A Wedding (1978)

The daughter of a Louisville truck driver marries the scion of a very wealthy family, but reception at the family estate is boycotted by the invited guests.

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers:

John Considine (screenplay), Patricia Resnick (screenplay)

Stars:

Carol Burnett, Desi Arnaz Jr., Paul Dooley

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carol Burnett	...	Tulip Brenner
Paul Dooley	...	Snooks Brenner
Amy Stryker	...	Muffin Brenner
Mia Farrow	...	Buffy Brenner
Dennis Christopher	...	Hughie Brenner
Gerald Busby	...	Rev. David Ruteledge
Peggy Ann Garner	...	Candice Ruteledge
Mark R. Deming	...	Matthew Ruteledge
Mary Seibel	...	Aunt Marge Spar
Margaret Ladd	...	Ruby Spar
Lesley Rogers	...	Rosie Bean
Tim Thomerson	...	Russell Bean (as Timothy Thomerson)
Marta Heflin	...	Shelby Munker
David Brand	...	Ruteledge Child
Christian Brand	...	Ruteledge Child (as Chris Brand)

Storyline

Muffin's wedding to Dino Corelli is to be a big affair. Except the aging priest isn't too sure of the ceremony, only the families actually turn up as the Corelli Italian connection is suspect, security guards watch the gifts rather over-zealously, and Dino's grandma expires in bed just as the reception starts. Could be quite an occasion.

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Plot Keywords:

estate | security guard | wedding | bride and groom | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

What he did to the military in M*A*S*H he does to marriage in... [DVD Australia]

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

22 November 1978 (France)

Also Known As:

Un día de boda

Filming Locations:

Waukegan, Illinois, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lion's Gate Films, Major Studio Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (as Dolby Stereo)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Lillian Gish's first theatrical feature film in 11 years. She was 82 years old when she appeared in this film.

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Goofs

When Tracy arrives at the reception she apologizes to Toni for "missing the wedding." It was stated earlier that only family members were invited to the actual ceremony. As Dino's ex-girlfriend, Tracy wouldn't have been expected to attend.

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Quotes

Ruby Sparr: Do you smoke?
Shelby Munker: No, it makes me dizzy.
Ruby Sparr: Me too, that's why I like it.
Shelby Munker: Well I try to do natural things. A lot of people in my family died of cancer. Bye.
Ruby Sparr: They... they died of cancer smoking pot?

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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Soundtracks

Again
(1948) (uncredited)
Music by Lionel Newman
Lyrics by Dorcas Cochran
Played on piano and Sung by Tony Llorens

User Reviews

One of the last classic 70's films to come out of the decade...

Though not as fully realized a film as MASH or Nashville, this is still a great film worthy of study in film classes and deserving of a better reputation than it currently receives. Altman showcases a wedding between two different classes of American society from vows to alcohol sodden, pot hazed, emotional let down end. I think what bothers most people about this film is that it doesn't hone in on any particular story line or character. Curiously, many recent films, Love Actually and Magnolia, for example, also present many story lines, but in too much detail, attempting to force the audience to care about each and every disparate story line and in my opinion, fails miserably. Altman, instead, only presents snippets of conversations, glimpses into the characters assembled for the wedding. For some reason this movie reminds me very much of the famous painting by Velasquez, Las Meninas. Velasquez's painting shows a royal family, posed rather informally and in the background can be seen the painter himself, painting the picture that is in fact being viewed. Many clues are given by the painter about the people shown, but nothing is obvious. Things are not as they appear to be. And the painting can keep it's audience at a distance if the viewer is not informed or it can bring the viewer into it's closed circle, if the viewer has the intelligence to know where to look. So too, does Altman's A Wedding, keep it's viewers at a distance and yet at the same time, constantly provides portals into the world of its characters. I think Altman does an outstanding job of treating the viewer as if he were an invisible guest at the wedding. Though the bride's father is a successful business man, he's a self made man and not to the manor born and while he can afford to give his daughter an opulent wedding it does not alter the fact that the family his daughter is marrying into, comes from a different echelon of society. One that has lineage and history as well as financial success. It's hard to relate to the groom's family unless one has been exposed to or comes from that world. Altman accurately portrays the idosyncrasies and cultural idioms that make up the world of the cushioned and privileged. This is a great film that holds its own in film culture and in the pantheon of great films from Altman.