Shortly after Images began and Cathryn was showing signs of losing her mind I half-jokingly commented:

Me: "I'm surprised this hasn't happened to me yet."
Richard, startled: "Yet?!?!"

A score that is mostly comprised of a collection of sounds, the wind chime hanging from the rear view mirror, Ireland in October--Images is a gorgeous, hallucinatory film elevated by Susannnah York's fervent performance.

Finally got around to watching this and I was not disappointed. Dark, twisted, and full of great fog shrouded atmosphere and general fall vibes, this tale of a woman’s descent into madness belongs right up there with Repulsion and I’m a bit baffled as to why it isn’t better known than it is.

This is another hidden gem of 70’s surreal horror with a great ambient score. Susannah York gives one of the greatest performances I’ve seen in quite some time. It really is her movie and everyone else is just lucky to be there. There are scenes that weave seamlessly in and out of one another and because she’s losing her mind, there are times when characters do the same thing and it’s all just great trippy fun so if you’re into that then this is very worth checking out. Absolutely best watched at dusk with the wind howling at the windows and leaves blowing all around. 🍂

If one is to be crazy and potentially dangerous to those in the immediate vicinity it is probably best to be crazy and dangerous in as wide an array of lovely floral prints as can be mustered even if so doing does not help one keep track of time or space in the least and if there is a country cottage available in which to be clad in floral prints, dangerous and crazy, and space to roam about in, let there also be rollicking ponies and peacefully baa-ing sheeps to co-occupy that space because there might as well be even if their presence cannot alter the outcome of the story one seems to be writing or being written by, it is altogether more pleasant that way.

Part of the Film School Dropouts Challenge
Week 27: Robert Altman

An immersive, compelling and creepy tale of mental illness, desperation and sexuality that's unsettling throughout with its eerie and noisy score, striking editing (there's some awesome transitions in this), and its dream-like imagery. Its small-scaled, simple yet effective, and wholly atmospheric and expressive, it draws you into its dreamy, strange world and doesn't let go. Susannah York delivers an Oscar-worthy, energetic performance of a woman going through a mental breakdown, slowly loosing grip on reality, its through her fractured mind the film is seen. Man, those screams... haunting. Didn't know much about this one going in, but it has turned out to be one of my favorites from Altman. Fans of 3 Women would dig this as it gives a similar vibe. Give this one a restoration for christ sake, Criterion! It really deserves one. It's an overlooked gem.

I don’t know what it is about this but I found it pretty boring ... the lead female character is either hallucinating or having intrusive thoughts of some kind and this just keeps happening and happening and not very interesting , there’s no emotion really, she’s not incredibly likable and the whole time you can tell there won’t be much resolution and if your not going to give any emotional satisfaction and no resolution then fuck off ... this just a guy projecting the all women are crazy crap

I know it's you, but I found out I can get rid of you. Just like I got rid of Rene and Marcel, I can get you out of my mind forever.

Robert Altman's suspense thriller about a woman haunted (quite literally) by her past indiscretions is a feast for the eyes and ears. The visual trickeries employed by the director to show Susannah York's character losing her grasp on reality are stunningly well executed. And the pre-Spielberg John Williams score does a tremendous job keeping the creepiness flowing throughout the film. I grow more and more impressed with Robert Altman as I make my way through his ouvre. Recommended.

Added to: Robert Altman Ranked

in search of unicorns 

this was like a weird dream. i see most people found the narrative incoherent but i think it was meant to be offbeat on purpose. it started out very strong but the more it linger the more the ominous atmosphere dissipated. it was filmed really well & the cinematography makes it more than just a psychological horror fare. but i can’t help but feel somewhat sidestepped at the end. and it no longer became chilling to me. susannah york is really good on here but when her character starts interacting with these ghosts it flips the tension. it was a struggle to stay invested. truthfully i’m like that with all of altman’s work. there is a larger meaning behind it which i hopefully might engage more with next time i watch it

HOOPTOBER 7.0 - Film #9/31
*Additional Film*

My favorite film of Hooptober so far! I liked the style and how layered the film was. I also enjoyed the strange score and how it felt just as disorienting as the content of the film. I mean I don’t completely understand it all, but the ambiguous nature of some of the scenes didn’t detract from my overall feelings about it and perhaps even enhanced it.

