Panel discussion following the July 9 screening.
"Compared with the carbonated, artificially-flavoured, genetically-modified pap that mainstream cinema dishes up, Robert Altman's Nashville now tastes like a crisp organic apple.” - Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
“Certainly, for the American cinema, it is the most epochal event since Orson Welles' CITIZEN KANE.” - Arthur Knight, Hollywood Reporter
“The funniest epic vision of America ever to reach the screen.” - Pauline Kael, New Yorker
Wednesday, July 9, 6:00 p.m. & Saturday, July 12, 2:00 p.m. | In Altman’s exhilarating masterwork, the lives of two dozen individuals in politics and the music industry intersect and collide over the hectic days leading up to a political fundraising concert in Nashville, Tennessee. From a country music star (Ronee Blakley) to a teenage groupie (Shelley Duvall), Altman crisscrosses storylines to create a rich, complex portrait of the American Dream. Of the film, Roger Ebert wrote, “After I saw it, I felt more alive, I felt I understood more about people, I felt somehow wiser.” Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, NASHVILLE is a profoundly prescient film, astonishingly relevant to current events regardless of when you view it. NASHVILLE earned Altman his second Best Director Academy Award nomination and his first Best Picture nomination, and remains a landmark of American cinema. The July 9 screening will be introduced by Heather Hendershot, Northwestern University’s Cardiss Collins Professor of Communication Studies and Journalism, whose book on NASHVILLE will be released by BFI in October; screening followed by a discussion led by Hendershot and Neil Verma, associate professor in Radio/TV/Film and co-founder of the MA program in Sound Arts and Industries at Northwestern University.
Festivals, Awards & Nominations
Nominee - Best Picture, Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Ronee Blakley), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Lily Tomlin), Best Director, Academy Awards (1976)
Winner - Best Music, Original Song, Academy Awards
Nominee - Best Foreign Film, César Awards (1976)
Winner - Best Screenplay, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (1976)
Winner - Best Film (tied with Barry Lyndon), National Board of Review (1975)
Robert Altman Centennial | June–August 2025
Robert Altman (1925–2006) is one of the rare directors whose name alone conjures his style. Say a film is “Altmanesque” and you’ll get nods of understanding—most cinephiles know the auteur’s calling cards: large ensemble casts; overlapping dialogue; a roving camera, and a subtle critique of the American Dream. Altman was prolific (a hardworking midwesterner), directing 36 feature films, and well over 100 episodes of television. Nominated for five Best Director Academy Awards, Altman was presented with an Honorary Academy Award in 2006—and he passed away nine months later, at the age of 81. When asked by Playboy Magazine in 1976, “When you look into your future, what do you want to have accomplished?” Altman answered, “All I want is to do what I'm doing. What else would I do?”
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu