3 Women [Criterion Collection]

Director: Robert Altman Robert Altman

Overview

Robert Altman's visually striking exploration of the intermingled personalities of two women finally gets its long-awaited debut on home video with this DVD edition from The Criterion Collection, and the superb results were certainly worth the wait. 3 Women has been given a letterboxed transfer to disc in the widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1, which has also has been enhanced for 16 x 9 playback on anamorphic monitors; Altman approved the transfer, which beautifully recreates the color palate and textures of Chuck Rosher's cinematography. The original single-channel audio mix has been preserved for this edition, mastered in Dolby Digital Mono. Bonus materials include a full-length commentary from Robert Altman about the film and his creative process, as well as an extensive gallery of production photos (including shots of the late artist Bodhi Wind creating the murals shown in the film). Criterion's DVD release of 3 Women is a loving presentation of an often-overlooked film, and deserves a place in the library of any fan of Robert Altman's work.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/20/2004
UPC:	0715515015127
Original Release:	1977
Rating:	PG
Source:	Criterion Collection
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	2:04:00
Sales rank:	21,425

Special Features

Closed Caption; New high-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound and enhanced for widescreen televisions; Audio commentary by director Robert Altman; Stills gallery of rare production and publicity stills; Original theatrical trailers and television spots; English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired; Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Shelley Duvall	Millie Lammoreaux
Sissy Spacek	Pinky Rose
Janice Rule	Willie Hart
Robert Fortier	Edgar Hart
Ruth Nelson	Mrs. Rose,Dr. Maas
John Cromwell	Mr. Rose
Sierra Pecheur	Mr. Bunweill
Maysie Hoy	Doris
Belita Moreno	Alcira
Leslie Ann Hudson	Polly,Peggy
Beverly Ross	Deidre
John Davey	Dr. Norton

Technical Credits

Robert Altman

Patricia Resnick

Robert Altman	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Patricia Resnick	Screenwriter

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Opening Credit Sequence [2:27]
2. Pinky's First Day [11:23]
3. Punching Out [3:44]
4. "I Sure Do Miss Her" [3:43]
5. Roommates [5:56]
6. Dodge City [8:28]
7. "The Most Perfect Person" [11:51]
8. A Hot Date [4:18]
9. Friday [5:44]
10. Dinner Party [7:49]
11. Millie and Edgar [9:34]
12. Mr. and Mrs. Rose [9:27]
13. Concussion [4:27]
14. Home [4:20]
15. Discrepancies [5:37]
16. The Third Degree [9:46]
17. Willie's Baby [8:10]
18. A Terrible Accident [6:47]
1. The Dream [2:27]
2. Lost Souls [11:23]
3. "All Kinds of Accidents" [3:44]
4. Cinematography [3:43]
5. Peeping Tom [5:56]
6. "See the Giant Snake" [8:28]
7. Desert Colors [11:51]
8. Shelley Duvall [4:18]
9. Bodhi Wind [5:44]
10. Influences [7:49]
11. Gerald Busby [9:34]
12. John and Ruth [9:27]
13. Dreamlike Characters [4:27]
14. The Time of the Filmmaker [4:20]
15. Undertakers [5:37]
16. Identity [9:46]
17. The Males [8:10]
18. No Real Answer [6:47]

Menu

Side #1 --
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
   Color Bars
   Commentary
      Commentary: On
      Commentary: Off
      Index
   Stills Gallery
      Portraits
      Murals
      The Spa
      Dodge City
      The Purple Sage
      Pinky Reborn
      Dreams
   Theatrical Teaser Trailer
   Theatrical Trailer
   TV Spot 1
   TV Spot 2

Editorial Reviews

Few filmmakers short of Luis Buñuel have made better onscreen use of dreams than Robert Altman, and 3 Women is the film in which he most successfully (and disturbingly) captured the hazy logic and off-kilter visual perspectives of the unconscious state. Shelley Duvall delivered the best work of her career as a woman so shallow that it never occurs to her that people are laughing at her behind her back, and Sissy Spacek is brilliant as Pinky, the naive girl who worships her; their emotional give and take as they begin to exchange personalities exemplifies the kind of risky but satisfying performances that Altman knows how to draw from actors. Gerald Busby's quietly troubling, discordant score and Bodhi Wind's surreal artwork are singularly appropriate aural and visual backdrops, while Charles Rosher Jr.'s cinematography layers the images in intoxicating washes of yellow and blue. While Altman has made a career out of endings that don't spell themselves out, the conclusion of 3 Women is both vague and provocative -- have we witnessed the aftermath of a tragedy, a descent into insanity, or a quiet but defiant call to arms? Altman isn't telling, but one can read 3 Women in a number of ways and still walk away convinced that it's a work of singular vision and emotional power from one of the most gifted American filmmakers of his generation.

All Movie Guide - Mark Deming