McCabe & Mrs Miller [DVD]

Judged by Pauline Kael as a “modern classic”, Robert Altman’s dazzlingly original film tells the story of John Q. McCabe (Warren Beatty) and Constance Miller (Julie Christie) and their attempt to bring a touch of ‘civilisation’ to the small mining town of Presbyterian Church in turn-of-the-century Pacific Northwest Canada. Altman captures the touch, taste and very essence of a long-ago time, coupled with the edgy, irreverently modern sensibility he brought to such other masterworks as “MASH” and “Nashville”. The haunting musical score of songs by Leonard Cohen exactly matches the mood of the film. Based on the novel “McCabe” by Edmund Naughton.