THE LONG GOODBYE | Dir. Robert Altman | 1973 | 112 min | 35mm | 18A 

THE LONG GOODBYE (1973) is a revision of Raymond Chandler’s 1953 novel by the same title. The neo-noir time period is updated from 1949–50 to 1970s Hollywood, allowing Altman to satirize the ways society had changed in the 20 years since the novel’s release.

Starring Elliott Gould and Nina van Pallandt, the film is a prime example of Altman’s trademark style of a constantly moving camera. There are no static shots in the film. Almost all of the music in the film is varied arrangements of the theme tune.

THE LONG GOODBYE is the first film in this season’s Masters Series. Between September and November Calgary Cinematheque is presenting a selection of Robert Altman’s films released between 1971 and 1977, a period in which his work exemplified the Maverick style for which he became known. The films inherent to this collection showcase Altman’s unrelenting tendency to de- and then re-construct Hollywood genre, his unmistakable blending of scripted and improvised dialogue, and the trademark of a uniquely mobile camera.

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