Images

I collect horror films and have several hundred in my collection. It may be an ill-advised hobby, but it has its satisfactions. Perhaps I watched too much Night Gallery and Twilight Zone as a kid and I was imprinted with a love for the macabre.This movie is superb. I'm surprised it does not have vast notoriety; it certainly deserves that. It is extremely weird and dreamy and it is an artistic masterpiece on several levels. It is visually beautiful throughout, and the performances are first-rate. Ms. York is astonishingly convincing. My wife and I had to pause this movie about a half dozen times to catch our breath from the tension. The music and audio effects are the gold-standard for a horror movie (which I believe was composed by John Williams; this movie has major talent from top to bottom).I enjoyed the movie "Nashville" (another Altman film) and now having watched this I am forever a Robert Altman fan. I'm going to buy or rent all his other films and examine them closely. This guy is obviously a certified genius, and I realize I've been missing out on someone of the magniutude of Stanley Kubrick, my favortie director. In fact, as I was watching this I kept thinking of "The Shining"; the fear, curiosity, and dread I felt during this film were very similar to what I felt during "The Shining." This movie couldn't be more different from "Nashville," which yet again brings to mind Kubrick, whose films were all so different from one another. I love virtuosity in any discipline--and I feel it is best displayed in diversity. These gentlemen definitely show diversity in their works.I don't want to comment on too many particular events or aspects of this movie because the "unknown" progressions will be important for you. Suffice it to say that if you enjoy horror or thriller films, this will be one of your favorites. I should clarify one issue: is this movie supernatural horror or psychological horror? Some folks prefer one type and shun the other. Answer: both groups will be very pleased, and the distinction is all but moot by the end of this movie where reality is not quite ascertainable throughout.This is easily in the top ten of my favorites in my voluminous collection. It gets 100 points out of a possible 100. Others in the same league: "The Legend of Hell House" ( w/Roddy McDowell); "The Haunting" (the 1964 B&W original); "Burnt Offerings" (w/ Karen Black); "The Shining"; "The Innocents"; "Death Bed--the Bed That Eats" (really--another obscure gem); "The Changeling" (w/ George C. Scott); "Phantasm".Whenever I discover such an awesome film as this--which has been around for 35 years!!--it brings to mind the question: what other masterpieces are there out there which I have yet to discover?? The search continues for more ultimate films....

I was very hesitant to rent Altman’s “Images” after having been recently burned by the horrible Altman debacle “Brewster McCloud,” and still remembering (though trying hard to forget) his worst film of all “M*A*S*H.” Thankfully I ignored some of the negative reviews on Amazon and took the gamble. I’m pleasantly surprised that I did. Admittedly “Images” isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy a deep character study of a very troubled mind, “Images” is strikingly good. As in “They Shoot Horses Don’t They?,” York’s acting is top-notch and utterly compelling. The cinematography is excellent, and the settings absolutely gorgeous, while the music and sound effects add perfectly to the eerie and somber mood of the film. “Images” keeps you wondering throughout what is reality, and what is delusion, as the story is told from the viewpoint of York’s rapidly dissolving mental state. Not at all a typical Altman film. Unlike his other great movies “Nashville” and “Gosford Park,” “Images” lacks the huge cast and overlapping dialogue that are trademark Altman, but that’s what makes the film work. It’s a claustrophobic and lonely tale of a disturbed mind trying to make sense of reality. Surprisingly good film!

Perhaps Robert Altman's most intellectual film. A woman is going mad and the film shows us her world or some version of it. I'm an Altman fan so and enjoy most of his films. This one is longer on thought as opposed to his more commercial films. Good acting

One of the trademarks of Robert Altman's output is he rarely repeated himself, at least in the Seventies, and "Images" is no exception. My admiration grows when I consider his versatility. Be grateful that "M*A*S*H" was a blockbuster otherwise we would not have ambitious offerings like this one. I'm naturally uncomfortable with films dealing with mental illness because I'm a minor sufferer of manic-depression and sometimes they hit a little too close to home. My reference point while watching this film was "A Beautiful Mind" and in retrospect that was rather slick commercial fare. As far as I'm concerned this film doesn't falter on any level. We view this film from the mind's eye of Kathryn (Susannah York) who we are to learn is an unreliable source. Kathryn is having an internal struggle with her good and bad angels. She has to sort out what is real and what is unreal and her intent is to terminate the latter. The kicker is that Kathryn, and we the audience, can't be sure what is real or fantasy. Altman's film has a claustrophobic feeling almost like a portending of doom. John Williams' eerie score and the sound effects augment the feeling of a world closing in on Kathryn. For York this must have been the role of her career. She assays Kathryn's breakdown in stages giving the appearance of serenity to her husband Hugh (Rene Auberjonois) and outsiders while the tenuous house she has erected is slowly crashing down around her. This film may be difficult for some because there are no neon signs flashing that this woman is off her bird. On this disc Altman offers a selected scene commentary that may be helpful in grasping "Images" but I doubt it. Altman's testimony may be deliberately unreliable not unlike Kathryn's. Since this groundbreaking film is no longer in print it would behoove an outfit like Criterion to reissue it.