683 Nashville

[hearthesilence]

I've been on a Dolly Parton kick, (mainly the great records she made between 1967 and 1975), and as I was listening, Nashville actually came to mind.

I think the Criterion commentary has Altman talking about the criticism he got from the country music industry - not surprisingly they hated the film, but they were especially hostile towards the music. (Billy Sherrill: “I’ll tell you what I liked best about the film - when they shot that miserable excuse for a country-music singer.") FWIW, pretty much all of the songs were written by the cast members, and most of them were actually written before the screenplay (in some cases, years before the project even began). Personally, I never thought the music was particularly good or bad - just serviceable - but there's quite a bit of country that I listen to from that era, so every time I watch the film, I wonder what it would have been like if things were a bit different and the music was not only better but a more accurate reflection of what was going on during that time.

Parton's records brought this to mind because from a musical perspective, she's the only country star I could imagine taking the place of Barbara Jean. Quite a few writers have suggested that Barbara Jean was based on Loretta Lynn based on her look as well as her manager/husband and her on-stage meltdowns, but one gets the impression that Lynn is virtually their only point of reference (especially when the later film Coal Miner's Daughter is brought up) because those elements aren't unique to Lynn either individually or in combination. Even Ronee Blakley has stated that Lynn Anderson was the closest thing to a real-life foundation for Barbara Jean, though she did borrow certain mannerisms from Parton and Lynn as she met them both during her preparation for the role. Musically speaking, it doesn't feel much like Lynn at all, at least not the music that really shaped her image ("The Pill," "Fist City," "Your Squaw Is on the Warpath," "Rated X," etc.) Just put on Parton's first two Best of albums from 1970 and 1975: a lot of that music would fit seamlessly in place of the songs that were used based on their status/place in the culture and the quality of the music itself. IRL, it's the kind of music that would get the same reaction Barbara Jean's music received within the film - from specific characters to the general audience themselves.

I think Nashville's the better film, but The Player's main appeal (at least to me) is the incisive depiction of Hollywood, and everything that works best about that film is rooted in those details. For a country fan like myself, it's fascinating to think how it would have enriched Nashville's ideas had they been able to include some of the more interesting country artists from that era in depicting that part of American culture - George Jones (and Tammy Wynette), Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn (and Conway Twitty), Dolly Parton (and Porter Wagoner), etc.

[dustybooks]

I'm not all that schooled in 1970s country but I do think "Dues" is one of the loveliest songs of that era in any genre. I'm a bit of a skeptic on this movie and Altman in general, though I think of it so often that I keep trying again with it, but Blakley's performance of that song is a moment of undiluted magic for me.

[hearthesilence]

I'm not all that schooled in 1970s country but I do think "Dues" is one of the loveliest songs of that era in any genre. I'm a bit of a skeptic on this movie and Altman in general, though I think of it so often that I keep trying again with it, but Blakley's performance of that song is a moment of undiluted magic for me.

That's actually from Blakley's eponymous debut from 1972 - the opening track, no less. I can't say I'm a fan of her work, but that album is probably the one to listen to if you want to hear more from her.

Also, one thing that comes to mind when I see the ending is that scene with Eleanor (Angela Lansbury) in The Manchurian Candidate when she describes what will happen at the convention when they execute their plan. In this case it's not a conspiracy but a horrible twist of fate, but it feels like Winifred/Albuquerque has been placed on the path to inevitable superstardom. (I don't think that makes it a great ending, but that's always been my impression of it.)

I don't think it's a truly great film, but one reason why I still like Nashville (enough to watch it a lot) is that it suggests a lot of potential. There's a lot wrong with it, but what works feels like the foundation for a truly great film, even if they fail to realize it.