Well, its been a long wait for the R2 release of Robert Altman's classic 1993 release - did it really need his death to prompt it?. It's hard to think of a significant director who has been so sorely mistreated on R2 DVD (except for Hal Hartley). The prolonged, eye-catching opening title sequences of a group of insecticide spraying planes wheeling through the LA night sky paves the way (and sets the pace) for this sprawling, meandering three hour epic which comprises a myriad of characters - mostly flawed or wanting ordinary joe's from a variety of backgrounds for whom life, circumstance or fate have something in store for just around the corner. The impressively long and varied cast list produce mostly fine, almost cameo performances and a familiar Altmanesque bluesy score permeates the background.

This film paved the way for more recent films with disjointed and interconnecting plot lines (not that there is much of a plot as this is more a collection of character studies) and… more »

Well, its been a long wait for the R2 release of Robert Altman's classic 1993 release - did it really need his death to prompt it?. It's hard to think of a significant director who has been so sorely mistreated on R2 DVD (except for Hal Hartley). The prolonged, eye-catching opening title sequences of a group of insecticide spraying planes wheeling through the LA night sky paves the way (and sets the pace) for this sprawling, meandering three hour epic which comprises a myriad of characters - mostly flawed or wanting ordinary joe's from a variety of backgrounds for whom life, circumstance or fate have something in store for just around the corner. The impressively long and varied cast list produce mostly fine, almost cameo performances and a familiar Altmanesque bluesy score permeates the background.

This film paved the way for more recent films with disjointed and interconnecting plot lines (not that there is much of a plot as this is more a collection of character studies) and will appeal to fans of films such as 'Magnolia'.

The R2 print and sound are fine (but not as good as the R1 release) and the format is of the 'narrow' widescreen type, but it only scores 3 stars because this barebones DVD has no extras whatsoever. See the Criterion R1 release for the treatment this film really deserves. That said, for first time viewers this is worth the relatively low purchase price.