of genres. There tragedy in the form a story about Howard Finnigan (Davison), a local newscaster whose wife, Ann (MacDowell), is planning their son’s birthday. The child is accidentally hit by a car and gravely injured. A more whimsical storyline involves Doreen Piggot (Tomlin), the woman driving the car that hit the little boy. She works as a waitress at a diner and is married to Earl (Waits), a limousine driver tired of seeing his wife ogled by her customers. One of the funnier stories involves Gene Shepard (Robbins), a self-absorbed motorcycle cop who is cheating on his wife (Stowe) with Betty Weathers (McDormand), a housewife unhappily married to helicopter pilot, Stormy Weathers (Gallagher).

Altman not only juggles these stories (and more) but also various tones—from the trivial to the serious—as well. Short Cuts is a rare American film that also addresses the wide cultural and economical divide that exists. Trailer park couple Doreen and Earl are given as much exposure as the affluent Finnigan family. Altman doesn’t judge his characters; he just presents their lives, warts and all. The film also realistically portrays people’s human frailties: petty jealousies, life and death decisions, and, most importantly, how they do not communicate with each other. These characters are flawed. They make mistakes—some small and some large—and the film shows how they impact others.

As always, Altman has assembled an impressive cast. He pairs actors who have a great chemistry together: Lily Tomlin and Tom Waits, Lili Taylor and Robert Downey, Jr. The dynamic between these couples is very believable. Altman has picked actors who are skilled enough to be able to improvise and make it all look so natural. This is due to his deft touch and his knack for creating observational cinema that is concerned with human behaviour and simple day-to-day existence.

Altman cleverly connects all of these characters in ways that doesn’t seem too clever or contrived. Some stories, like Stuart (Ward) and his fishing buddies finding a dead body, don’t resolve themselves, while others, like the Finnigan family, end on a touching, poignant moment.

Short Cuts was a critical darling and would later inspire Paul Thomas Anderson’s magnum opus, Magnolia (1999), a love letter to Altman’s film. The veteran director has created several memorable films since then but nothing on the ambitious scale or that resonates quite like Short Cuts does.

Special Features:

The Blu-Ray transfer looks great and approximates what the film looked like when it was first released. The image is crisp with fantastic detail while also preserving the distinctive look that Altman and his collaborators were going for.

Criterion has carried over all the extras on their previous DVD release with the notable exception of a book with nine of Carver’s short stories and one poem. If you own this version you might want to hold onto it.

Also omitted is from this edition is an isolated music track that allows one to appreciate the music created for the film.

There are two deleted scenes and an alternate take. This includes Gene chastising his wife for smoking and Anne Archer’s clown performing at a pool party.

Also included are three rough music demos of songs written by Dr. John (who also performs them) and Doc Pomus that were eventually used in the film.

The centerpiece of the extras is the excellent feature-length documentary on the making of the movie, entitled Luck, Trust and Ketchup. Altman worked with Carver’s widow, Tess Gallagher, in bringing his stories to the big screen and doing them justice by preserving their spirit. There is a lot of excellent on-the-set footage of Altman working with his cast. This is a solid, in-depth look at the creative process.

“BBC: Moving Pictures” is a BBC TV look at the development of Carver’s short story, “Jerry and Molly and Sam” for the movie. Tim Robbins and Frances McDormand read from the actual story and talk about the movie.

“Marketing” includes a gallery of various posters, ad campaigns, two trailers and six T.V. spots that show how the studio struggled with how to market this challenging film.

“To Write and Keep Kind” is a PBS documentary on the life and work of Raymond Carver. Friends, family and contemporaries talk about the man and his work.

“Carver Audio Interview” is one of the few existing interviews with the man that was conducted in 1983. He talks about his life and writing.

Finally, one of the most enjoyable extras is “Reflections on Short Cuts,” a conversation between Altman and Tim Robbins done in June 2004 especially for Criterion. Altman talks about the creative freedom he had in the ‘70s. He also tells some great anecdotes in this engaging discussion. Robbins talks about specific scenes and how he improvised in one.

J.D. Lafrance

J.D. is a freelance writer who is currently doing research for a book on the films of Michael Mann. He likes reading anything written by Jack Kerouac, James Ellroy, J.D. Salinger, Harlan Ellison or Thomas Pynchon. J.D. is currently addicted to the T.V. series 24 and enjoys drinking a lot of Sprite. This is not a blatant plug for the beverage but if they ever decided to give him a lifetime supply he certainly wouldn’t turn them down.
view all DVD reviews by JD Lafrance