Update it’s been a couple days and I lowered my score. I need a rewatch to understand it better before I can comfortably give it a 4.

This was just what I needed tonight. I fucking love the movies.
Altman tryna do a horror movie. Figures it doesn’t necessarily add up but had me spooked. Sometimes it’s like he’s writing a goddamn syllabus for film students, right down to the lumiere train riff and preoccupation with the camera eye. From a technical standpoint, everything clicks.
The first Great John Williams score?
This Susannah York performance is monumental.
It caught me in the perfect mood and for that I am truly thankful.

DOG?: THERE ARE TWO (2) CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIELS (one Casco who might be imaginary and a shaggier version of Bono named Archie). I don’t know if this will be important to anyone who follows me on here but trust me this is huge. Like that lady in The Boy Friend says, “it’s not a dog: it’s a KING CHAHLZ.”

This film was crazy dawg.

escrito e dirigido pelo demônio

Super fucking weird. Every character gives you their own reason to dislike them. I don’t know that I loved the actual substance/themes but it was super good stylistically, the shots and the editing were great and the sound was fantastic from the jump. Main takeaway is that that bitch was crazy

Disorienting, tense, and paranoid. A great movie to start fall, and an Altman gem that doesn’t get enough praise. 

Watching this back to back with i’m thinking of ending things made an excellent double bill

Nothing like Ireland in Autumn.

LIST OF MOVIES I OWN

I’m sorry!!!!!!!

Love Rene Auberjonois. Love Vilmos. Love the score.

The cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond is nothing short of phenomenal: very unique and very expressive. The atmosphere is heightened and the mood is made pervasive thanks to the camera’s altered focus and perspective. The lead performance by Susannah York is very good as well. The story is rather simple, though. There are many opportunities for things to go off the wall but they never really do—all is contained and fully explainable. The film sort of envelops you in its mood, which is pretty cool. 

TOP DIRECTORS CHALLENGE: ROBERT ALTMAN

I am watching one film that I haven’t seen before from each of the 50 directors listed here in alphabetical order.

Robert Altman Bang
9/10

It's not cheating to start at the edges of a jigsaw puzzle

HOOPTOBER 7.0 - Film #9/31
*Additional Film*

My favorite film of Hooptober so far! I liked the style and how layered the film was. I also enjoyed the strange score and how it felt just as disorienting as the content of the film. I mean I don’t completely understand it all, but the ambiguous nature of some of the scenes didn’t detract from my overall feelings about it and perhaps even enhanced it.

Update it’s been a couple days and I lowered my score. I need a rewatch to understand it better before I can comfortably give it a 4.

Mi experiencia con Robert Altman ha sido bastante interesante y aunque no he encontrado una propuesta en él que me maraville completamente, sin duda alguna cada una posee un espíritu propio y exponen las preocupaciones del autor así como su estilo.

Images es defintivamente lo que esperaba encontrar cuando iba a 3 women: un portentoso reflejo de la paranoia y la realidad fracturada, pero es ésta, una de sus primeros trabajos, donde el autor demuestra su gran influencia por el cine de Ingmar Bergman y del Roman Polanski de Repulsion.

El mayor acierto sin duda alguna se encuentra en el montaje y la forma en la que el autor entrelaza las realidades, confundiendo al espectador pero a la vez involucrándolo cada vez más en esas turbias pero hermosas imagenes. Creo que tenía bastante tiempo sin ver tan bien reflejada la paranoia en el individuo.

"Son of a bitch."