McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers:

Edmund Naughton (novel)
Robert Altman (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

24 June 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Western

Tagline:

Name Your Poison.

Plot:

Set in winter in the Old West. Charismatic but dumb John McCabe arrives in a young Pacific Northwest town to set up a whorehouse/tavern...

Plot Keywords:

Madam | Frozen River | Minister | Birthday Party | Church

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Warren Beatty	...	John McCabe
Julie Christie	...	Constance Miller
Rene Auberjonois	...	Sheehan
William Devane	...	The Lawyer
John Schuck	...	Smalley
Corey Fischer	...	Mr. Elliot
Bert Remsen	...	Bart Coyle
Shelley Duvall	...	Ida Coyle
Keith Carradine	...	Cowboy
Michael Murphy	...	Eugene Sears
Antony Holland	...	Ernie Hollander
Hugh Millais	...	Butler
Manfred Schulz	...	Kid
Jace Van Der Veen	...	Breed (as Jace Vander Veen)
Jackie Crossland	...	Lily
Elizabeth Murphy	...	Kate
Carey Lee McKenzie	...	Alma
Thomas Hill	...	Archer (as Tom Hill)
Linda Sorenson	...	Blanche (as Linda Sorensen)
Elisabeth Knight	...	Birdie
Janet Wright	...	Eunice
Maysie Hoy	...	Maisie
Linda Kupecek	...	Ruth
Jeremy Newson	...	Jeremy Berg
Wayne Robson	...	Bartender
Jack Riley	...	Riley Quinn
Robert Fortier	...	Town Drunk
Wayne Grace	...	Bartender
Wesley Taylor	...	Shorty Dunn
Anne Cameron	...	Mrs. Dunn
Graeme Campbell	...	Bill Cubbs
J.S. Johnson	...	J.J.
Joe Clarke	...	Joe Shortreed
Harry Frazier	...	Andy Anderson
Edwin Collier	...	Gilchrist
Terence Kelly	...	Quigley
Brantley Kearns	...	Fiddler (as Brantley F. Kearns)
Don Francks	...	Buffalo
Rodney Gage	...	Sumner Washington
Lili Francks	...	Mrs. Washington
Joan Tewkesbury	...	Townswoman (as Joan Maguire)
Harvey Lowe	...	Townsman
Eric Schneider	...	Townsman
Milos Zatovic	...	Townsman
Claudine Melgrave	...	Townswoman
Derek Keurvorst	...	Townsman (as Derek Deurvorst)
Alex Diakun	...	Townsman (as Alexander Diakun)
Gordon Robertson	...	Townsman

Directed by
Robert Altman

Writing credits
Edmund Naughton		(novel "McCabe")
Robert Altman		(screenplay) and
Brian McKay		(screenplay)

Produced by
Mitchell Brower	....	producer
Robert Eggenweiler	....	associate producer
David Foster	....	producer

Cinematography by
Vilmos Zsigmond

Film Editing by
Lou Lombardo		(as Louis Lombardo)

Casting by
Graeme Clifford

Production Design by
Leon Ericksen

Art Direction by
Al Locatelli
Philip Thomas

Makeup Department
Edwin Butterworth	....	makeup artist (as Ed Butterworth)
Robert Jiras	....	makeup artist
Phyllis Newman	....	makeup artist
Barry Richardson	....	hair stylist

Production Management
James Margellos	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lou Lombardo	....	second unit director (as Louis Lombardo)
Irby Smith	....	second assistant director
Tommy Thompson	....	assistant director

Art Department
Sidney H. Greenwood	....	property master (as Syd Greenwood)

Sound Department
John W. Gusselle	....	sound
Barry Jones	....	sound mixer (as Barry P. Jones)
William Thompson	....	sound (as William A. Thompson)
Sergio Reyes	....	additional sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Marcel Vercoutere	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Rod Parkhurst	....	photographer: second unit
James O. Blair	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ilse Richter	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Leonard Cohen	....	composer: songs "The Stranger Song", "Sisters of Mercy", "Winter Lady"

