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

Also Known As:

Efialtes (Greece) [el]
Enhjørningen (Denmark) [da]
Hayal ve görüntü (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Imagens (Brazil) [pt]
Sairaat mielikuvat (Finland) [fi]
Schizo - den kluvna verkligheten (Sweden) [sv]
Spiegelbilder (West Germany) [de]

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)

Brilliant, Chilling, Lost Treasure.

Under the assumption that Altman was creatively peaking between the years 1970 and 1975, (I realize this is debatable) I sought out every film that was made during that period. Surprisingly, I could not locate the brilliant, chilling lost treasure that is the film "Images" it seemed to have simply vanished into history. Although Susannah York deservedly earned best actress at Cannes for her performance, and it was sandwiched between "The Long Goodbye" and "Mccabe and Mrs. Miller" this film, like "3 women" and "California Split", remain mysteries. Luckily, "Images" was released on DVD this past September. I immediately bought it without a second thought. I am very thankful that I did.

Images is one of those gems that make you appreciate cinema, directors and the creative process in general, because of the exploritive potential within the medium. Dredging up the inner fears and archetypes of the subconscious and weaving together what comes to the surface synergistically is Altmans vision in this film. Sadly, lately, film is about loud bangs and shiny things and very few adroitly capture the lost art of character development.

"Images" seems to be one of those films that could only have taken place in the early seventies. During the era of psychedelic drugs, the film indubitably feels as though it is on some kind of mind altering substance. It is completely trippy and unnerving. Logic seems to have flown out the window from the onset of the story. I won't give anything away, because you need to go into this film knowing nothing, or little to nothing about it, and just enjoy the ride.