Quintet

Robert Altman’s “Quintet” was received with almost universal derision when it was released in 1979. He had made his reputation with very contemporary, very insisive and very American films. “Quintet” is strikingly different: heavily symbolic, with a mannerist visual palette, it was a departure for Altman and sees him explore themes associated with European existentialism. In a desolate future Ice-Age the remaining inhabitants of Earth are facing their extinction. Paul Newman plays a hunter, returning to his birthplace, accompanied by a pregnant woman (a startling occurrence in a world where most people are no longer able to reproduce). Her murder leads him to a confrontation with the players of Quintet, an elaborate and violent game which is the main activity of the future. As he becomes more involved in the strategies and rules of Quintet, he finds himself losing his identity. This complex and philosophical science-fiction film, creates a future as it may have been envisaged by Kafka and is a uniquely original meditation on the struggle and meaning of human “free will”. Undeniably difficult and ambitious, the film deserves a more serious critical engagement than that offered by contemporary English-language critics. Also stars Vittorio Gassman, Bibi Anderson and Fernando Rey.