Transportation Department
Grant McCracken	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Anthony Goldschmidt	....	title designer
Ross Levy	....	assistant to producer
Anne Sidaris-Reeves	....	researcher (as Anne Sidaris)
Joan Tewkesbury	....	continuity (as Joan Maguire)
Don Carmody	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Joan Tewkesbury	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• David Foster Productions
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1971) (USA) (theatrical)
• Blue Dolphin Film Distribution (1990) (UK)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1977) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Süddeutsche Zeitung (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1991) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1971) (West Germany) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

The Presbyterian Church Wager (USA) (working title)
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
A Noite Fez-se Para Amar (Portugal) (original subtitled version) [pt]
Del mismo barro (Argentina) (video title) [es]
Entimos kyria kai o hartopaiktis, I... (Greece) [el]
I compari (Italy) [it]
Jogos e Trapaças - Quando os Homens São Homens (Brazil) [pt]
John McCabe (France) [fr]
Los vividores (Spain) [es]
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Finland) [fi]
McCabe i pani Miller (Poland) [pl]
Onde os Homens São Homens (Brazil) (TV title) [pt]
Quando os Homens São Homens (Brazil) [pt]
Vestens syndige par - McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Denmark) [da]

Runtime:

120 min | Argentina:121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | UK:15 (1992) | UK:X (1971) | Portugal:M/12 | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Company:

David Foster Productions

Trivia:

The original title of this film was "The Presbyterian Church Wager". It was rejected due to complaints by the church to Warner Bros.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: At 1:41:38 into the film, when McCabe is hiding in the door of the hardware store, a leg and a foot of a crew-member are visible reflected in the window on the left. After the cutaway it is even clearer when the person moves.

Quotes:

John McCabe: If a man is fool enough to get into business with a woman, she ain't going to think much of him.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

Soundtrack:

Sisters of Mercy

Haunting, wintry Western

The first thing to know about Robert Altman's revisionist Western "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is that it takes place in Washington state. Typical Westerns are set in arid semi-deserts, full of blazing skies, blazing shotguns, and blazing tempers. Here, the dank, chilly Pacific Northwest permits, or rather demands, a different range of emotions: poignancy, regret, wintry melancholy. This film takes many risks, using Leonard Cohen's haunting ballads on the soundtrack and shooting scenes in very low light, but remarkably, everything coheres.

The film features Altman's trademark group scenes with overlapping dialogue, but not his typical interlocking plot lines. True to its title, the story centers on gambler and brothel owner John McCabe (Warren Beatty) and his shrewd business partner, Mrs. Constance Miller (Julie Christie). Still, supporting characters always hover at the edges, taking part in vignettes that underline the movie's themes and occasionally provide some humor. In this way, the movie avoids the chaos and confusion of some Altman films, while always remaining aware that the main characters are part of a larger community. It's a perfect balance: both clear and complex.

Still, "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is more a study of place and character than a narrative drama. The small, isolated settlement of Presbyterian Church is newly built, but already seems to molder. Ironically, McCabe's brothel is the most "civilized" place in town: it is built quickly and even gets painted, while the church remains half-finished. No families, parents or children live in this bleak town, just a bunch of weary miners and whores who delude and distract themselves. They all have dreams, but barely know how to achieve them; for this reason, they're sympathetic and all too human. McCabe is a true anti-hero, a guy who thinks he's a slick, wisecracking gambler, but his jokes fall flat and he lacks common sense. Mrs. Miller seems confident and shameless, but she secretly uses opium to dispel the pain of living.

At times, the movie is well aware of how it subverts the clichés of the Western genre to reflect what would really have happened out West. For instance, there is a final shootout, but it arises because of a quarrel over business—there are no Indians, no outlaws, and no sheriffs here! But "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is much more than just a clever exercise in revisionism; it's never overtly satirical or mean-spirited. It keenly observes its world and then comments on it, overlaying everything with a delicate sense of poignancy and loss. This is the kind of film that stays with you, but not because of sharp dialogue, beautiful images, or showy performances. Greater than the sum of its parts, "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is memorable for the pervasive but understated mood that runs through every frame, creating a truly atmospheric and humanistic film.