3 Women (1977)

That was an excellent one.

Thanks for the memories!

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Mildred 'Pinky' Rose is a (very) young girl from Texas who tries her luck in sunny California. She finds a job at a geriatric institution where she meets Millie Lammoreaux. Millie looks so confident that the heavy insecure Pinky soon sees her as a role model. This becomes creepy soon when Pinky tries to become Millie. In fact Millie is a lonely and insecure woman who hides her uncertainties behind constant babble. She becomes annoyed with Pinky and treats her very rude. So rude that Pinky tries to commit suicide. She is in a coma for a couple of days and when she wakes up she has taken over the personality of Millie including her rudeness.That's the main storyline of this movie but not the whole story. This movie is more about mood and atmosphere than it is about a plot. In fact Robert Altman worked out the film without a full script and he wasn't sure about how to end the story. The atmosphere is what makes this film a beautiful and sometimes creepy travel through the minds of the three women. There are long sequences of the paintings from Willie, the third woman. And there is a frightening dream sequence which shows a nightmare that Pinky experienced.In fact the three women are tied by a male: Edgar Hart, the husband of Willie who owns a saloon and the apartment where Millie and Pinky share a room. While his wife is pregnant he sleeps with Millie and when Pinky is transformed into Millie he easily switches his attentions. So the only male in this story with an important role is portrayed as an absolute cheater and loser. The film suffers under the fact that it isn't made with a worked-out script. While the title is 3 women the film is only centered on Millie and Pinky and the character of Willie doesn't come forward very clear. There is hardly any interaction between her and the two other women and it seems she only communicates with them through her paintings (especially with Pinky). Then there is the role of the twins who also work at the institution. They are mentioned a lot in the film and you see a lot of shots of them. You expect that they should play an important role but this part of the plot is never worked out.What about the two main characters? It's hard to identify with them. Millie is an irritant female who seems to never shut her mouth and bothers people who are not interested in her. The reason for this is that she is so lonely that she intrudes in other peoples lifes and as a consequence is ignored by them. Pinky seems to be a very shy girl without real knowledge of society but she has a hidden agenda. The way she tries to imitate Millie shows thoroughness. When her parents are shown you understand she comes from a rural background and was most probably withdrawn from all experiences young women have in their teens. Her head injuries after her suicide attempt transform her in a sexual loaded woman who knows all the tricks to seduce men. But when there are stressful moments she immediately becomes the shy country girl as portrayed in the first half of the film.I think 3 women could have been a masterpiece if Altman hadn't got this image of what this movie would become already in his head before he starts shooting. For the director the sequences are much more important than a worked-out plot and in the end the film suffers underneath his vision. But he managed very well to create this dreamlike and creepy atmosphere which makes this movie more than just a psychological drama. As a viewer you feel the tension when Pinky intrudes the life of Millie and as this movie seems to become a story about a stalker the roles are exchanged and you start to feel sorry for Millie who has an enormous guilt about what happened to Pinky. Then there is the dream sequence and the child-bearing of Willie which is filmed so intense that I was shivering watching this scene. Still I'm left with the feeling that so much more could have been made with this plot.

Pinky Rose (Sissy Spacek) is an awkward adolescent who starts work at a spa in the California desert. She becomes overly attached to fellow spa attendant, Millie (Shelley Duvall), when she becomes Millie's room-mate.Roger Ebert named this the best film of 1977, but despite the praise, for twenty-seven years, the film was unavailable on home video. Thank you, Criterion, for finding these lost gems and giving them the proper treatment they deserve! What we actually have are two women, both named Mildred (though neither goes by it). Yes, there is a third, but the relationship between Pinky and Millie is the core here. And it is odd. Not only are these two actresses very unconventional in appearance, but they are just so strange. While Robert Altman deserves a great deal of credit, the real stars of this production are Spacek and Duvall, who transformed this from a script into a film.

3 women is about identity theft. For example, one young girl arrives at the job on her first day, and meets a self-confident worker, who ends up having a room to rent in her apartment. The new employee is marvelled by the other and after she tries to commit suicide and recovers - inherently takes over the personality of the self-confident worker. It is done in such a crafty way, that the viewer has no real idea that it happened. Hence making this moving one of the best movies out there.I really like the character of the self-confident worker, because she was so strong that the indifference from the actual circumstances did not even put a dent in her self-confidence. She was so sure of herself, and at the same time it was so utter misplaced. For example, she would go to the doctors lounge on her lunch break, and sit next to doctors and keep on talking and none of the doctors would respond to her. She just sat there talking and talking away. They took no notice of her. When she got up, she would say, it was great talking to you, I've gotten go now, see you all tomorrow. And there would be little or no reaction from the doctors, still she would get up and walk towards the exit, being in seventh heaven.(It was a Criterion movie).

So I watched 1977's dream flick "3 women", by the late great Robert Altman. This movie stars both Shelly Duvall and Sissy Spacek, both who won awards for their acting in this film. So is this movie good, yes if you like the surreal (which I do). Is it a classic, I say yes but of cult status only. This is not a mainstream movie. Even for Altman this movie is out there. This is not one of his typical dialog driven smart comedy. It is a flick about images, ideas, and things that are open for interpretation. Including the end which Altman himself said he was not quite sure he understood. The inspiration for this film was in fact a dream Altman had. This film starts out seemingly normal but slowly morphs into a dream, becoming stranger and stranger with each passing scene. I recommend this movie for indy lovers and art lovers. I am not sure many others would appreciate the rather intellectual high art concept of this film. Watching this movie with friends may be the best way to go, with the right group this film could inspire a deep philosophical and existential debate. if you like concise reviews of interesting films please read my other reviews at http://raouldukeatthemovies.blogspot.com/