McCabe and Mrs Miller (1971 Robert Altman)

Just sensational, film that has a look totally its own, thanks to Vilmos Zsigmond's ground-breaking, BAFTA-nominated photography, achieved (according to Blair Brown) through flashing (exposing the film to light before shooting), fog filters, under-exposure and push-processing (increasing contrast). Phew! What a clever bugger.

No Hollywood lab would flash the film for us. The labs said "Why do that? You're crazy; you're ruining the film." So we found a very small lab in Vancouver that didn't even have 35mm printing machines. But Altman told them they were going to develop the whole film there, 300,000 feet of film, so they invested the money.. and they did a brilliant job.. It took Hollywood another two years to accept the flashing technique.

Vilmos Zsigmond in 'Masters of Light', Dennis Schaefer & Larry Salvato, University of California Press 1984.

Town under construction (in British Columbia) adds tremendously to mood, Altman's trademark 'overheard' conversations, ensemble cast, Lou Lombardo's editing.

Gutsy, grim, lightly humorous, ultimately hard-edged film. (I love that McCabe actually does kill the killer with a derringer, making the 'legend' real.)

Perfect casting with Julie Christie, Warren Beatty, René Auberjonois, Michael Murphy, Shelley Duvall, Keith Carradine, William Devane, Corey Fischer (the reverend), John Schuk, Hugh Millas, Thomas Hill.