I was told by Altman himself, that he had the writers of this gem, inform the actors of their backgrounds and purpose..no real script, just the basics. And then they just went for it.. The results are amazing!! Five star!!
soon to be on dvd (I hope)
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I worked on the crew on the film - that's close to accurate. The writers (including Pat McCormack and Allen Nichols, who both acted in the film, would do rough outlines as well as dialogue for each scene and the actors would get it a day or two before it was shot. They could use the dialogue that was written for them or improvise as they wished.
shareThanks rmgans. I was at the 25th anniversary of Nashville at the AMPAS in L.A., and that's when I had met him (in the men's room of all places).
I am writing this after hearing of our loss. One of the greatest directors of all time will truly be missed. I truly am shocked and have decided to show all of my Altman films this weekend. I probably will start of course with M*A*S*H* and end with a preview copy of "Prairie". I wonder how long "A Wedding" will take to come out on DVD now? This is truly sad.
I wondered if you could tell me how Virginia Vestoff died and when? I think her performance in "Wedding" is one of the most, well underplayed roles in film history. So smooth and subtle, yet hilarious. And the most controversial at the time.
I don't know how Virginia died. Like everyone in the cast, she was a terrific person and a terrific actor. I was just a young wardrobe PA on that film and was treated as an equal by everyone in the cast and on the crew including Altman himself who was one of the true princes of the film business, a man who loved his work and the people around him. I was so impressed with him as a person and his willingness to sit down with anyone and shoot the breeze. He had an office on the set where he "held court" every day after shooting and ANYONE was welcome to chat, contribute ideas, etc. Two of his sons (Bobby and Steve) were on the crew and his wife Katherine was "in residence" most of the time, too, a truly delightful family. I can't emphasize enough what a truly terrific human being Bob Altman was, how "un-Hollywood" he was, and what a fantastic collaborative artist he was. I miss him terribly, even though it was almost 30 years ago that I worked on that film!
I remember Virgina well, and her performance. She was a fine, under appreciated actress and a soft, humble person with a wonderful sense of humor. I haven't screened "A Wedding" in over 20 years and just got my copy of the DVD in the mail and am looking forward to sharing it with my family including my two teenage daughters who are sick of all my movie "war stories." I'll pay special attention to Virginia's performance.
Do you know if Carol Burnett's line about "Carrie" and getting her period in algebra class was scripted or improvised? That scene was HILARIOUS!
shareThe performances are indeed strong, and with all the talent here, everyone stands out. Altman was on a real roll in the '70s, less so in the '80s, but he proved himself again in the '90s and beyond. I can't say this is one of his best films, but it's firmly in the middle, and that's saying a lot for Altman. 8/10 stars from me.
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