IMAGES: IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD

Growing up in the sixties and seventies I had plenty of opportunity to be exposed to some of the most well-known directors of the time. Not all since I was still too young to go to R-rated movies yet early on but then later I had the chance. Of those directors of the time one that has always surprised me is Robert Altman. I’m not saying he had no talent just that I never understood the love of the critics for nearly every movie he ever made.

Back then I saw some of his films. I loved M*A*S*H. I wasn’t fond of THE BIG GOODBYE or CALIFORNIA SPLIT. I hated BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS. I never understood the mystique of NASHVILLE that remains a favorite of so many critics. Strangely enough I enjoyed QUINTET but the critics disliked it. When I heard about a movie called IMAGES back then the story sounded intriguing but I never got the chance to see it. That’s been rectified with the film being released by Arrow for their Arrow Academy series.

The film stars Susannah York as Cathryn, a wealthy housewife and children’s author waiting for her husband to get home one night. While waiting she receives a call from a female voice claiming that her husband Hugh (Rene Aberjonois) is with another woman. Troubled she waits for him to come home and after a shocking nightmare convinces him to take her to their country house the next day.

The two make their way there but more visions plague Cathryn. In the middle of conversations with Hugh when he dips out of sight and returns she sees another man in his place, Rene (Marcel Bozzuffi). As the film progresses we learn that Rene was a man Cathryn had an affair with who died in a car crash three years earlier. In addition to seeing Rene she sees doppelganger later looking at her from a waterfall while on a walk through the woods.

Later Hugh returns home from going shopping with two guests, Marcel (High Millais) and his 12 year old daughter Susannah (Cathryn Harrison). Whenever Hugh pops out of the room Marcel makes advances on Cathryn, apparently having had an affair with her as well. Unlike Rene though Marcel seems to be more inclined to be forceful, rough and more brutally physical with Cathryn.

As the film moves forward the viewer is left to decipher the difference between reality and what is in Cathryn’s head as much as she is. Are these visions emotions that plague her to this day? Or are some of them real and in that case which ones? For that matter is her husband Hugh real or not? The film moves back and forth between realities and leaves you to decide for yourself, giving a hint at what must be by the film’s end.

While there is a somewhat straight narrative to the story being told here at moments it jumps around as well, catapulting the viewer from the current to the past without warning. The lines between reality and the reality in Cathryn’s head are blurred often and change frequently. This doesn’t mean you can’t follow, just that it seems strange. The end result is an interesting movie but not one that mainstream audiences would flock to. The fact that it didn’t fare well at the box office confirms this. At the time Altman blamed the studio for not promoting the film. My personal guess would be that word of mouth didn’t help the film.

As one of the premiere directors of the time though Altman’s films deserve to be preserved. Fortunately that’s taken place in the past but now this edition offers a definitive release for the film. Arrow once more shows why they are one of the top companies when it comes to items like this providing a brand-new 4K restoration from the original negative made just for this release. They also made sure there were plenty of extras on hand as well including an audio commentary by Samm Deighan and Kat Ellinger, scene-select commentary by Altman, an interview with Altman, a brand new interview with Cathryn Harrison, an appreciation by musician and author Stephen Thrower, the theatrical trailer, a reversible sleeve with new artwork by Twins of Evil and for the first pressing only an illustrated collector’s booklet with new writing on the film by Carman Gray and an extract from ALTMAN ON ALTMAN.

Fans of the director will want to add this one to their collection. If you’ve never seen the film before it is worth watching and perhaps one of his more direct films to enjoy in spite of the jumping back and forth in time and reality. It’s entertaining enough and is definitely worth at least one viewing.

Click here to order.