3 Women - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3 Women
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For other uses, see Three Women (disambiguation).
3 Women
Directed by
Robert Altman
Produced by
Robert Altman
Written by
Robert Altman
Starring
Shelley Duvall
Sissy Spacek
Janice Rule
Music by
Gerald Busby
Cinematography
Chuck Roscher
Editing by
Dennis Hill
Distributed by
20th Century Fox
Release date(s)
April 3, 1977
Running time
124 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
US$1 500 000
3 Women is a 1977 American film directed by Robert Altman, starring Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek, and Janice Rule. The story came directly from a dream Altman had, which he did not fully understand, but nonetheless adapted into a treatment, intending to film without a script. 20th Century Fox greenlit the project based on Altman's reputation, but a script was completed before filming, although, as with most Altman films, the script is just a beginning point for what he shoots during production.
For a significant number of years, the film was unavailable on home video, however it managed to gain somewhat of a cult reputation after frequent broadcasting on television in the 1980s and 1990s. The film was given a long-awaited DVD release in 2004 by the Criterion Collection, featuring a feature-length commentary by Altman himself. In 2011, the film was given the Blu ray treatment, also released by Criterion.
Contents
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Awards
4 DVD release
5 References
6 External links
[edit] Plot
The minimal plot involves two women whose personalities are in sharp contrast when they first meet and move in together. The third woman of the titular three is a key supporting character¡ªa mural artist who owns, with her husband, the same apartment building. The events take place in a small desert community typical of those found east of Los Angeles. For obvious reasons the film has a dream-like quality, focusing more on behavior, mood and mystery than on plot devices.
What the film is about exactly is open to interpretation, and even Altman has said he is not sure what the ending means but has a "theory" about what happens. What is clear is that the two principal characters undergo a transformation in which they exchange their relative status to each other. In this way, 3 Women has a kinship with Bergman's Persona (1966).
Duvall plays Mildred "Millie" Lammoreaux, a woman who is very confident of her personal charisma, and her attractiveness to men in particular, despite the fact that the men she hits on openly mock her. In the director's commentary on the Criterion edition, Altman claims that Duvall was responsible for creating her character's diary entries, recipes, and much of her dialog in the film. Spacek plays Pinky Rose, a naive, childlike woman, who refuses to talk about her past and who initially idolizes Duvall, but eventually comes to dominate her. They both work at a physical therapy facility and much of the film takes place at their apartment building, where the third woman, Willie Hart, played by Janice Rule, creates striking and somewhat unsettling murals (actually painted by the artist Bodhi Wind).
[edit] Cast
Shelley Duvall as Mildred "Millie" Lammoreaux
Sissy Spacek as Mildred "Pinky" Rose
Janice Rule as Willie Hart
Robert Fortier as Edgar Hart
Ruth Nelson as Mrs. Rose
John Cromwell as Mr. Rose
Sierra Pecheur as Ms. Bunweil
Craig Richard Nelson as Dr. Maas
Maysie Hoy as Doris
Belita Moreno as Alcira
Leslie Ann Hudson as Polly
Patricia Ann Hudson as Peggy
Beverly Ross as Deidre
[edit] Awards
Shelley Duvall won the award for Best Actress at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival.[1]
[edit] DVD release
For years, the film was not available in home video in any form. This was alleged to be due to music rights; reportedly, the distributors of Altman's films Images, California Split, 3 Women, and Health, had not negotiated music rights for home video release of the films, and, due to their relative obscurity, they were never expected to be released.
3 Women was the first of these films to be released when The Criterion Collection licensed the rights from 20th Century Fox. The DVD includes an anamorphic transfer in the correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio and a commentary track by Robert Altman.
[edit] References
^ "Festival de Cannes: A Child in the Crowd". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2019/year/1977.html. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
[edit] External links
3 Women at the Internet Movie Database
3 Women at AllRovi
3 Women (1977) at Rotten Tomatoes
Criterion Collection essay by David Sterritt
v
d
e
Films directed by Robert Altman
1950s
The Delinquents (1957)
1960s
Countdown (1968)
That Cold Day in the Park (1969)
1970s
MASH (1970)
Brewster McCloud (1970)
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
Images (1972)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
Thieves Like Us (1974)
California Split (1974)
Nashville (1975)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976)
3 Women (1977)
A Wedding (1978)
Quintet (1979)
A Perfect Couple (1979)
1980s
HealtH (1980)
Popeye (1980)
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
Streamers (1983)
Secret Honor (1984)
O.C. and Stiggs (1984)
Fool for Love (1985)
Beyond Therapy (1987)
1990s
Vincent & Theo (1990)
The Player (1992)
Short Cuts (1993)
Pr¨ºt-¨¤-Porter (1994)
Kansas City (1996)
The Gingerbread Man (1998)
Cookie's Fortune (1999)
2000s
Dr. T & the Women (2000)
Gosford Park (2001)
The Company (2003)
A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=3_Women&oldid=469929919"
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American films
English-language films
1977 films
American drama films
1970s drama films
Films directed by Robert Altman
Films set in California
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