Warner Archive Collection | 1970 | 105 mins. | Rated R
In a career that spanned nearly sixty years, director Robert Altman was well known for his unorthodox films. However, even for him, Brewster McCloud is particularly kooky. Sandwiched between M*A*S*H* and McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Altman was clearly willing to risk the studio foothold gained from the success of M*A*S*H*, for what was clearly a personal project. Like M*A*S*H*, Brewster McCloud is so packed with dialogue and action you might think you’re missing things. However, unlike M*A*S*H*, Brewster may just leave you scratching your head in confusion. Things start off strangely, with the Wicked Witch herself, Margaret Hamilton, on hand to introduce the credits (twice) with an off-key rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Right then and there, it becomes obvious this is no ordinary film.
Brewster (Bud Court) is a young man who wants to build wings and fly. A loner, with round glasses and stripped shirts, he hides out in the Houston Astrodome to build his wings. Brewster has a couple of women helping him with his dream to fly; there’s Hope (Jennifer Salt) who is attracted to Brewster and who gives him health food that she steals from the store where she works. Then there’s Louise (Sally Kellerman), a strange sort of guardian angel with wing scars on her back. She protects Brewster, bathes him, and warns him away from sex. A third woman (Shelley Duvall) romances him. Be mean to Brewster at your own peril: the community’s baddies from Stacy Keach’s gnarled millionaire to Bert Remsen’s loudmouth bigot, keep turning up strangled and decorated with bird droppings following run-ins with him.
Lt. Frank Shaft (Michael Murphy), brought in from California, attempts to solve the murders with the help of a local police officer (John Schuck). Since this is a Robert Altman movie, there are multiple complications and numerous caricatures. As off-balance as most of them are, the characters have no clue they are anything but normal.
The truth is, every character involved here is quirky, and gets quirkier as the film goes along. I’m sure some viewers will be left wondering what the heck the story is really about when it’s over. While I will readily admit that Brewster McCloud isn’t one of the best movies in the Altman filmography, I give the director a lot of credit for going out on such a limb after the massive success of M*A*S*H*.
Anyone who has followed Altman’s career, or has an interest in independent film, should see Brewster McCloud at least once. The movie is uniquely original, and shows Altman’s commitment to the independent spirit, no matter how much mainstream Hollywood success he achieved.
Available exclusively from the Warner Archive Collection without any restoration, the disc boasts a surprisingly robust image. The sound nicely captures Altman’s trademark hubhub—compounded by car chase screeches and bird squawking.
The disc includes the theatrical trailer.
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