1992 / 124 min
Director: Robert Altman / Screenwriter: Michael Tolkin, based on his novel
Cast: Tim Robbins, Whoopi Goldberg, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Cynthia Stevenson, Peter Gallagher, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lyle Lovett
Digital | Courtesy of Janus Films

Film introduced by Liz Manne.

After a decade of films that rarely pleased critics or audiences, Robert Altman snapped back to form with the stinging satire The Player, adapted by Michael Tolkin from his own novel. It might be the truest movie ever made about Hollywood – after all, it’s the story of a studio head (Tim Robbins) who murders a screenwriter (Vincent D’Onofrio). Adding verisimilitude are 65 celebrity cameos, ranging from the relatively obscure (Alan Rudolph) to the mega-famous (Julia Roberts). The film is worth seeing for the opening shot alone, a 7:47 Steadicam tour-de-force in which characters discuss other films with memorable opening shots, such as Touch of Evil and Absolute Beginners. (Ira Deutchman distributed the movie while at Fine Line Features.)

This screening is part of NY Indie Guy: Ira Deutchman and the Rise of Independent Film

On September 14-16 and September 20-23, 2018, Columbia University’s Lenfest Center for the Arts will host a retrospective exhibit honoring the career of Film Professor and Producing Concentration Supervisor Ira Deutchman. Since 1975, Deutchman has been a leader in distributing, marketing, and producing American independent films, international films, and arthouse films. He is perhaps best known for founding and running the distribution companies Cinecom, Fine Line Features, and Emerging Pictures. Deutchman has taught at Columbia since 1987.  

This retrospective will screen essential motion pictures from various points in Deutchman’s career, such as The Brother From Another Planet; Diva; Harlan County USA; sex, lies, & videotape; Swoon; and A Woman Under the Influence. Many showings will feature Q&A talkbacks with filmmakers or performers. The celebration will also include panel discussions and an extensive exhibit covering Deutchman’s impact on cinema.  

Sponsors

The Art House Convergence
Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard
Film and Media Studies, Columbia University School of the Arts
The Society of Fellows and Heyman Center for the Humanities at Columbia University
The Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Columbia University
The University of Michigan Library