Images (1972)

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers:

Robert Altman (written by)
Susannah York (book)

Release Date:

18 December 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

A motion picture of the extra senses.

Plot:

Schizophrenic housewife, engulfed by terrorizing apparitions, kills off each, unknowing if these demons are merely figments of her hallucinatory imagination or part of reality.

Plot Keywords:

Fall From Height | Schizophrenia | Kitchen | Jigsaw Puzzle | Waterfall

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Susannah York	...	Cathryn
Rene Auberjonois	...	Hugh
Marcel Bozzuffi	...	Rene
Hugh Millais	...	Marcel
Cathryn Harrison	...	Susannah
John Morley	...	Old Man

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

UK | Ireland | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (1980) | Australia:M | Sweden:15 | UK:X | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios - Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

It was long rumored that the film's original negative was burned by Columbia Pictures. This rumor turned out to be false when MGM's home video wing released a DVD in the fall of 2003, apparently from a new print struck from an existing negative.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "M*A*S*H: Images (#6.9)" (1977)

Another Altman Masterpiece

This is one of the most compelling films I've seen in a long time. I wasn't sure if I was in the mood for a serious "psychological thriller" but this movie held my rapt attention until the very end. A brilliant example of just how talented Robert Altman is as a filmmaker. While most people pigeonhole him as "that guy who makes the movies with the large ensemble casts and lots of overlapping dialogue", this movie finds him working with a cast of six, and most of the action takes place within the heroine's head. Beautiful (of course) photography by Vilmos Zsigmond is just the icing on the cake. Don't miss this forgotten treasure by an American master.