It’s a rarity in Hollywood that a director will be honest about borrowing stylistic devices from another filmmaker.
But unlike most in the business, Paul Thomas Anderson and Robert Altman had a uniquely different kind of relationship.
And when Anderson came out and admitted that he had been “ripping off Altman for years” it was a testament to his respect for Altman and his iconic films, including The Player, M.A.S.H., and Nashville.
The two had such a level of mutual respect and a similar approach to making movies that in 2006 when Altman was battling illness during the making of his final film, A Prairie Home Companion, he tabbed Anderson to be the stand-in director should Altman’s health require him to step aside from the project.
That’s right, Paul Thomas Anderson came very close to directing a Robert Altman film, and considering that Altman would, unfortunately, pass away just months after the completion of the project,…
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