THREE WOMEN

US, 1977, 123 minutes, Colour.
Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Janice Rule, Ruth Nelson, John Cromwell.
Directed by Robert Altman.

Altman enthusiasts will not be disappointed. Nashville touches occur in deft satirical observations of the Southern Californian ethos. But the film in closest to his Images a psychological study of women expertly played by Shelly Duval, Sissy Spacek (kin to Carrie) and Janice Rule as a speech-shy artist. The framework is dream. While the plot can be explained 'realistically', the facets of dream are most important. Inconsistencies, contradictions are united in the psyche of the dreamer. The dreamer seems to be Sissy Spacek's 'Pinky' in whose dream we live and where the other women are characterized loved and dreaded. Colour, music, alarming symbolic man-woman paintings contribute to one of Altman’s best films.

1. The impact of the film? Its reputation, quality? Its place in the canon of Robert Altman? The film as based on Altman's experience, his dreams? The blend of reality and dream? Fact and interpretation? The significance of the subjectivity of dream - the world as part of the author's dream? Characters as parts of one another's dream? Mutual identification, change of personalities? The insight through dream? The dream as being facets of the personality of the dreamer? The need for dreams and their interpretation for wholeness of personality, integration of personality?

2. The quality of the colour photography, the style of the film? Panavision? The ordinariness of southern California and its eccentricity? The surreal aspects - as in the baths? The impact of the opening - water and dream, the paintings, their content and their style? The monsters in the paintings: animal, masculine, vicious? Wili as the painter and creating these dream monsters? Their use throughout the film? The places where she painted? The close-ups and timing? Audience response to these monsters? Monsters from a woman's point of view? The audience sharing the comment on the characters via the paintings? The contrast of the art with the plastic and motel - type society? Millie’s colours? The interrelationship of the two worlds? The style of the music, the thews, the placing of the score?

3. The structure of the film: the introduction to Millie, Millie as seen by Pinky? The introduction of Pinky and Pinky as seen by Millie? The brooding presence of Wili? The interrelationship of the three women? Realism, the surreal? The break in friendship between Millie and Pinky? Pinky's attempted suicide and the unsettling of Millie? The crisis? The mystery of the finale?

4. Themes of identity: the particularity of individuals, the integration of the individual personality? Millie and her identity, what made it up? Popular magazines, chatter? Her being ignored? Pinky and her admiration, infatuation? Similar names and background? Pinky and her idolising Millie? The significance of the twins and the dialogue commenting on twins, identity, knowing the reality of one's identity? The puzzle as to which twin was which? Millie and Pinky becoming kind of twins? The other friends in the baths? Pinky's gradual absorption of Millie's way of life, trying to imitate her, admiration, reading the diary? The disillusionment and Pinky’s reaction against Millie, acting out the extremes of Millie's potential behaviour? The effect on Millie and her growing sense of responsibility? Imitation, copy, caricature? The relationships between the sexes and each being the shadow side of the other? The film's explicit dialogue about identity? The importance of Wili and her relationship with the other two? The Mother Earth figure, the mother giving birth, stillborn children? The interrelationships at the end?

5. Themes of truth: words, their meanings, actions, facts, insight, lies?

6. The focus of the title on the three women themselves, their individuality, interrelationship? Representing three generations? Similarity of names? Their appearance, regard for each other? Care and disregard? Pinky becoming Millie? Pinky against Millie? Millie caring for Pinky? Millie's final disgust with Pinky? Wili and the birth and the demands made on each of the two younger women? The final change? The success and failure of this portrait of three women - in terms of character drawing, communication to the audience? Themes of roles and relationships? Transference of feelings, transformation of personality?

7. The opening with the baths: the dreamlike sequence, the water, the music and the sounds? The old people moving in the water? The odd type of procession? The detail given at the opening, the paintings? This move to southern Californian realism: the doctor and the running of the place, the nurses and their talk, the twins? Cafeterias? Millie and her role, her chatter, her guiding Pinky? The gradual imitation? Millie's talk about herself? The restaurant sequences and her chatter? Pinky's failure? The Social Services card and its being punched wrongly? The build-up to Millie's indignation and feeling of rejection - while her concern about Pinky's absence? The edge between the two women? The baths as a symbol of the world of California?

8. The portrait of Millie: her presence, appearance, her care about her appearance - and the skirt edge out of her car? The colours, magazines, food specials etc? Her talking at people? The twins and the other girls ignoring her? The reaction of the medical staff? Her home at the motel and her own design? Her thinking she was liked? Tom and his cough? People talking about her? Her looking for a roorr2--mate? Her notes, diary, recipes? The design of her room repressing her? Millie and the critique of superficial American women?

9. Pinky and her arrival, her Texas background, her age, her gasping with delight, hero-worshipping Millie, imitating her, the chatter at work? Her curiosity? Her strange behaviour as regards the Social Service card, punching in and out? Her moving in? Talk? Going to the bar, Edgar and the shooting and her being scared? The encounter with Wili? The tips? Her missing Millie? Copying her? Her curiosity about the twins ~ as a key to the transformation?

10. Millie and her artwork, marriage to Edgar? Her enigmatic presence, the places where she painted? Her pregnancy? Age, appearance and dress? Her regard for Millie? Suspicions of Pinky? The shooting at her artwork? Her giving birth, Millie's responding to the situation, Pinky's helplessness? The baby stillborn? What happened to Edgar? The interrelationship of the three women at the end? Menage, the generations, mother-daughter relationships?

11. Millie and her transformation: her friends and their not turning up for the meal which she prepared so carefully, Pinky's offhandedness, Millie's bringing Edgar home, her being hurt by Pinky, her shock? The visits to the hospital, her concern, sense of responsibility and change? Her grief? Her puzzle especially with Pinky's behaviour in her recuperation, the invasion of privacy? The shooting at Edgar's place? Her disgust?

12. Millie's developed responsibility especially with her behaviour during the birth?

13. Pinky and her hospitalisation after her jealousy? The motives for jealousy of Millie? Falling into the pool? Comatose? Her reaction against her parents? Her changing into a hard character? Flirting? Promiscuous? The shooting and Edgar? Her inability to cope with the birth? The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde aspects of her character?

14. Edgar and his being a stunt man, the macho image, the shooting, the way with the girls, with Millie, Pinky? What happened to him at the end? The ranch and the cafe and the shooting range and the satire on southern California?

15. The sketch of the supporting characters - the doctors at the baths, the twins and their self-preoccupation, the other two girls and their constant chatter and disregard of Millie? The sequence of the signing of the card for Pinky in hospital? The friends at the bar? Millie's girlfriend and her callous attitude towards calling in? The people who lived at the motel, Tom?

16. Pinky's parents and their age. their inability to understand what was going on? The discovery by Millie of the two of them in bed - and its comment on sexual relationships?

17. The finale and the enigmatic relationships amongst the three women?

18. Thews of dream and reality, the psyche., personality, individuality? Transference of attention, identification, transformation? Art and reality? Altman's capturing of the southern Californian ethos and parodying it? The interplay of surface and depth?